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

Contents:

• A GAY IMAM'S STORY: 'THE DIALOGUE IS OPEN ISLAM – 10 YEARS AGO WASN'T'
• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• THERE ARE 8 OPENLY GAY IMAMS THE WORLD: DAAYIEE ABDULLAH
• WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM
• IMAM FRANCE MARRI TWO GAY MLIMS
• GAY PARIS
• LUDOVIC ZAHED ONE OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MUSLIM CLERICS IN THE WORLD
• IMAM ET GAY, IL MARIE SANS DISTCTN - DAAYIEE ABDULLAH

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

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.

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

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.

“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.

WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM

"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. 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.

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

Muhs Hendricks, an openly gay imam Capetown, South Ai, has for years been leadg ngregants and preachg that homosexualy and Islam are not patible.

IMAM FRANCE MARRI TWO GAY MLIMS

Andre Carson, D-Ind., have both advoted for gay rights. Ain-Amerin Daayiee Abdullah (62) is one of the few publicly gay imams the world. Do Islam approve of homosexualy?

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. Lia Darj photographed people var untri who are both gay and Mlim.

GAY PARIS

Among those she terviewed were openly gay imams Europe and the Uned Stat. But as wh many gay Mlims she terviewed and photographed, unsettlg ner dialogu are takg place beneath the surface.

“I started wh the notn that was sful (to be gay) and that those who practiced were problematic at bt, ” he said.

Darj wanted to learn more about gay Mlims and their personal stggl. “I am not gay and I am not Mlim, and I e as an outsir. In Paris, Darj spent time wh Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, an openly gay imam who opened the cy’s first gay-iendly mosque.

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

“Beg Mlim, Arabic and gay and th a member of several mory groups opened my ey: Mori are beg discrimated agast, particularly tim of enomic crisis. We have to know more about Islam, and we have to unrstand who we actually are orr to fight homophobia. That was until she met openly gay imam Daayiee Abdullah, a former Southern Baptist turned Mlim who studied the Quran Beijg and opened a gay mosque Washgton.

“As an clive imam who is also gay, ” Abdullah told Darj, “I unrstand the turmoil of homosexual Mlims. Interpretatns abound the nstant bate on whether is acceptable to be gay the Islamic fah.

But there are also untri where homosexualy may be a pal crime. “I am om a untry where is punishable by ath to be gay, ” said Samira, one of Darj’ subjects who was born Iran. ” 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”.

IMAM ET GAY, IL MARIE SANS DISTCTN - DAAYIEE ABDULLAH

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. 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”.