Dr. Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed

Dr. Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed is a French-Algerian imam, religious thinker, queer scholar, and activist known for his pioneering work at the intersection of Islam and LGBTQ inclusion. Born in Algeria in 1977 and raised in a Muslim family, Zahed moved to France at a young age, where his early life was marked by a tension between his Muslim upbringing and his emerging sexual identity, a dynamic that would later shape his intellectual and activist trajectory.

Zahed trained to become an imam by studying Quranic exegesis, Tafsir al-Qur'an, in Algeria, and deepened his religious formation by joining the Salafi Brotherhood during the Algerian Civil War. For a time, Zahed turned to Buddhism. It was upon his first pilgrimage to Mecca that he reclaimed his faith as a Muslim.

Zahed went on to pursue an exceptional academic career: completing a master's degree in Cognitive Psychology at the École Normale Supérieure, a PhD in Social Psychology of Religions at the University of Nantes, and a further PhD in Anthropology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris.

Zahed set up Les Enfants du Sida (Children of AIDS) in 2006, he himself having contracted HIV as a teenager. In 2010, Zahed founded HM2F (Homosexuel(le)s Musulman(e)s de France), an organisation aimed at supporting LGBTQ Muslims and fostering dialogue around sexuality and faith.

In 2011, he married his husband Qiyaammudeen Jantjies-Zahed in Cape Town, becoming the first French Muslim man to enter a civil same-sex marriage. The following year, despite same-sex marriage not yet being legal in France, the couple held a religious ceremony in France conducted by an imam.

One of Zahed’s most notable contributions came in 2012, when he established Musulmans Progressistes de France in 2012 along with what is widely recognised as France’s first queer-friendly mosque. In his role as the imam, he led prayers and offered spiritual guidance in a context explicitly welcoming to LGBTQ individuals. He went on to establish the CALEM (Confederation of Associations LGBT+ Euro-Africans Muslims) Institute in Marseille in 2019, a queer-inclusive Muslim place of worship that trains imams from across Europe to embrace progressive and feminist values.

Zahed has authored several significant works including Le Coran et la Chair (2012), Queer Muslim Marriage (2013), LGBT Musulman-es: du Placard aux Lumières (2016), and Homosexuality, Transidentity, and Islam: A Study of Scripture Confronting the Politics of Gender and Sexuality (2019), which draw on Islamic theology, queer theory, and personal narrative to argue for an inclusive interpretation of Islam that affirms sexual diversity. His writings contribute to a growing body of scholarship that seeks to reconcile faith and sexuality within Muslim contexts.

Over time, Zahed has expanded his work beyond France, engaging in international advocacy and interfaith dialogue. His efforts have made him a key figure in the global movement for LGBTQ inclusion within religious traditions. Through his leadership, writing, and public engagement, Zahed continues to challenge exclusionary interpretations of Islam and to create spaces where LGBTQ Muslims can practice their faith openly and authentically.

(This biographical statement was written by Rachael Stockdale and was edited by Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed.)

Biography Date: June 2026

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