Source: Washington Post
The horrific killings at a gay club in Orlando by a Muslim man who reportedly swore loyalty to the Islamic State set off immediate condemnation from many Muslims — and debate about whether Muslim communities need to be more welcoming of gay people.
Popular U.S. playwright and journalist Wajahat Ali sparked debate on his Facebook page Sunday when he bemoaned the murders and called for his fellow Muslims to speak out:
I hope we empower and uplift our LGBT Muslim brothers and sisters, who often suffer in silence and have been ostracized and demonized by multiple communities in America for their sexuality, religion and ethnicity. They are at the cultural fault lines — blasted for being both gay and Muslim in an America that often uses them as pawns for an absolutist cultural war. This is a moment to call out ignorance that creates an atmosphere which tolerates and breeds hate. … I believe this is a moment for us straight Muslims to aggressively and sincerely assert our solidarity with the LGBT community, not for sake of politics, talking points and expedient alliances, but around shared values and visions of creating an America where no one is hazed, victimized, brutalized or murdered simply for “being.”
Their struggle for freedoms and equality is our struggle and is the American struggle. Period. We should denounce the draconian and unnecessary anti LGBT legislation that is being introduced in several states around the country just like LGBT members have routinely denounced Trump’s anti Muslim bigotry and anti Sharia legislation for years. This is what it means to be American.
More than 2,600 people liked the post by the progressive writer.
Ali was lauded by many for condemning the violence, but many of the comments on his post that triggered the most interaction noted that Islam — like several other faiths — rejects the acceptance of gay relationships.
“I don’t think true empathy and sympathy requires one to shed one’s own personal moral beliefs,” wrote one. Multiple people made similar comments.
In the Pew Research Center’s major study of American religions in 2014, Muslims were split on homosexuality. The poll found that 45 percent of American Muslims thought homosexuality should be accepted and 47 percent thought it should be discouraged.
That means Muslims are less accepting of homosexuality than most religious groups in the study — 66 percent of mainline Protestants, 70 percent of Catholics, and more than 80 percent of Jews and Buddhists say gay relationships should be accepted. But it puts Muslims ahead of evangelical Christians and Mormons, just 36 percent of whom say homosexuality is acceptable.
On Facebook on Sunday, some Muslim commenters called for their community to address homophobia in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando.
Categories: America, Islam, Muslims, The Muslim Times, USA
Word of the Prophet, “If you have people who do act like the people of Lut (liwath) then kill the perpetrators.” (Narrated by Abu Daud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
Does Ahmadiyah recognize this Hadith? or Does Ahmadiyah reject this Hadith?
Does Ahmadiyah accept LGBT?