LUDOVIC ZAHED ONE OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MUSLIM CLERICS

Contents:

• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• A GAY IMAM'S STORY: 'THE DIALOGUE IS OPEN ISLAM – 10 YEARS AGO WASN'T'
• MEET THE GAY IMAM CHANGG ATTUS OM WH
• MEET THE GAY IMAM WHO STARTED SOUTH AI'S FIRST LGBTIQ IENDLY MOSQUE
• THE RADIL: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT WORLD’S FIRST GAY IMAM
• THERE ARE 8 OPENLY GAY IMAMS THE WORLD: DAAYIEE ABDULLAH
• MEET DAAYIEE ABDULLAH, AMERI'S GAY IMAM
• LIFE AS A GAY IMAM ISN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS
• MEET THE IMAM OF AI’S FIRST GAY-IENDLY MOSQUE
• ARTE REPORTAGEA GAY IMAM
• MEET NUR WARSAME, THE GAY IMAM WHO WANTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE MLIM HOM
• IMAM DAAYIEE ABDULLAH WEL GAY MLIMS TO WORSHIP, MARRY
• AS A GAY IMAM, I KNOW THAT ISLAM IS NOT ANTI-LGBTQ+
• LUDOVIC ZAHED ONE OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MUSLIM CLERICS IN THE WORLD
• ?? DOCUMENTARY FOC ON SOUTH AI’S “RADIL” FIRST GAY IMAM
• ‘FATWA ON HOMOSEXUALS HARMFUL,’ SAYS OPENLY GAY IMAM

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. Many worshippers at the Light of Reform Mosque are not gay.

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

"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. “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.

MEET THE GAY IMAM CHANGG ATTUS OM WH

"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.

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

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.

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

Muhs Hendricks, an openly gay imam Capetown, South Ai, has for years been leadg ngregants and preachg that homosexualy and Islam are not patible. ” 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. ”skip past newsletter promotnafter newsletter promotnHendricks says there’s nothg the Qur’an that “should be ed as blanket nmnatn of homosexualy”.

THERE ARE 8 OPENLY GAY IMAMS THE WORLD: DAAYIEE ABDULLAH

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.

An Islamic scholar who broke taboos when he me out is empowerg gay Mlims around the world. As the world’s first openly gay imam he has experienced plenty of rejectn, but now he hop that a new documentary – The Radil, chartg his missn to promote sexual diversy Islam – will be a step towards wir acceptance.

MEET DAAYIEE ABDULLAH, AMERI'S GAY IMAM

More surprisg was the luge of supportive msag – not least om a uple of fellow imams – and a realisatn of the sheer number of closeted gay Mlims. He found an unrground support group – the Inner Circle – helpg gay Mlims rencile their fah and sexualy.

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

As an Islamic scholar wh a gree om the Universy of Islamic Studi Pakistan, Muhs believ that homophobia is patible wh the Qur’an’s pictn of a “merciful and passnate” God, and that has been embedd the culture by centuri of patriarchal terpretatn. Muhs Hendricks is said to be the world’s first openly gay imam. A documentary feature film about Muhs Hendricks, a Capetonian ex-drs signer who beme the world’s first openly gay imam, is premierg at the Enunters Internatnal Documentary Film Ftival.

The Radil film is already g a stir: while the first screengs have been sold out for weeks, there are already the mblgs of disntent om those who feel that beg gay is unacceptable wh Islam. Ain-Amerin Daayiee Abdullah (62) is one of the few publicly gay imams the world.

MEET THE IMAM OF AI’S FIRST GAY-IENDLY MOSQUE

Durg my rearch Sdi Arabia, I found posive terpretatn on homosexualy Quran. 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.

It's OK to be gay and Mlim, acrdg to Daayiee Abdullah, an imam Washgton, D. Abdullah is thought to be the only openly gay imam the Uned Stat, a signatn he says he is pleased to have.

ARTE REPORTAGEA GAY IMAM

Drsed sually a tank top, shorts, and baseball p bearg the logo of a chary where he volunteers, Abdullah is, many ways, not your typil jovial 61-year-old has followed a wdg and unnventnal path around the world that led him to bee a lear the gay Mlim muny the U.

MEET NUR WARSAME, THE GAY IMAM WHO WANTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE MLIM HOM

It was shortly before his 16th birthday when he told them he was gay. Abdullah moved to San Francis after llege and joed a muny of activists fightg for gay rights. Abdullah has nducted 65 weddgs over the years, cludg marriag between gay Mlims and for ter-fah upl.

Daayiee Abdullah says other imams treat him rpectfully spe his ntroversial belief that is acceptable to be Mlim and gay. (Meagan Fzpatrick/CBC News)"Those who say there's somethg the Qur'an that says 's agast homosexualy are g their own terpretatn of what they thk the Qur'an says, " Abdullah said.

IMAM DAAYIEE ABDULLAH WEL GAY MLIMS TO WORSHIP, MARRY

"Beg gay is not socially acceptable Islam, but that view n't legimately be based on the Qur'an, he acknowledg the way he terprets that Qur'an is an "alternative view. "Abdullah's homosexualy and beliefs have at tim ma him an outsir his fah, but general he said other imams Washgton treat him "rpectfully. Seekg acceptance, not toleranceAs a unsellor he has helped gay youth and their parents navigate the challeng of beg gay and Mlim.

Abdullah said some stanc parents are supportive but worry their muni may not be gay Mlims are treated pends on what part of the world they live , Abdullah said. - Daayiee AbdullahThis unual imam, one of a handful known the world to be openly gay, said he don't seek tolerance about his sexualy and his relign, he is lookg for acceptance.

AS A GAY IMAM, I KNOW THAT ISLAM IS NOT ANTI-LGBTQ+

Related topics:Share:Global AgendaThe Agenda WeeklyA weekly update of the most important issu drivg the global agendaMichelle HamerJune 20, 2023Katie Connolly September 5, 2022Gaylor Montmasson-ClairJune 21, 2022Lren van r ReFebary 3, 2022Florian ZandtJanuary 25, 2022Ldiwe MatlaliSeptember 21, 2021. Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed is an exceptn the Mlim world: The French-Algerian imam is openly gay.

In Somalia where Nur Warsame om and many Islamic muni across the world, beg gay is not tolerated. It was, therefore, a matter of life and ath for Warsame when he me out as Atralia’s first openly gay Mlim lear 2010. In Atralia, people who are gay, lbian or bisexual are protected om discrimatn by law.

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

However, many Atralian Mlims, jt like much of the Islamic world, are agast homosexualy. Th, spe beg a proment imam for almost a and a Hafiz – one who knows the Quran off by heart – the Mlim clergy severed ti wh Warsame once he me out as gay.

“The reason ’s difficult for people to e out the Mlim world or Islamic muni is bee the loss are too high, the risks are too great, I mean there is even a risk to your life bee the nservative school of thought Islam to unter homosexualy is to be killed, that’s your repentance…. Warsame believ that the tolerance is due to old relig texts that scribed homosexualy as a s.

?? DOCUMENTARY FOC ON SOUTH AI’S “RADIL” FIRST GAY IMAM

For young people to transn safely they nnot be the environment that is g them the trma, ” said Warsame, who once had to provi shelter for seven gay Mlims his one-bedroom apartment. Warsame recently had plans of turng a buildg Melbourne to a gay-iendly mosque, as well as a safe hoe and unselg center for gay Mlims.

“Hearg Imam Nur speak up and say, you n be gay and be Mlim mak me credibly happy and satisfied, ” Hawli told BBC. Tonight, he's speakg to a room full of young, gay activists and progrsiv after a screeng of the documentary "I Am Gay and Mlim" at the Human Rights Campaign's bright whe Equaly Center downtown when the openly gay imam tak the stage, he stuns even this dience. "I thk we're at the start of a movement: a more clive Islam Ameri, " says Abdullah, who ns Washgton's Light of Reform mosque and is thought to be the only publicly gay Mlim lear the Wtern Hemisphere.

”As more stat legalize same-sex marriage, 's easy to fet that segments of society, particularly immigrant muni, regard homosexualy as a potentially adly secret — one rarely revealed to relativ plac like Sudan or Sdi Arabia, where beg gay n be punishable by many gay immigrants, the valu of their adopted and native untri are at odds. The gay Mlim Amerins who live relatively public liv the Washgton area are a se pot. He quietly helps gay Mlim upl get married, unselg them beforehand and keepg the ceremoni low-profile.

‘FATWA ON HOMOSEXUALS HARMFUL,’ SAYS OPENLY GAY IMAM

He is regard as somethg of a folk hero among gay Mlims Washgton. "He's like the Harvey Milk of gay Mlim lears Ameri, " says Ablilah Bouasria, an Amerin Universy adjunct profsor of Arab soclogy, who recently veloped a syllab for a proposed class lled "Forbidn Middle East. ”Although there is a range of Mlim opn on homosexualy, the mastream view is that sex is only for upl who are married and marriage is only between two people of the oppose sex, says Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, executive mtee member for the Council of Mlim Organizatns Greater Washgton.

”Abdullah’s first act as an imam was performg Mlim funeral r for a gay Middle Eastern Amerin Washgton who died of plitns om AIDS.