Meet Ameri’s First Openly Gay Imam | Al Jazeera Ameri

Contents:

• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• THERE ARE 8 OPENLY GAY IMAMS THE WORLD: DAAYIEE ABDULLAH
• A GAY IMAM'S STORY: 'THE DIALOGUE IS OPEN ISLAM – 10 YEARS AGO WASN'T'
• LIFE AS A GAY IMAM ISN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS
• GAY IMAM HOP TO OPEN ATRALIA'S FIRST LGBTI-IENDLY MOSQUE
• IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC
• THE RADIL: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT WORLD’S FIRST GAY IMAM
• LUDOVIC ZAHED ONE OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MUSLIM CLERICS IN THE WORLD
• MEET THE GAY IMAM WHO STARTED SOUTH AI'S FIRST LGBTIQ IENDLY MOSQUE

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

But Imam Daayiee Abdullah – believed to be the only openly gay imam the Ameris – is proud of his story. But as a gay man Ameri, he saw that lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Mlims had unmet spirual needs and he beme an imam to provi muny support. "Beg an openly gay imam and havg been intified as such, I do get a lot of feedback and also kickback, but that's OK, " said Imam Daayiee Abdullah, of Washgton, D.

Performg funeral r for a gay Mlim who died of AIDS. But not all of them are gay.

Many worshippers at the Light of Reform Mosque are not gay. "Beg an openly gay imam and havg been intified as such, I do get a lot of feedback and also kickback, but that's OK, ” he said.

THERE ARE 8 OPENLY GAY IMAMS THE WORLD: DAAYIEE ABDULLAH

“If you go to most Mlim scholars, they're gog to tell you that homosexual acts are a s Islam; that there's no way around , ” said Dr. Hse Rashid, an adjunct profsor of relign at Hofstra Universy and ntributor to a report on homosexualy U.

A GAY IMAM'S STORY: 'THE DIALOGUE IS OPEN ISLAM – 10 YEARS AGO WASN'T'

“But the tradn was and remas that homosexualy is a s Mlim tradn. The var scholars who ntributed to the project’s report emphasized that there is no sgular terpretatn of homosexualy Islam. "I thk Daayiee is tryg to say, 'Y, I n be gay and I n be a Mlim, and I n tend to people who are also gay and Mlim, ' that this is part of their inty as a human beg and that the relign of Islam teach people to embrace all aspects of their humany, " he said.

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

Though is unknown how many Amerin Mlims or Mlims around the world are gay, a growg number are vyg to be heard. The film “I Am Gay and Mlim” tracks several gay Morocn men as they explore their relig and sexual inti.

GAY IMAM HOP TO OPEN ATRALIA'S FIRST LGBTI-IENDLY MOSQUE

Last year, a gay-iendly mosque opened Paris – Europe’s first.

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

Muhs Hendricks, an openly gay imam Capetown, South Ai, has for years been leadg ngregants and preachg that homosexualy and Islam are not patible. Andre Carson, D-Ind., have both advoted for gay rights.

” Khan was born to the Mlim fah, while Ty – who intifi as non-bary – is a recent pansexual uple are among a dozen or so people who have gathered to listen to Muhs Hendricks, often lled “the world’s first openly gay imam”. Unterred, he ntued to spread the msage that beg gay and Mlim are not patible, and is now the subject of a new documentary film, The Radil, which has s European premiere Berl this prayer at Masjadul Ghurbhh. ”In 2011 Hendricks bolstered his role as an imam figure by settg up a mosque space after a iend endured a lol sermon nmng homosexualy.

’”Same-sex marriage has been legally regnised sce 2006 South Ai, which is more acceptg of homosexualy than many Ain untri. Acrdg to Masjidul Ghurbaah visors such as Khan, though, homophobia is still mon the cy’s mosqu. “Havg a space where you n experience your culture and relign whout severe homophobia is very appealg, ” says Khan.

THE RADIL: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT WORLD’S FIRST GAY IMAM

Last summer the MJC clared a h fatwa on gay liftyl. ”skip past newsletter promotnafter newsletter promotnHendricks says there’s nothg the Qur’an that “should be ed as blanket nmnatn of homosexualy”. He says there’s nothg the text that should be ed as blanket nmnatn of homosexualy.

In 2019 he went to Kenya to promote LGBTQ+ rights ahead of the untry’s high urt upholdg anti-homosexualy laws current activism projects clu creatg onle vios Urdu and Hdi discsg LGBTQ+ Mlims. He talks to the few other gay imams around the world, such as Atralia’s Nur Warsame and US-based Daayiee Abdullah, but remas the only one Ai.

Ain-Amerin Daayiee Abdullah (62) is one of the few publicly gay imams the world. Do Islam approve of homosexualy?

LUDOVIC ZAHED ONE OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MUSLIM CLERICS IN THE WORLD

Durg my rearch Sdi Arabia, I found posive terpretatn on homosexualy Quran. Is difficult to be a gay imam publicly? There are 12 gay imams the world and eight are openly gay.

It is not difficult for an dividual to be openly a gay imam but pends on the cultural ntext. In the Wt, there is much more acceptance of gay imams or Mlim gays.

Atralia's only openly gay Imam is phg for the untry's first LGBTI-iendly mosque that would also act as a safe hoe and unsellg Warsame said he is alg wh an "avalanche of misery" among LGBTI Mlims who have no support servic or safe Nur is a vout Mlim who once led one of Melbourne's largt mosqu.

MEET THE GAY IMAM WHO STARTED SOUTH AI'S FIRST LGBTIQ IENDLY MOSQUE

When he me out as gay 2010 the Mlim clergy severed ti wh him, spe his rare crentials as a hafiz — someone who has memorised the Koran. Nur Warsame ont of the buildg he wants to turn to a gay-iendly mosque.

"You are talkg about an iology that believ your repentance is to be killed as a gay person, " he said he gets daily lls for help om young Mlims stgglg wh fierce and, at tim, vlent ristance om their fay and muny. "'They are tryg to beat the gay out of you'Sam Hawli, 27, me out to his father durg an anxiety attack. ' I put my tst his words and I said to him, 'I'm gay', " Mr Hawli said.

"That really was the most prsg time of life, when you are physilly hurt by your fay and when they are tryg to beat the gay out of you. As a Mlim, my relign teach me that homosexualy is not permissible and we stand by that, " he said. Imam Daiyiee Abdullah, 65, is one of the few openly gay Mlim clerics.