Heretical Belonging

Rabia was considered heretical by some for her unconventional spiritual practice and radical devotional stance outside institutional religion. Similarly, diaspora found families often operate outside official recognition systems: undocumented members lack legal status; religious minorities navigate exclusion; LGBTQ+ individuals find families of choice when rejected by origin families. Heretical belonging means asserting that these communities are legitimate, real, and worthy of honor precisely because they exist outside systems of official validation. Found families practice heretical belonging by creating their own legitimation: through ritual, through storytelling, through mutual recognition, through asserting rights and dignities that law does not grant. This stance is radically decolonial—rejecting the notion that state or institutional approval determines kinship validity. For diaspora members, heretical belonging is survival strategy and spiritual practice: it insists on the realness of relationships and community despite administrative erasure. Found families practicing heretical belonging build confidence, reduce internalized shame, and strengthen collective identity grounded in self-determination rather than external approval.