IMPORTANT ADDENDUM ON JUNE 29, 2022 ///
The Funambulist stands in solidarity with Fatima Fouad.
We do not mean that our contributors form a community only when it is convenient and easy. As such, we feel responsible for taking part in building the public persona of Maan Abu Taleb, founder of Ma3azef, contributor to The Funambulist 38 (Nov-Dec 2021) and, as we realized on June 26, 2022, enabler of Fatima’s rapist. We read his apology letter, published only once Fatima’s horrifying experience was made public, over two years after Maan learned about it. We are extremely unsatisfied with the disingenuousness he’s displaying, in particular when he calls Fatima’s testimony “her side of the story.” If a part of him is sincere, we call for him to engage in a reparation process (on Fatima’s own terms, if any, of course).
We, the main team and advisory board of The Funambulist, will also engage in an internal conversation to determine the least imperfect way to only invite contributors who cannot think/practice anti-colonialism and anti-racism without being equally committed to dismantling misogyny and the many forms of queerphobia.