Conflict, vulnerabilities, silences: LGBT-critical Muslims and Western development organisations in Europe and the Middle East

While the general topic of gender and faith has received significant attention in development studies, the nexus of LGBT inclusion, faith, and development remains under-researched. Existing publications generally focus on the negative impact of religion on LGBT communities, question binaries between LGBT and faith actors, or mention how faith-based initiatives support LGBT communities. There is little literature on the negative impact of LGBT inclusion on faith actors, especially when driven by western organisations. This article asks how LGBT-critical Muslim faith-based development actors in Europe and the Middle East are negatively affected, and navigate, development spaces that are increasingly dominated by LGBT-inclusive Western organisations. Based on an ethnographic approach, the article concludes that conflict between LGBT-critical and LGBT-inclusive development actors reinforces existing vulnerabilities of Muslims working in development, often concealed by silence. The article ends with recommendations aimed at helping development actors work for holistic inclusion.