Comg out: Growg up gay and Mlim Ameri | Al Jazeera Ameri

Contents:

• IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC
• COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI
• MAJORY OF AMERIN MLIMS NOW SUPPORT LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE
• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI
• AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY
• GROWG UP—AND GRIEVG—AS A GAY MLIM AMERIN
• INTY EXPERIENCE AMONG PROGRSIVE GAY MLIMS NORTH AMERI: A QUALATIVE STUDY WH AL-FATIHA
• MLIMS WHO STRONGLY FAVOR OR FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE

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

E: I lerally knew nobody else that, you know, intified as such - plenty of Christians, even some Jewish dividuals, but not Other relig muni are havg the same ternal stggl about cln and homophobia. Ani Zonneveld says she receiv lls regularly om young gay and lbian Mlims who have been threatened by their fay or are aaid to reveal their sexual inty.

COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI

Now, Qadhi often prefac his remarks about homosexualy by notg that “feelgs and clatns” are not themselv sful, and that homosexual acts should not be sgled out for special nmnatn. Mogahed herself me unr attack several years ago after a Gallup survey showed that no Brish Mlims – as , 0% – said homosexualy was morally acceptable. Rutgers profsor explasOut and the pulp:NJ mister seeks to help lbian clergy fd acceptanceIslam's harsh perspective on homosexualy has s roots the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is found the Quran and the Bible.

"Amongst Islamic scholars, there is a wi range of terpretatns of homosexualy, " said Sylvia Chan-Malik, an associate profsor of Amerin studi at Rutgers Universy.

"It's a b tobgraphil but wh a happier endg, " Ali story foc on a mother a patriarchal nservative society South India who is faced wh a dilemma when her son reveals that he is gay.

MAJORY OF AMERIN MLIMS NOW SUPPORT LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE

"I've read every holy book and uldn't fd any reference that monized me, " he said, addg that though Mlims are generally hostile towards homosexuals, the way that he unrstands the Quran,  don't ban that kd of fiant Pri Month, the shadow of the Supreme Court draft opn leakOrthodox:Judaism's most tradnal branch looks to make fah more supportive for LGBTQ membersWhen he go to the mosque, he wears his rabow p. It is this view and mixed msag that often leave young gay Mlims feelg nfed and alone, torn between the fear of beg disowned by fay and fah and nyg their sexual inti. And given the myriad social challeng facg Amerin Mlims general, om ernment monorg to discrimatn, the prsur n leave some gay Mlims feelg like a dual mory, isolated wh and outsi their muni.

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

But some young gay Mlims are challengg this arrangement, risg the fields of polics, media, art and activism and workg to create a more clive Amerin Islam. And while the tradn remas that homosexualy is a s Islam, there is a growg movement of scholars, activists and relig lears rereadg sourc and pullg om them ias of tolerance and social change. “The tth is that durg Prophet Muhammad’s days, he appoted the first female imam, and gay people were not persecuted for beg gay, ” said Ani Zonneveld, founr of Mlims for Progrsive Valu, a Los Angel–based anizatn that advot for women’s rights and lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr equaly.

She is a trailblazer, helpg create the kd of safe spac Islam that young gay Mlims like Omar and Sara seek, has officiated at the Islamic weddg of a lbian uple and challeng the tablishment by leadg prayers — a task women are tradnally not allowed to do.

“And this sounds silly, but even on social media, on Facebook, I’ll let some pictur go on there that uld really be perceived as gay, and my fay n see that. A majory of Amerin Mlims accept lbian, gay and bisexual people as part of society, acrdg to new fdgs om Pew Rearch Center, markg a dramatic shift attus over the past . A majory of Amerin Mlims accept lbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people as part of society, acrdg to new fdgs om Pew Rearch Center, markg a dramatic shift attus over the past .

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI

Fifty-two percent of Amerin Mlims now agree wh the statement, “Homosexualy should be accepted by society, ” nearly double the number om those polled a ago. On issu affectg queer people, whe evangelils often stand out om other Amerin relig are the only major relig group that favors allowg small bs owners to refe goods or servic to gay and lbian people on relig grounds (56 percent). ” Women monstrate support of a lg by a feral judge Seattle that grants a natnwi temporary rtrag orr agast the printial orr to ban travel to the Uned Stat om seven Mlim-majory untri, at Tom Bradley Internatnal Termal at Los Angel Internatnal Airport on Febary 4, 2017 Los Angel, McNew via Getty ImagThe Growg Impact And Influence Of Young MlimsShiftg attus towards homosexualy Amerin Mlim muni have been driven by a few key groups.

There are fah lears who openly support gay youth, mosqu and muny centers where queer Mlims are weled, and Mlim lears and entertaers who are publicly out. ”- Mariam DurraniDebate Wh Amerin Mlim Communi On HomosexualyArshad said that queer Mlims have bee “utly optimistic” recent years about their acceptance wh Amerin Mlim muni.

AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY

”Tensns about Islam’s acceptance of homosexualy surfaced this June at a nventn held by the Islamic Society of North Ameri, a natnal associatn of Mlim anizatns. "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.

"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. Ebenhack)Gay Mlims tend to be virtually visible the Uned a culture that has been alternately skeptil of and downright hostile toward Mlim Amerins, g out as LGBTQ si that muny isn't exactly easy.

GROWG UP—AND GRIEVG—AS A GAY MLIM AMERIN

Too many are left to live and love the shadows—foreigners their own land, tranged om their after the tragedy that saw 49 killed and 53 jured at a gay nightclub Orlando last weekend—and wispread reports that the perpetrator Omar Marteen was stgglg wh his sexual inty and mental health—gay Mlims fd themselv unr new my nversatns wh gay Mlim Amerins this week, the roundg msage was that Omar Mateen is no reprentative of the Mlim muny—LGBTQ or otherwise.

The only notable difference between those whe men and Mateen, of urse, is that the latter was brown and Mlim, the extremist iology he flirted wh supposedly be sure, homophobia is a real problem the Mlim muny, one that n produce alienatn for many young people.

He's a Paltian Amerin and works as a public health profsnal, travelg to untri the Middle East and Ai where there are large Mlim majori and strict laws agast homosexualy.

INTY EXPERIENCE AMONG PROGRSIVE GAY MLIMS NORTH AMERI: A QUALATIVE STUDY WH AL-FATIHA

"Though Kamal is grateful for openly gay Mlim voic, he remas gnizant that his journey is far more mon among men and women of his muny—who rema silent for fear of beg ostracized at bt, or victims of vlence at worst. In addn, another recent survey by Public Relign Rearch Center found that more than half (52%) of Amerin Mlims believe “society should approve of homosexualy.

MLIMS WHO STRONGLY FAVOR OR FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE

Imam El-Faro Khaki -found Toronto's first LGBTQ-iendly mosque, Uny Mosque, 10 years ago to allow lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer Mlims to attend prayers whout havg to hi their sexual orientatn or genr inty for fear of discrimatn. INTERPRETATIONGay Mlim scholar Stt Siraj al-Haqq Kugle has spent two s rearchg LGBTQ issu the Islamic fah and said many people are surprised to disver that Islam is not herently nmng of LGBTQ people. “In the Quran, there is no word that explicly scrib homosexual or transgenr persons; the Arabic terms were vented after the Quran’s revelatn, by medieval jurists and ntemporary journalists, doctors and social crics.

Acrdg to a 2017 Pew Rearch Center survey of Amerin Mlims, a majory (52 percent) believe society should accept homosexualy, pared wh jt 27 percent 2007. “Many tradns are locked to a particular time, place and culture — they're not necsarily appropriate for today or for people who will be worshippg 50 years om now, ” Abdullah Daayiee Abdullah, founr of the Mec Instute, is one of the first openly gay Imams the U.