Life as a Gay Imam Isn't as Bad as It Sounds

Contents:

• 'THERE'S NO TEXTBOOK FOR THIS': 'NEVER HAVE I EVER' SEASON 2 SHOWS THERE'S NO ONE WAY TO BE GAY
• LIFE AS A GAY IMAM ISN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS
• EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI
• GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE
• GAY MLIM: ISLAM IS NO RELIGN OF PEACECIVIL WARLIKE THE OTHER TWO MONOTHEISMS THAT PRECE , ISLAM HAS BLOOD ON S HANDS.PARVEZ SHARMAUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 7:44PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 16, 2016 1:00AM EDT BAZI MUHAMMAD/RTERS“WHAT’S HIS NAME?” I ASKED MY HBAND AS HE WOKE ME TO TELL ME OF THE RNAGE ORLANDO. “IT’S GOG TO BE A MLIM NAME.”I JT KNEW . I HAD NEVER BEEN ONE TO RACIALLY PROFILE MY OWN MUNY. BUT THIS TIME MY PREMONN WAS RIGHT.A FEW YEARS AGO, ISLAMIC YEAR 1432, I WAS MEC ON THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE. I SHARED A MEAL WH AN OLR YEMENI AT AL BAIQ, THE SDI VERSN OF KFC. WE DISCSED THE MONSTRO KGDOM TOWER LOOMG OVER THE KAABA, THE BEATG HEART OF MY FAH, WHERE LNS OF MLIMS NVERGE EVERY YEAR TO PERFORM THE RUALS THAT MAKE UP ISLAM’S HIGHT LLG. THE B LAN FAY WAS RPONSIBLE FOR S NSTCTN, ALONG WH THE STCTN OF UNTLS HISTORIC S AND ARTIFACTS OF ISLAMIC HISTORY TO PAVE THE WAY FOR RORT HOTELS AND OTHER NVENIENC RERVED FOR THE 1 PERCENT.“IT’S LIKE KG ABDULLAH’S ERECTN,” I TOLD THE MAN. “BUT SHEIKH OSAMA STROYED AMERI’S LARGT PENIS, DIDN’T HE?” THE MAN REPLIED WH A CHUCKLE. HIS SUAL JOKG ABOUT THE SLGHTER OF THOANDS CHILLED ME.AND “SHEIKH OSAMA”? I ULD NOT RETURN HIS LGHTER. THIS MAN SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO TOLERATE MY AMERINNS, BUT IF HE’D HAD ANY IA THAT I WAS GAY, HE WOULD HAVE YANKED HIS ARM OM MY SHOULR AND WALKED AWAY WHOUT A WORD. THE RNAGE ORLANDO HAS SHAKEN MY VERY RE, BUT AFTER MY EXPERIENC TRAVELG THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AS A GAY MAN (OPEN SOME UNTRI, FULLY CLOSETED OTHERS), I NNOT SAY I AM SURPRISED. ANY INTY I HAVE EVER CLAIMED NOW LI EXPOSED AS A WOUND THAT WILL NEVER HEAL. SAYG “GAY MLIM” SEEMS LIKE A REASON FOR DAMNATN.I’VE SPENT THE LAST OF MY LIFE MAKG TWO FILMS. THE FIRST, A JIHAD FOR LOVE, IS ABOUT THE LIV OF GAY MLIMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE SEND, A SNER IN MEC, ALT WH MY OWN PERSONAL JOURNEY AND MY EFFORT TO RENCILE MY FAH AND MY SEXUALY ISLAM’S HOLIT PLAC, SURROUND BY PEOPLE WHO WOULD SOONER SEE ME PUBLICLY BEATEN, THROWN OFF A CLIFF OR BEHEAD.THE ARE STRANGE TIM. IT IS A SEASON OF ISLAMOPHOBIA AMERI, WHERE DONALD TMP WHIPS UP XENOPHOBIA WH A TWEET. WHAT HE DON’T REALIZE IS THAT HE’S ATTACKG A RELIGN THAT’S ALREADY AT WAR WH SELF. MLIMS LIKE ME HAVE FOUGHT HARD NOT TO BEE SUALTI. WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD OUR OMAR MATEENS. IN THE U.S., THEY MANIFT AS LONE CRAZED GUNMEN. BUT SDI ARABIA AND ELSEWHERE, THEY ARE ON THE ROYAL PAYROLL.A CURSORY LOOK AT THE PAG OF ISIS’S GLOSSY MAGAZE, DABIQ, REVEALS THE GROUP’S IOLOGY. THEY GLOAT—AND SHOW HIGH-R PHOTOS—ABOUT THROWG HOMOSEXUALS OFF THE TALLT BUILDGS THAT SOMEHOW REMA STANDG THE WASTELANDS THEY’VE CREATED.THE LATT AMERIN NEWS REPORTS SUGGT OMAR MATEEN HIMSELF WAS A CLOSETED GAY MLIM WHO HARBORED AN IMMENSE SELF-LOATHG. A FEW NIGHTS AGO, HE MURROLY REDIRECTED THIS LOATHG TOWARD DOZENS OF YOUNG BROWN GAY MEN WHO WERE ENJOYG THEIR FIRST TAST OF A PROFOUND EEDOM AND ACCEPTANCE THAT HE PROBABLY FELT HE ULD NEVER TLY ENJOY WH THE SAME REEE ABANDON. THE SAME FENSIVE, APOLOGIST MLIMS ARE LLED UPON EVERY TIME SOMETHG LIKE THIS HAPPENS. I, TOO, HAVE BEEN LLED SEVERAL TIM, BUT HAVE SO FAR REFED THE TV PARTS BEE I AM NOT SURE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS PALATABLE. MATEEN, THE HOMOPHOBIC GAY MLIM, IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON. THE MLIM RELIG ELE IS DIRECTLY RPONSIBLE FOR SPIRG THE GUILT AND SELF-HATRED THAT THIS MAN MT HAVE FELT, NEEDLSLY STGGLG WH HIS SEXUALY. AND THEN HE BEME A MASS MURRER, WHOSE ACTNS N NEVER BE NDONED.WHAT I DO KNOW IS THIS. AS A VOUT GAY MLIM I AM NOT GOG TO MAKE A CLAIM THAT “ISLAM IS A RELIGN OF PEACE.”GROWG UP A SMALL INDIAN TOWN WH A LARGE MLIM POPULATN, I HEARD YOUNG MEN TALKG ABOUT JIHAD KASHMIR AND PALTE. I HAVE EVEN HEARD SUCH MATTERS DISCSED HHED WHISPERS AT MANHATTAN’S 96TH ST. MOSQUE, WHERE I SOMETIM GO AND PRAY ON FRIDAYS AND WHERE SUBJUGATN OF WOMEN IS DISCSED THE OPEN WHOUT THE BLK OF AN EYE. THE MOSQUE WAS BUILT LARGELY WH SDI MONEY, AND S IMAMS OFTEN E EQUIPPED WH THE PERVERSNS OF WAHHABI IOLOGY.A FEW WEEKS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH, S IMAM AT THE TIME, SHEIK MUHAMMAD GEMEAHA RIGNED AND LEFT HASTILY FOR HIS NATIVE EGYPT. HE WAS QUOTED THE NEW YORK TIM AS HAVG SAID AMONGST MUCH ELSE CLUDG THE FAIAR RIDG OF “HOMOSEXUALY” “‘ONLY THE JEWS’ WERE PABLE OF STROYG THE WORLD TRA CENTER” AND ADD THAT ‘'IF BEME KNOWN TO THE AMERIN PEOPLE, THEY WOULD HAVE DONE TO JEWS WHAT HLER DID.”CALLG ISLAM A RELIGN OF PEACE IS DANGERO AND RCTIVE. LIKE THE OTHER TWO MONOTHEISMS THAT PRECE , HAS BLOOD ON S HANDS. IT’S TIME WE MLIMS START LOOKG WARD AT OUR OWN MUNI SO THAT THE BLOODSHED N STOP. I’M NVCED THAT MATEEN’S ATTU IS NOT GE. IT N BE FOUND EVERYWHERE OM MEC TO MY OWN MOSQUE NEW YORK CY.THE VAST NON OF ISLAM THAT EMERGED AFTER THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S LIFE HAS ENOUGH SANCTN FOR VLENCE, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKG FOR. AND THERE IS NO LACK OF HOMOPHOBIC NMNATN EHER. THE QURAN SELF REMAS VAGUE ON THE MATTER, LAZILY REGURGATG THE OLD AND NEW TTAMENT’S STORY OF THE NATN OF LOT. AND FOR THE MAJORY OF 1.6 BILLN MLIMS, MANY OF THEM PLAGUED BY POVERTY AND ILLERACY, THE BAT GOG ON AMONGST THE WTERN MLIM PUNDS, WILL MAKE NO SENSE. WHAT THEY LISTEN TO IS KHUTBA (FRIDAY SERMON) AFTER KHUTBA THAT TALKS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY AS A S AMONGST OTHER MATTERS OF RELIG IMPORT.Y, MOST MLIMS ARE MUDDLG THROUGH LIFE, PUTTG FOOD ON THEIR FAI’ TABL JT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. THERE ARE UNTLS SECTARIAN DIVISNS WH THE VAST FAH. BUT IF EVEN A ACTN OF A PERCENTAGE OF THIS POPULATN BELIEV GAYS SHOULD BE PUT TO ATH, WE HAVE A PROBLEM THAT NNOT BE DISMISSED SO EASILY.I, TOO, FEAR BACKLASH OM A FEARFUL NSERVATIVE AMERI. I FALLY WON AN AMERIN PASSPORT LAST YEAR AND AM OFFICIALLY AN AMERIN CIZEN. WILL I BE SGLED OUT AT THE AIRPORT WH CREASG EQUENCY? WILL MLIMS LIKE ME, SPERATE TO GET TO THE UNED STAT, BE ABLE TO TASTE EEDOM HERE?I WENT TO MY FIRST GAY BAR ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO NEW YORK CY. I HAD JT LAND THE UNED STAT. MY WHO HOSTED ME ON MY VIS SWEARS THAT I KISSED THE GROUND (THOUGH I SPECT HE’S EMBELLISHG). I LOST MYSELF THE MIC, THE DANCE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE LOVE. THERE ARE LNS OF OTHER GAY MLIMS THE WORLD, SPERATE TO EXPERIENCE SUCH LOVE.IN 2010, I STOOD OUTSI A NIGHTCLUB LLED ACID, PERCHED ON A BEIT CLIFF. IT WAS RAMADAN, AND ACID WAS ONE OF THE PREC FEW OPENLY GAY NIGHTCLUBS ALL OF THE ARAB MIDDLE EAST. I SHARED A CIGARETTE WH A IEND LLED BABAK AS A R WH SDI TAGS ROLLED UP.“THAT’S A RICH SDI PRCE!” BABAK SAID. HE OFTEN HERE TO CISE! YOU HAVE NO IA HOW MANY RICH SDI FUCKERS E HERE. WE BEITIS MT SCREW WELL! THE SDIS? THEY WALK AROUND LIKE THEY ARE SO BUTCH BUT ONCE NAKED THEY ARE ALL BOTTOMS.”BABAK WAS THE TWENTYSOMETHG FOUNR OF BEAR ARABIA WHO ANIZED “BEAR” TOURS OF LEBANON, SYRIA, AND JORDAN FOR WTERN GAY MEN KEEN TO SAMPLE THE LIGHTS OF THE REGN. BEARS, FOR THOSE UNFAIAR WH WTERN HOMOSEXUALY, ARE THE GAY MEN WHO DO NOT NFIRM TO “BODY FASCIST” STEREOTYP AND FLNT THE HAIR ON THEIR BODI AND THE AMPLE MEAT ON THEIR BON. OR AS MY HBAND KEH LIKED TO SAY, “THEY ARE JT GAY MEN WHO HAVE GIVEN UP.”I WAS BEIT TO DO OPEN SCREENGS OF MY FIRST FILM FOR THE FIRST TIME AN ARAB PAL. IT FELT LIKE A SPECIAL MOMENT. BABAK, WHO I WOULD LL AN ACTIVIST LIKE ANY OTHER, WAS FUR AT THE TIME BEE A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE HAD E OUT LABELG THE CY THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST. TO ME SEEMED ABSURD. FROM OUR VANTAGE POT WE WERE LOOKG AT THE EXPANSE OF DAHIYEH, BEIT’S SOUTHERN SUBURB. THAT WAS HEZBOLLAH LAND, BOMBED TO SMHEREENS 2006. THIS REMAED A EPLY DIVID CY.ON THAT JOURNEY, I HOOKED UP WH A HANDSOME MAN WHO LATER NFID ME THAT HE WAS A MEMBER OF HEZBOLLAH’S SOCIAL MEDIA DIVISN. WE’D MET ON MANJAM, A GAY HOOKUP WEBSE. HE WAS MARRIED, WH THREE KIDS. WHEN WE WERE FISHED, HE PERFORMED THE ELABORATE, OBLIGATORY POST-SEX CLEANSG RUAL LLED THE GHL AT ALMOST 4:30 THE MORNG.FOR A BRIEF MOMENT I WONRED HOW THE WORLD MIGHT BE DIFFERENT IF THE CLOSETED MLIMS, OM SDI PRC TO HEZBOLLAH WARRRS, ULD EXPERIENCE THE LOVE THAT I NOW FEEL THE ARMS OF MY HBAND KEH. THE BT CHANCE THEY HAVE IS G TO AMERI, AND I’M NOW AAID THAT DOOR IS CLOSG SHUT. PARVEZ SHARMA IS THE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF A JIHAD FOR LOVE AND A SNER MEC. HE ALSO WR FOR THE HUFFGTON POST AND IS A SPEAKER ON ISLAM AND SEXUALY. HIS UPG BOOK ON HIS HAJJ TO SDI ARABIA WILL BE RELEASED NEXT YEAR BY BEN BELLA BOOKS. PARVEZ SHARMA
• CAN A MLIM BE GAY?
• DO PETRERA IS BACK AS DELIGHTFUL GAY JONAH ON NEVER HAVE I EVER
• IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC

'THERE'S NO TEXTBOOK FOR THIS': 'NEVER HAVE I EVER' SEASON 2 SHOWS THERE'S NO ONE WAY TO BE GAY

" 'Legally Blon' at 20:The problem wh s ‘gotcha’ gay plotAfter Fabla reassur Devi and Eleanor that she do, fact, like girls – after all, she dreams about Dua Lipa feedg her grap – Jonah (Do Petrera), another gay stunt, overhears their nversatn and offers some fortg advice. " Adds Schleicher: "It's fun to learn your queer history and and be part of the muny, but don't feel like you have to be any specific type of way to be a 'good gay. Along wh Devi, there’s her bt iends Fabla Torr (Lee Rodriguez), who first out as gay to a robot that she built and programmed herself, and Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young), who rocks embarassgly eccentric outfs (“sexy flapper girl”) wh nfint ease, then sr the lead role the school if I n’t directly relate to Devi’s experienc as a first-generatn Indian Amerin, the nuanced perspectiv of the characters monstrate what mak diversy TV stgs and wrers rooms so necsary.

LIFE AS A GAY IMAM ISN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS

Acrdg to the kgdom’s relig police, the school was fed 100, 000 riyals ($26, 650) for displayg “the emblem of the homosexuals” on s buildg, one of s admistrators was jailed and the offendg parapet was swiftly repated to match a blue rabow-ee se of the gaily pated school shows how progrs one part of the world n have adverse effects elsewhere and serv as a remr that there are plac where the nnectn between rabows and LGBT rights is eher new or yet to be Afghanistan, only a few years ago, there was a craze for ratg rs wh rabow stickers – which Che factori were only too happy to supply. It wasn’t until the Afghan Pajhwok news agency explaed how they might be misterpreted that the craze me to a sudn on the ter and you will also fd pi of the “Rabow Qur’an” for sale – an unnscly gay edn of the holy book wh tted pag of every hue and remend on one webse as “an ial gift for Mlims” there are two sis to this cross-cultural misunrstandg.

Genr segregatn, which go to extreme lengths the more nservative Mlim untri, enurag homosocial behavur, creatg a suatn where men are often more fortable the prence of other men and where placg a hand on another man’s knee is a sign of iendship, not an vatn to sex.

EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI

Historilly, Mlim societi have often acknowledged this – toleratg to some extent even if they the 19th and early 20th centuri, men who had been persecuted for their sexualy Europe often sought refuge Moroc and, long before same-sex marriage was dreamed of the wt, male-on-male partnerships were regnised – and marked wh a ceremony – the remote Egyptian oasis of some Mlim untri, whole towns have bee the butt of jok about the supposed homosexualy of their habants. In Egypt, for example, an old law agast “bchery” is often laws have a tastrophic effect on the liv of people who are unlucky enough to get ught but, spe ocsnal crackdowns, the thori don’t, on the whole, actively seek out gay people to arrt them. In England 1952, there were 670 prosecutns for sodomy, 3, 087 for attempted sodomy or cent asslt, and 1, 686 for gross problem wh such laws, even if not vigoroly enforced, is that they signal official disapproval of homosexualy and, upled wh the fulmatns of relig scholars, legimise discrimatn by dividuals at an everyday level and may also provi an exce for actn by vigilant.

Years before Isis began throwg allegedly gay men off the top of buildgs, other groups Iraq were attackg “un-manly” men – sometim killg them slowly by jectg glue to the reason for the paratively small number of prosecutns is the official fictn that gay people don’t exist to any great extent Mlim untri; homosexualy is regard primarily as a wtern phenomenon and large numbers of arrts would ll that to qutn. Some of the most btal Arab regim (Iraq unr Saddam Hse and Syria unr the Assads, for example) also showed ltle tert attackg gay people – probably bee they had other thgs to worry Syrian refugee Subhi Nahas wh the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, durg an rmal meetg on the persecutn of LGBT people by Isis.

Individuals or upl acced of havg unlawful sex may be arrted for a variety of reasons, cludg some which ially are unrelated to homosexualy.

GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE

For those ught, the effect on their liv is tastrophic but the law is not much of a terrent and for those who are discreet about their sexualy the risk of arrt is the vast majory who intify as gay, lbian or transgenr the attus of fay and society are a much bigger one issue that affects all gay people – everywhere – at some pot their liv is g out.

GAY MLIM: ISLAM IS NO RELIGN OF PEACECIVIL WARLIKE THE OTHER TWO MONOTHEISMS THAT PRECE , ISLAM HAS BLOOD ON S HANDS.PARVEZ SHARMAUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 7:44PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 16, 2016 1:00AM EDT BAZI MUHAMMAD/RTERS“WHAT’S HIS NAME?” I ASKED MY HBAND AS HE WOKE ME TO TELL ME OF THE RNAGE ORLANDO. “IT’S GOG TO BE A MLIM NAME.”I JT KNEW . I HAD NEVER BEEN ONE TO RACIALLY PROFILE MY OWN MUNY. BUT THIS TIME MY PREMONN WAS RIGHT.A FEW YEARS AGO, ISLAMIC YEAR 1432, I WAS MEC ON THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE. I SHARED A MEAL WH AN OLR YEMENI AT AL BAIQ, THE SDI VERSN OF KFC. WE DISCSED THE MONSTRO KGDOM TOWER LOOMG OVER THE KAABA, THE BEATG HEART OF MY FAH, WHERE LNS OF MLIMS NVERGE EVERY YEAR TO PERFORM THE RUALS THAT MAKE UP ISLAM’S HIGHT LLG. THE B LAN FAY WAS RPONSIBLE FOR S NSTCTN, ALONG WH THE STCTN OF UNTLS HISTORIC S AND ARTIFACTS OF ISLAMIC HISTORY TO PAVE THE WAY FOR RORT HOTELS AND OTHER NVENIENC RERVED FOR THE 1 PERCENT.“IT’S LIKE KG ABDULLAH’S ERECTN,” I TOLD THE MAN. “BUT SHEIKH OSAMA STROYED AMERI’S LARGT PENIS, DIDN’T HE?” THE MAN REPLIED WH A CHUCKLE. HIS SUAL JOKG ABOUT THE SLGHTER OF THOANDS CHILLED ME.AND “SHEIKH OSAMA”? I ULD NOT RETURN HIS LGHTER. THIS MAN SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO TOLERATE MY AMERINNS, BUT IF HE’D HAD ANY IA THAT I WAS GAY, HE WOULD HAVE YANKED HIS ARM OM MY SHOULR AND WALKED AWAY WHOUT A WORD. THE RNAGE ORLANDO HAS SHAKEN MY VERY RE, BUT AFTER MY EXPERIENC TRAVELG THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AS A GAY MAN (OPEN SOME UNTRI, FULLY CLOSETED OTHERS), I NNOT SAY I AM SURPRISED. ANY INTY I HAVE EVER CLAIMED NOW LI EXPOSED AS A WOUND THAT WILL NEVER HEAL. SAYG “GAY MLIM” SEEMS LIKE A REASON FOR DAMNATN.I’VE SPENT THE LAST OF MY LIFE MAKG TWO FILMS. THE FIRST, A JIHAD FOR LOVE, IS ABOUT THE LIV OF GAY MLIMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE SEND, A SNER IN MEC, ALT WH MY OWN PERSONAL JOURNEY AND MY EFFORT TO RENCILE MY FAH AND MY SEXUALY ISLAM’S HOLIT PLAC, SURROUND BY PEOPLE WHO WOULD SOONER SEE ME PUBLICLY BEATEN, THROWN OFF A CLIFF OR BEHEAD.THE ARE STRANGE TIM. IT IS A SEASON OF ISLAMOPHOBIA AMERI, WHERE DONALD TMP WHIPS UP XENOPHOBIA WH A TWEET. WHAT HE DON’T REALIZE IS THAT HE’S ATTACKG A RELIGN THAT’S ALREADY AT WAR WH SELF. MLIMS LIKE ME HAVE FOUGHT HARD NOT TO BEE SUALTI. WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD OUR OMAR MATEENS. IN THE U.S., THEY MANIFT AS LONE CRAZED GUNMEN. BUT SDI ARABIA AND ELSEWHERE, THEY ARE ON THE ROYAL PAYROLL.A CURSORY LOOK AT THE PAG OF ISIS’S GLOSSY MAGAZE, DABIQ, REVEALS THE GROUP’S IOLOGY. THEY GLOAT—AND SHOW HIGH-R PHOTOS—ABOUT THROWG HOMOSEXUALS OFF THE TALLT BUILDGS THAT SOMEHOW REMA STANDG THE WASTELANDS THEY’VE CREATED.THE LATT AMERIN NEWS REPORTS SUGGT OMAR MATEEN HIMSELF WAS A CLOSETED GAY MLIM WHO HARBORED AN IMMENSE SELF-LOATHG. A FEW NIGHTS AGO, HE MURROLY REDIRECTED THIS LOATHG TOWARD DOZENS OF YOUNG BROWN GAY MEN WHO WERE ENJOYG THEIR FIRST TAST OF A PROFOUND EEDOM AND ACCEPTANCE THAT HE PROBABLY FELT HE ULD NEVER TLY ENJOY WH THE SAME REEE ABANDON. THE SAME FENSIVE, APOLOGIST MLIMS ARE LLED UPON EVERY TIME SOMETHG LIKE THIS HAPPENS. I, TOO, HAVE BEEN LLED SEVERAL TIM, BUT HAVE SO FAR REFED THE TV PARTS BEE I AM NOT SURE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS PALATABLE. MATEEN, THE HOMOPHOBIC GAY MLIM, IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON. THE MLIM RELIG ELE IS DIRECTLY RPONSIBLE FOR SPIRG THE GUILT AND SELF-HATRED THAT THIS MAN MT HAVE FELT, NEEDLSLY STGGLG WH HIS SEXUALY. AND THEN HE BEME A MASS MURRER, WHOSE ACTNS N NEVER BE NDONED.WHAT I DO KNOW IS THIS. AS A VOUT GAY MLIM I AM NOT GOG TO MAKE A CLAIM THAT “ISLAM IS A RELIGN OF PEACE.”GROWG UP A SMALL INDIAN TOWN WH A LARGE MLIM POPULATN, I HEARD YOUNG MEN TALKG ABOUT JIHAD KASHMIR AND PALTE. I HAVE EVEN HEARD SUCH MATTERS DISCSED HHED WHISPERS AT MANHATTAN’S 96TH ST. MOSQUE, WHERE I SOMETIM GO AND PRAY ON FRIDAYS AND WHERE SUBJUGATN OF WOMEN IS DISCSED THE OPEN WHOUT THE BLK OF AN EYE. THE MOSQUE WAS BUILT LARGELY WH SDI MONEY, AND S IMAMS OFTEN E EQUIPPED WH THE PERVERSNS OF WAHHABI IOLOGY.A FEW WEEKS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH, S IMAM AT THE TIME, SHEIK MUHAMMAD GEMEAHA RIGNED AND LEFT HASTILY FOR HIS NATIVE EGYPT. HE WAS QUOTED THE NEW YORK TIM AS HAVG SAID AMONGST MUCH ELSE CLUDG THE FAIAR RIDG OF “HOMOSEXUALY” “‘ONLY THE JEWS’ WERE PABLE OF STROYG THE WORLD TRA CENTER” AND ADD THAT ‘'IF BEME KNOWN TO THE AMERIN PEOPLE, THEY WOULD HAVE DONE TO JEWS WHAT HLER DID.”CALLG ISLAM A RELIGN OF PEACE IS DANGERO AND RCTIVE. LIKE THE OTHER TWO MONOTHEISMS THAT PRECE , HAS BLOOD ON S HANDS. IT’S TIME WE MLIMS START LOOKG WARD AT OUR OWN MUNI SO THAT THE BLOODSHED N STOP. I’M NVCED THAT MATEEN’S ATTU IS NOT GE. IT N BE FOUND EVERYWHERE OM MEC TO MY OWN MOSQUE NEW YORK CY.THE VAST NON OF ISLAM THAT EMERGED AFTER THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S LIFE HAS ENOUGH SANCTN FOR VLENCE, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKG FOR. AND THERE IS NO LACK OF HOMOPHOBIC NMNATN EHER. THE QURAN SELF REMAS VAGUE ON THE MATTER, LAZILY REGURGATG THE OLD AND NEW TTAMENT’S STORY OF THE NATN OF LOT. AND FOR THE MAJORY OF 1.6 BILLN MLIMS, MANY OF THEM PLAGUED BY POVERTY AND ILLERACY, THE BAT GOG ON AMONGST THE WTERN MLIM PUNDS, WILL MAKE NO SENSE. WHAT THEY LISTEN TO IS KHUTBA (FRIDAY SERMON) AFTER KHUTBA THAT TALKS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY AS A S AMONGST OTHER MATTERS OF RELIG IMPORT.Y, MOST MLIMS ARE MUDDLG THROUGH LIFE, PUTTG FOOD ON THEIR FAI’ TABL JT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. THERE ARE UNTLS SECTARIAN DIVISNS WH THE VAST FAH. BUT IF EVEN A ACTN OF A PERCENTAGE OF THIS POPULATN BELIEV GAYS SHOULD BE PUT TO ATH, WE HAVE A PROBLEM THAT NNOT BE DISMISSED SO EASILY.I, TOO, FEAR BACKLASH OM A FEARFUL NSERVATIVE AMERI. I FALLY WON AN AMERIN PASSPORT LAST YEAR AND AM OFFICIALLY AN AMERIN CIZEN. WILL I BE SGLED OUT AT THE AIRPORT WH CREASG EQUENCY? WILL MLIMS LIKE ME, SPERATE TO GET TO THE UNED STAT, BE ABLE TO TASTE EEDOM HERE?I WENT TO MY FIRST GAY BAR ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO NEW YORK CY. I HAD JT LAND THE UNED STAT. MY WHO HOSTED ME ON MY VIS SWEARS THAT I KISSED THE GROUND (THOUGH I SPECT HE’S EMBELLISHG). I LOST MYSELF THE MIC, THE DANCE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE LOVE. THERE ARE LNS OF OTHER GAY MLIMS THE WORLD, SPERATE TO EXPERIENCE SUCH LOVE.IN 2010, I STOOD OUTSI A NIGHTCLUB LLED ACID, PERCHED ON A BEIT CLIFF. IT WAS RAMADAN, AND ACID WAS ONE OF THE PREC FEW OPENLY GAY NIGHTCLUBS ALL OF THE ARAB MIDDLE EAST. I SHARED A CIGARETTE WH A IEND LLED BABAK AS A R WH SDI TAGS ROLLED UP.“THAT’S A RICH SDI PRCE!” BABAK SAID. HE OFTEN HERE TO CISE! YOU HAVE NO IA HOW MANY RICH SDI FUCKERS E HERE. WE BEITIS MT SCREW WELL! THE SDIS? THEY WALK AROUND LIKE THEY ARE SO BUTCH BUT ONCE NAKED THEY ARE ALL BOTTOMS.”BABAK WAS THE TWENTYSOMETHG FOUNR OF BEAR ARABIA WHO ANIZED “BEAR” TOURS OF LEBANON, SYRIA, AND JORDAN FOR WTERN GAY MEN KEEN TO SAMPLE THE LIGHTS OF THE REGN. BEARS, FOR THOSE UNFAIAR WH WTERN HOMOSEXUALY, ARE THE GAY MEN WHO DO NOT NFIRM TO “BODY FASCIST” STEREOTYP AND FLNT THE HAIR ON THEIR BODI AND THE AMPLE MEAT ON THEIR BON. OR AS MY HBAND KEH LIKED TO SAY, “THEY ARE JT GAY MEN WHO HAVE GIVEN UP.”I WAS BEIT TO DO OPEN SCREENGS OF MY FIRST FILM FOR THE FIRST TIME AN ARAB PAL. IT FELT LIKE A SPECIAL MOMENT. BABAK, WHO I WOULD LL AN ACTIVIST LIKE ANY OTHER, WAS FUR AT THE TIME BEE A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE HAD E OUT LABELG THE CY THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST. TO ME SEEMED ABSURD. FROM OUR VANTAGE POT WE WERE LOOKG AT THE EXPANSE OF DAHIYEH, BEIT’S SOUTHERN SUBURB. THAT WAS HEZBOLLAH LAND, BOMBED TO SMHEREENS 2006. THIS REMAED A EPLY DIVID CY.ON THAT JOURNEY, I HOOKED UP WH A HANDSOME MAN WHO LATER NFID ME THAT HE WAS A MEMBER OF HEZBOLLAH’S SOCIAL MEDIA DIVISN. WE’D MET ON MANJAM, A GAY HOOKUP WEBSE. HE WAS MARRIED, WH THREE KIDS. WHEN WE WERE FISHED, HE PERFORMED THE ELABORATE, OBLIGATORY POST-SEX CLEANSG RUAL LLED THE GHL AT ALMOST 4:30 THE MORNG.FOR A BRIEF MOMENT I WONRED HOW THE WORLD MIGHT BE DIFFERENT IF THE CLOSETED MLIMS, OM SDI PRC TO HEZBOLLAH WARRRS, ULD EXPERIENCE THE LOVE THAT I NOW FEEL THE ARMS OF MY HBAND KEH. THE BT CHANCE THEY HAVE IS G TO AMERI, AND I’M NOW AAID THAT DOOR IS CLOSG SHUT. PARVEZ SHARMA IS THE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF A JIHAD FOR LOVE AND A SNER MEC. HE ALSO WR FOR THE HUFFGTON POST AND IS A SPEAKER ON ISLAM AND SEXUALY. HIS UPG BOOK ON HIS HAJJ TO SDI ARABIA WILL BE RELEASED NEXT YEAR BY BEN BELLA BOOKS. PARVEZ SHARMA

In Egypt and Lebanon – predomantly Mlim untri wh a large Christian populatn – attus towards homosexualy among Christians are not very different om those among Mlims. Also, ’s clear that the prophet Muhammad never specified a punishment for homosexualy; wasn’t until some years after his ath that Mlims began discsg what a suable punishment might nmnatns of homosexualy, like those Christiany, are based maly on the story about God’s punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah which is reunted the Qur’an as well as the Old Ttament. Although Mlim societi today n be scribed as generally homophobic, ’s a mistake to view homophobia as a self-ntaed problem: ’s part of a syndrome which the rights of dividuals are subsumed the perceived terts of the muny and – often – matag an “Islamic” ethos.

“Transgenr” is a broad term which clus tersex people (whose blogil sex is unclear or was wrongly assigned at birth), those wh genr dysphoria (who feel like “a man trapped a woman’s body”, or vice versa) and may also clu others who simply get pleasure or satisfactn om police e a water nnon to disperse LGBT rights activists before a Gay Pri para central Istanbul, Turkey. There were also many who found the ncept of genr dysphoria difficult to grasp and some characterised her as a gay man who was tryg to game the affair rulted a fatwa om Muhammad Tantawi, Egypt’s grand mufti, which is still ced s across the regn today.

CAN A MLIM BE GAY?

There are plenty of trans people who simply wish to be accepted as they are – whout surgery – and the Iranian system don’t really provi for, the difference between beg transgenr and gay is not well unrstood Iran, even wh the medil profsn, and there have been reports of gay men beg prsured to surgery as a way of “regularisg” their legal posn and avoidg the risk of executn.

DO PETRERA IS BACK AS DELIGHTFUL GAY JONAH ON NEVER HAVE I EVER

My Kali, a Jordanian magaze which aims “to addrs homophobia and transphobia and empower the youth to fy mastream genr bari the Arab world” has been published regularly sce far, no one has attempted to hold a Pri para an Arab untry, though there have been paras the Turkish cy of Istanbul sce 2003 (not whout opposn). However, there have been activi Lebanon and elsewhere lked to IDAHOT, the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia, which is viewed as ls likely to aroe hostily.

Relativ of 26 men who were arrted a televised raid by police lookg for gay people at a Cairo public bathhoe celebrate after the urt acquted them. Far om wng praise for exposg “the secret behd the spreadg of Aids Egypt”, the programme’s prenter was roundgly nmned and later ran to legal April, the thori Amman, Jordan, ncelled a ncert by Mashrou’ Leila, a popular Lebane rock band wh an openly gay sger, jt a few days before was due to take place.

Such was the outcry on social media that the thori rcd their cisn 24 hours later – though too late to reanise the ncert as origally the relig ont, prevailg Islamic views of homosexualy have been challenged here and there, but not on a sle that is likely to make much difference. There are a handful of gay-iendly mosqu and a few openly gay imams – cludg Muhs Hendricks South Ai, Daayiee Abdullah the US, and Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, a French-Algerian, very noticeably, are the diaspora rather than the Mlim heartlands, but the diaspora is where Islam is forced to nont realy – not the untri where is protected and illtratn of where this n lead me Bra 2007 over the Sexual Orientatn Regulatns – a measure maly tend to prevent bs om discrimatg agast gay people.

IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC

The were men who were "actg like women", so perhaps gay men whose sexual orientatn was seen as makg them "act like women" or transgenr people.

Sce they didn't know what to do, 's clear that the Prophet pbuh had never punished someone for homosexualy or given an example for those panns to follow. This nnectn between fahisha and fuq wh homosexualy is not clear om the Qur'an though, and the Qur'an simply do not make a nnectn between za and homosexualy. While the Qur'an spends most of s time discsns of relatnships discsg heterosexual relatnships, that do not meant that homosexualy is wrong.