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

Contents:

• ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
• COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC
• MAJORY OF AMERIN MLIMS NOW SUPPORT LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE
• GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE
• AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still crimalized.

COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI

From homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat. While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people.

In July 2019, two gay men om St.

Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.

One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm. Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici. Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry.

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

It is hard for me as a gay this untry.

Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St. Gonsalv prevly noted there’s been a history of discrimatn agast gay people.

That kd of irratnal homophobia is entirely unacceptable. González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn. Unable to rencile beg gay wh his fah, he stepped away om Islam.

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

“I did try to divorce myself om Islam bee I was gay, ” says Omar, who asked to be intified by only his first name.

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

“Growg up, I was tght that beg gay was not OK … You were pletely exmunited or lived on the g or had to e up wh a lot of solutns that weren’t hont. Sce movg to New York Cy five years ago, Omar has lived as an openly gay man.

GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE

Tradnally, Islam do not tolerate homosexualy. “Beg Mlim — ’s not safe to be gay sometim, ” Omar said.

“First and foremost, I am gay, “ he said, “who happens to be a person of lor, who happens to be raised Mlim. Imam Chenor Jalloh of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, the cy’s largt mosque, said the doors are always open to gay Mlims. The imam offers this advice to Mlim parents of gay children: “Love them.

Dpe his temperance, Jalloh suggts that time, gay youths n change.

AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY

“I nnot say that people are born gay. 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.

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI

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.