Atralia’s First Openly Gay Imam on What He's Learned About Intolerance

Contents:

• MEET NUR WARSAME, THE GAY IMAM WHO WANTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE MLIM HOM
• HOW HAVE MLIMS REACTED TO A LGBT-FRIENDLY MOSQUE IN ATRALIA RUN BY A GAY IMAM?
• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT INTOLERANCE
• A GAY IMAM'S STORY: 'THE DIALOGUE IS OPEN ISLAM – 10 YEARS AGO WASN'T'
• GAY MLIM IMAM TO OPEN FIRST LGTBI MOSQUE ATRALIA
• GAY SOMALI IMAM
• GAY IMAM ADMS ISLAM IS DANGERO... SO HE'S OPENG HIS OWN MOSQUE?
• GAY IMAM PLANS TO OPEN LGBT-IENDLY MOSQUE ATRALIA
• GAY IMAM
• GAY MLIM IMAM TO OPEN FIRST LGTBI MOSQUE ATRALIA
• AN OPENLY GAY IMAM'S FIGHT FOR "TOLERANCE" ISLAM!
• ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT INTOLERANCE
• ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM SHAR HIS STORY – WATCH
• SOMALI GAY IMAM IS THE FIRST ATRALIA
• GAY IMAM

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

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. 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.

HOW HAVE MLIMS REACTED TO A LGBT-FRIENDLY MOSQUE IN ATRALIA RUN BY A GAY IMAM?

“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. 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.

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

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.

ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT INTOLERANCE

“Hearg Imam Nur speak up and say, you n be gay and be Mlim mak me credibly happy and satisfied, ” Hawli told BBC. Imam Nur Warsame, the first openly gay Imam Atralia, is currently lookg to open the first mosque for LGBT+ Mlims Atralia, ensurg will be a safe and secure lotn Melbourne cy.

A Somali-born vout Mlim who memorised the Quran addn to leadg one of the largt mosqu Melbourne the past, Imam Nur had stopped attendg mosqu and had the Mlim muny cut all ti wh him after he me out gay 2010.

”While is still batable among Mlims whether beg gay is patible wh beg a Mlim or not, Nur said earlier that is “absolutely OK” as the terpretatns of the Quran and how rejects homosexualy are “outdated”, who was married an attempt to f , said that Mlims need to face the homosexualy problem and stop g the outdated ways of thkg. ”Wh the Sydney Queer Mlims welg Nur’s plan to lnch a iendly-LGBT+ mosque, the ia found many supporters as well as crics among the Mlim fact, homosexualy is still a ntroversial issue several religns and muni. Meanwhile, some people qutned Nur’s posn as an “Imam” spe his sexual orientatn that is his own personal are also those who argued that homosexualy is not only prohibed Islam, as was mentned also the Bible and Torah, where homosexulay was percieved as a s.

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

GAY MLIM IMAM TO OPEN FIRST LGTBI MOSQUE ATRALIA

"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.

GAY SOMALI IMAM

“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.

"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.

GAY IMAM ADMS ISLAM IS DANGERO... SO HE'S OPENG HIS OWN MOSQUE?

The film “I Am Gay and Mlim” tracks several gay Morocn men as they explore their relig and sexual inti.

GAY IMAM PLANS TO OPEN LGBT-IENDLY MOSQUE ATRALIA

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. Andre Carson, D-Ind., have both advoted for gay rights.

An imam Atralia is workg to open the untry's first mosque for LGTBI Mlims, claimg that gay Mlims the untry lack support and safe Warsame, Atralia's only openly gay imam, told Atralian media he als wh an "avalanche of misery" om LGTBI Mlims who need support and muny. Warsame has received ath threats over the years om people who believe homosexualy is patible wh relign. But that hasn't stopped him om speakg openly about what 's like to be both gay and Mlim, and about his experience wh homophobia and Islamophobia.

GAY IMAM

"It's disgtg, bee you suffer om Islamophobia, om both the mastream non-Mlim muny and even some the LGBT muny, and homophobia om both, " he said a 2016 vio terview wh Atralian media.

Mlims lov gays.

When to tossg people off rooftops, gays are their first choice. Other favore Islamic LGBT activi clu: public executns, btal beatgs, and anti-gay ath you n image, thgs weren't exactly rabows and glter for Atralia's first openly gay imam.

GAY MLIM IMAM TO OPEN FIRST LGTBI MOSQUE ATRALIA

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 centre.

AN OPENLY GAY IMAM'S FIGHT FOR "TOLERANCE" ISLAM!

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.

ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT INTOLERANCE

"You are talkg about an iology that believ your repentance is to be killed as a gay person, " he said. Says himself: Islamic belief cre ath for all homos (see Orlando Imam on Gays: 'Death is the Sentence... Roundg up all the muny's gays and puttg them one bombable buildg seems a rather bad ia.

Gayns? Peace be upon man seems to thk Islam and gays n exist as well as the bumpersticker on a Pri parked at a Whole Foods. They have also done terviews wh LGBTQ Somali folks, cludg a discsn wh Imam Nur Warsame, Atralia’s first openly gay Imam.

ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM SHAR HIS STORY – WATCH

Mali, havg lived Mogadishu, Somalia for roughly three years, discsed his experience livg as a queer man a untry that crimaliz homosexualy and other LGBTQ inti. The Somali-born Gay imam Nur Warsame. An openly “gay imam” is hopg to open Atralia’s first “LGBT-iendly mosque” wh the next year.

Mr Warsame, who ed to lead a mosque Melbourne, me out as the untry’s first openly gay Mlim lear 2010. Homosexualy is forbidn Islam and nsired a major s. The areas of Atralia wh the hight Mlim populatn voted overwhelmgly agast gay marriage last year’s postal vote survey, wh the wtern Sydney seat of Watson, returng a 70 per cent No vote.

SOMALI GAY IMAM IS THE FIRST ATRALIA

” 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.

GAY IMAM

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”. He says there’s nothg the text that should be ed as blanket nmnatn of homosexualy.