1 June 2011

Their Islam and Ours

I’ve been reading the comments posted on my blog and the emails that I have received. I’ve listened to comments and reactions I’ve received to my face these past few weeks when I’ve found myself as perhaps one of the better known openly gay women in Syria (though far from the most prominent, if we add those not publicly acknowledging their orientation!).

And one of the consistent things that I have noticed is, as I have said before, that I have not received any friction from the religious. In fact, what I have gotten is entirely supportive.

I’m not entirely surprised; if anything, I feel confirmed in my own identity and identification with the religion. Yet, at the same time, I have seen lots and lots of talk of how Islam and homosexuality, Islam and democracy, Islam and feminism, Islam and human rights, Islam and so forth and so on are incompatible.

But that never comes from actual Muslims, neither directly nor by implication.

I’m not surprised. That was never my own experience of the religion. Our Islam, the religion that I was reared into, the religion of my fathers before me, the religion I personally embraced so tightly when I was a teen, Our religion was never like that.

Our Islam was diverse and beautiful. Our Islam was that of crowding into a mosque with people from all walks of life and feeling unity with them; of Eid prayers in America where immigrants from a hundred lands, children of immigrants, converts and reverts and so on and so forth … Our Islam taught that God had made us into nations so that we might learn from one another.

Our Islam was sitting at the feet of the Sheikha (our Islam has sheikhas as well as sheikhs!) as she explained that it was perfectly natural to desire other women; chastity was what mattered, not the object of desire. Our Islam discussed sexuality as a healthy and normal part of humanity, a religion for real people, not reserved for ascetics.

Our Islam was one where the religion taught that all, not all men, but all humans, were equal before God, equal on the Day of Qiyamat, where our sex, our nationality, our honors and our birth did not matter. Our Islam was a religion that rejected ideas of Original Sin and saw no one as Damned from birth; Our Islam was a straightforward faith, one that did not need to be reconciled with science as it was not opposed. Our Islam taught that one should seek knowledge wherever it might be, even unto China.

Our Islam was where my kinsman, a preacher in a mosque, railed against abuse of children and sexism; where the same man, close to the brotherhood’s innermost circles, urged me to reconsider my decision not to go to Christian seminary; ours was a religion that had no fear of other faiths for what fear has truth in honest debate?

Our Islam was a warm and loving faith, full of warm and loving people, striving to better themselves and the world. Our Islam knew it wasn’t perfect but strived ever to be better, truer to the teachings of God and respectful of all God’s prophets.

And then I heard about their Islam. Their Islam was not a religion that they had lived nor one that they even knew directly. Theirs was the religion of the worst aspects of orientalism and ‘othering’. It was the religion of us all, they told me, but it was also a religion of no one; it was an image of a religion based on the worst cultural practices of a few dozen lands muddled together and confused with the religion, of selected quotations taken out of context or wholly fabricated, of fantasy masquerading as reality.

Always, it was so. Their Islam was always the Other for the West; whatever they imagined themselves to be, we must logically be the opposite. Read 19th century Orientalists on Islam; it is decried for being a sensual religion, Muslims are attacked for being lax on homosexuals, Muslims are too feminine … because 19th century westerners viewed themselves as being virtuous and a lack of virtue meant tolerance of homosexuality, sensuality and so on. Now, the West prides itself for being anti-sexist and gay friendly; so we must be the opposite. Always, it was so. Little has changed since the days when Baligant was supposed to pray to Termagant and Bramimonde would be wooed from worship of Apollo after her ‘liberators’ had slaughtered the rest of the Muslims and all the Jews. We were supposed once to be too kind to Jews by the West when they viewed Antisemitism as a virtue; now we are supposed to lust for Jewish blood. Whatever virtue they admire, we will be seen as the opposite and the fantasy will continue.

Perhaps we could indulge in Occidentalism and imagine a wicked and monolithic faith that burns heretics and Jews to death, worships statues, handles snakes, insists on stoning non-virgin brides to death and killing those who tolerate mildew or have anal sex, that champions scientific ignorance, and is led by pedophiles? Perhaps we should go around insulting other faiths and spitting on their scriptures?

But that is not Our religion. That is not our Islam. That is not the religion I was reared in and that is not the religion that has embraced me, oddball that I am. I will not indulge in such childishness, tempting though it is. I will only do what I have been doing, speaking of what I know and what I have seen and what is simply true in my experience.

I will pray to the God who is beyond male and female, the God who is neither begotten nor begetting. I will not believe that hell is paved with skulls of unbaptized infants nor that heaven is preserved for the elect alone. I will go on rejecting that one tribe or nation is elect because of secret scrolls or having the religion first addressed to them. My God belongs to no nation; my God belongs to no tribe; my God belongs to no priesthood; my God is universal, just, and kind. My God and my religion are enough for me.

Qul ya ayuha al Kafirun, la a’budu ma ta’abudun, wa la antum a’abiduna ma’abud wa la ana a’abidun ma’abadtum wa la antum a’abiduna ma’abud lakum dinukum wa liya din. AMEEN

60 comments:

Green Mountain Firebird said...

Amina, for those of us who do not speak your language, could you please translate your closing prayer into English? Thank you.

And please, keep telling the ignorant about Islam. I turned my back years ago on Christianity because I could no longer be part of a faith that preached intolerance and denial of our humanity. There are as many faces and names for the true God as there are human societies in history... and they are all valid. Blessed Be, Pat

Amina A. said...

It's the 109th Surah of the Quran, called al Kafirun ("The Unbelievers"):

Say: O unbelievers, I serve not that which you serve, nor do you serve that which I serve, nor will I serve that which you are serving, nor will you be serving that which I serve. To you is your religion, and to me is my religion.

verocska said...

Amina, thank you, it is beautiful writing.

Ali said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Veganovich said...

Maybe I am an “orientalist” who is wrong about Islam. I have a few questions that I would appreciate if you would answer.

You claim that in Islam men and women are treated equally. Would you deny that most Muslims believe,

(a) women are entitled to half of the inheritance of men?
(b) two women’s testimony is equal to one man’s testimony?
(c) Muslim women could only marry Muslim men while the reverse is not true?
(d) There are more restrictions on how women must dress than how men must dress?

You claim that Islam is not anti-science. Would you deny that the vast majority of Muslims reject the theory of evolution via natural selection.

Would you deny most Muslims believe that the Qur'an prohibits sex between people of the same gender.

I am glad that ascribe to a moderate form of Islam. But is it your position that your views represent the mainstream?

Mia said...

This is wrought of such beautiful truth. I have tears in my eyes as I write this; thank you.

Sahand Sahebdivani said...

Dear Veganovich,

Let me answer as an atheist born in Iran (arguably the most restrictive country in the world when it comes to women's and LGBT rights) but currently lives in the Netherlands (which as one of the freeest was the first to legalize same sex marriage, but also has a Christian party in parliament with one or two seats out of 150 which wants to take away voting rights for women)

I am acutely aware of the trouble in the Islamic part of the world, otherwise there was never a need for my parents to flee the country of my birth.

The vast majority of people who call themselves believers don't know or care to know the exact rules as written in the holy books. How many Christians think eating a fig is a sin? Same goes for Muslims.

But what does the mainstream believe? Here you have to note that it's very difficult to define a mainstream in Islam. The mainstream in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, seats of culture and learning for centuries, with a high literacy rate, will have a GREATLY different overall atitude to women then countries that were mostly illiterate until about a generation ago. The particular brand of Islam also matters. Only in Sunni Islam there's such a variety that for instance in Morocco the older generation (though also Sunni) finds the Wahabist sunni flavor import a dangerous brand that they don't recognize their spirituality in.

Regardless of flavor of Islam, reality is also a good teacher in changing atitudes. Consider two countries with both about 75.000.000 population: Turkey and Iran. One officialy a secular state, but with strong Muslim currents, the other the Sharia based Islamic Republic where what you stated is law. In both the countries twice as many women attend universities is do boys.

How many people do you think, even the ones calling themselves staunch Muslims, will keep to the belief that a woman is worth half a man, when she does so much better at school? There's still too many, I admit, but the numbers are noticeably shrinking.

If you don't want to take the word of Amina, me or the great amount of other posters on this blog, and are not swayed by the arguments, you can do your research.

Read up on an excellent book called Women and Gender in Islam, (Leila Ahmad, Yale University Press). based on proper research she shows how even the majority of women who say they are for Sharia law, hold views on women that are emancipated on many accounts (and against Sharia). That's a SIGNIFICANT amount of people in the most populous arab country.

You can also look up the one million signature campaign in Iran. A campaign in which men and women both go into all layers of society to campaign for gender equality for the law. They use secular as well as religious arguments. Though the members are prosecuted by the government the general audience, even in the most remote villages, show themselves to be open and receptive for their arguments.

Nadira said...

Thank you for your beautiful words.

Micah said...

This is an excellent post.

I do have a question, however: Clearly, Wahhabism has had a great influence on contemporary Islam.

Are there movements or schools which regard Islam in the way you do? Are they influential or are they still in a nascent stage?

Dave said...

Great post, Sahand. Thank you.

Veganovich: Your questions go back and forth between asking what Islam says and what Muslims think. These are two different things.

Muslims are people, human beings with their own opinions and interpretations of the world. Some of those opinions are influenced by their religion, but to speak as though they are one and the same is to create a false equivilancy.

People will always adapt a religion to suit their own paradigm. For centuries, the Arab world was the center of science and learning, with Baghdad at its heart. There's a reason most of the stars have Arabic names.

The decline of this culture of learning was helped a great deal by religious fundamentalists preaching against it. You can see the same thing happening in America today, but my point is that /people/ are the ones doing this. It is people who use religion to further their own ends, be it for bigotry or equality.

Ranelagh said...

Such a beautiful post, and such thoughtful and informative posts. Thank you all so much.

Anonymous said...

Sahand -

Ok, so most Muslim are quite liberal, they just happen to sponsor regimes who do the exact opposite of everything you just said.
It's like everyone in the US think black people are meant for slavery, but they just so happen to have a black president.


Jordan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Jordan

"Human rights in Jordan continues to be a matter of concern for many in and outside of the country, including international human rights groups."

Bahrain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Bahrain
"The government of Bahrain has been accused of marginalizing the native majority Shia Muslim population, torturing and mistreating political prisoners to extract confessions, blocked websites and blogs associated with the legal opposition, and harassment of human rights defenders."

Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran
"So bad it's not even funny"

Lebanon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Lebanon
"Lebanon's overall human rights record is poor. There are reports that security forces abuse detainees and use torture."

Oman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman
"Homosexuality in the Sultanate of Oman is illegal according to § 32 of the penal code and can be punished with a jail sentence of up to 3 years.[1] In Oman it is said that cases only get to court if "public scandal" is involved."

Saudi Arabia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia
"The criminal code treats homosexuality and cross-dressing as crimes and traditional social mores tend to view such activities as signs of decadence and immorality."

Turkey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Turkey
Ask the Kurds.

Yemen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Yemen
"t abuses still run rampant, especially in the areas of women's rights, freedom of the press, torture and police brutality.[3] There are arbitrary arrests of citizens, especially in the south, as well as arbitrary searches of homes. Prolonged pretrial detention is a serious problem, and judicial corruption, inefficiency, and executive interference undermine due process. Freedom of speech, the press and religion are all restricted."




You can continue to pretend most Muslim are actually hidden liberals, but you can't get into so much shit if the people themselves don't support the fanatical regimes which create it.

marissasammy said...

Your words are beautiful and gracious and strong, and I wish more people could speak their truth like this. I'm sorry that the ignorant had to roll on up and start spewing their hate, demanding "answers", instead of taking a moment to be silent, and learn.

Santiago said...

Well, sorry Amina but all the evidence I can see points to Islamic societies being far less friendly towards gays than those in Europe and the US. The anonymous commenter above has given you proof of government after government of Muslim countries failing to give LGBTQ people the rights they deserve or, worse, making them outright criminals. I'd like to add the case of Indonesia which is especially galling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Indonesia
In Indonesia homosexuality is not criminalized EXCEPT if you're a Muslim in Aceh province. The Indonesian government allowed Aceh province to institute Sharia law for Muslims living there, leading to the criminalization of homosexuality.

On the other hand there is the most recent Gallup poll that shows that, for the first time, most people in the US support gay marriage: http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/first-time-majority-americans-favor-legal-gay-marriage.aspx

I'll grant you the benefit of the doubt that maybe it is only the governments of Muslim nations that are so bigoted and that perhaps the general population is more liberal. But if you want to convince us you have to show us the evidence. Do you really think that if Gallup asked a similar question to Muslims they'd find more support for gay marriage than they found in the US?

By the way, I'm an atheist and I can freely say that homophobia is not exclusively an "oriental" phenomenon. The holy books of Christianity and Judaism are about as bad with respect to prejudice against LGBTQ people as the Qoran and the Hadith. It is only since "western" nations began ignoring the Bible that gay rights have been able to advance. And until people in Muslim countries start to do the same with their Qoran gay rights will not improve there.

Yet Another White Guy who knows more about Islam than Amina could ever possibly do said...

Amina is wrong just as all her backwards squalid subhuman tribe of knucklewalking inbred monsters always are.

Thank Jebus we have all these geniuses here in the West who can set her straight!

We know much more about her religion and culture than she does:

we're white, we're western. We don't need her interrupting our narrative of her and her peoples damnaation

Zainab Muhammad said...

Beautiful post, dear Amina, and "Yet Another White Guy" that was an AWESOME comment! Very much needed after the igno's and haters popped up! Just what we needed!

Anonymous said...

Amina, if I thought a god existed around which to build a religion, I would hope for it to be as you describe.
There are violent and hateful subgroups in any religous organization. Regarding the anonymous commentator listing the various deficiencies of Islamic countries, it is instructive to note that one can find pretty much all of that in the US too, rabidly endorsed by people who call themselves moral.
~Jess

Santiago said...

If we haven't grown up within certain cultures does that mean we cannot criticize that they deny fundamental rights to huge swathes of their peoples?

I've experienced Islamic morals first hand with "ambassadors" of Islam who put up stalls in High Streets here in the UK, aiming precisely to make "westerners" better understand what Muslims believe. I was not surprised by their attitudes towards gender equality. They spent a good hour explaining to me in detail why women should not be allowed to rule over men and how, according to them, women are so emotional that it makes their testimony be worth only half as much as that of a man's in court.

To all those claiming that we have have a massively skewed perception of what the average Muslim thinks of gender equality and gay rights I return to my previous point: Do you truly believe that a poll on equal rights for LGBTQ people would show greater support for it in Muslim countries than in the US or Europe? How about a poll asking if women should be allowed to govern countries? Do you truly believe Muslims would support that more than "westerners"?

I feel it is important to state, however, that even if Muslim societies are less progressive on many issues that is NO justification for applying generalities to individuals. The peoples of the Middle East are equally as capable of believing in and promoting equal rights, freedom and democracy as any other. There are people campaigning hard for equal dignity in the Middle East just as there are the worst type of bigots in the US and Europe. But it is undeniable that in Islamic countries society in general has a problem with equality between genders and sexualities. That is a problem that needs to be solved, and doing so will be much harder if you fail to admit that the problem exists at all.

Zu hu ra said...

Asalaam alaikum, thank you for writing so beautifully about Islam. Since your blog has so many followers, you may be able to do some real education here.

KaliMyst said...

Amina, thank-you for your words, always a pleasure to read.

As for the ignorant Westerners who feel Arabs are backwards, how would you like it if everyone in the middle east thought all Christians were like the Westboro baptists or like Terry Jones [The idiot in Florida who burned the Qoran]?

As for the person talking about human rights in Arab countries - what about the rights of the people held in Guantanemo Bay? Those who get held there for years without a trial?

It's always easy for the pot to call the kettle black.

Micah said...

Santiago-

The regimes in question are far less Islamic than they are tyrannical.

That is a distinction that cannot be lost.

Just because a despot declares himself a 'True Muslim' doesn't make it so. Recall Saddam, the GIA in Algeria and even Al Qaeda.

Much of Islam has been co opted by repressive and oppressive regimes. It is true decades of this kind of thing leave a mark and certainly won't go away overnight. Still, it is clear the reformers are looking to reclaim more than just their political rights.

Richard said...

One is reminded of those who defended Communism despite the evidence of Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot's crimes. It is not what Islam may or may not be but how it is applied in practice which matters.

Laila's Husband said...

Richard, Santiago, Ali, Micah, Dave, Anonymous, Veganovich, etc,
I have a question for you.

Did any of you actually READ what Amina posted? Or did you just dash off your standard things?

She isn't claiming to describe all Muslims; she is only speaking of her own experience. Her experience of the Islamic religion as seen from those involved in HER spiritual formation is clearly not whatever you have read about.

I'm neither a Muslim nor an Arab but I have lived in Damascus and, amazingly enough, her description does match what I observed of Damascene Sunni Islam. It also matches what Amina has revealed to us of her own life.

You can reject her experience of her own life and her own understanding of her own beliefs and rely on your own self-assured superior wisdom and, when doing so do exactly what she complains about:
lumping together disparate practices from around the world and creating an imaginary monster.

Amina explicitly states she is speaking from her experience and she also states that she won't indulge in the same sort of bashing of other religions by conflating half-understood gossip about cultures from around the world.

It is quite sad to see the comments here as they suggest a great lack of basic reading comprehension (if not basic good manners), especially when such essentialist misreadings are precisely Amina's point.

Micah said...

Laila's husband-

Yes I read the entire post.

Did you read my comments? If you did, what EXACTLY did you find objectionable?

Richard said...

Laila's husband,

I am married to a Christian from Syria and have many friends and family from there or who still live there. In general they confirm that minorities in Syria are reasonably well-treated. They also confirm the increasing islamization of Syrian society.

Almost all of them support the current regime precisely because they fear what would happen if the Sunni Muslim majority gains control. Many have passports from Western countries, just in case.

Tom said...

Firstly, when we are talking about intercultural respect, it should be mutual and so it is ridiculous for people to brand 'santiago' as "Yet Another White Guy", rather than attack him on what you perceive to be his ethnicity or racial background, which is nothing short of racist, how about look at what he is saying.

The polls have been taken, see the work of researcher Riaz Hassan if you like. Basically less than one in three Muslims from a wide range of countries think that homosexuality should be legalised, so the reality remains. I don't see it as religious so much as societal however, after all as is mentioned, the Bible, Leviticus says that for a man to lay with another man in the way that he lays with a woman is an 'abomination' and most of the most liberal nations on earth have strong foundations in Christian values (see all the nations that have thus far legalised gay marriage/legalise homosexual intercourse.)

I dont pretend to be an expert on the Qur'an but the point stands that a society can interpret different parts of Holy Texts differently, either literally or liberally - the religion is unchanging. The fact is however that Holy Texts were written in another time, another age and that to read them word for word and impose any sort of textual authoritarianism is to miss the point but it also deprives people and society as a whole the ability to question and reason - the gifts that God handed to us on a platter.

ps. Saddam is an atheist.

Colleen said...

Thank you for a peek at your personal religion, which I view as much more true to the original intention of religion than the politicized versions we see now. I have a similar experience with two Islam-s, two Christianity-s etc).

(A wandering, searching bisexual Christian/monotheist who lives in a Muslim country)

Anonymous said...

To anonymous who quoted all the wikipedia entries about HR in the Middle East:

You are conflating Islam with an occasional legal-political situation which is an outcome of post-colonial politics and invasive (and sometimes destructive) western foreign policy. Take for example, your quote about Oman: most of the Gulf states' laws about homosexuality are actually derived from the British penal code in the 1950s (when Britain held some sway in that region). To equate this situation with the reality of what Muslims believe would be as accurate as me quoting the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank (and elsewhere since 1948) with what every person of the Jewish faith believes ie. a facile, reductionist and, ultimately, ignorant argument.

Ali said...
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Ali said...
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Amina A. said...

Civility please

Anonymous said...

Hi Ali,

Great sense of history, you have. But last time I checked Ben Ali and Mubarak (both big favourites of the west and supported heavily) were, umm, until quite recently still in power. In any case, if you had any concept at all of how the post-colonial world works you would know that the end of influence doesn't come with the withdrawal of colonial forces (see, for example the mess in Lebanon which is largely the result of French mandate policies in the 1920s, augmented by the european creation of the Israel)

Honestly, the second part of what he said made no sense to me, but I'm quite sure I didn't misunderstand him.

Ali said...

Laila's Husband (I assume?) -

Do you agree with these statements:
1. Governments can change policies.
2. The governments above aren't under colonial control for the last 60 years.
3. Muslims are intelligent people, and fairly capable of deciding what they want to do. You can't tell them do X, and expect them to do it for 60 years.
4. The links above show that by and large, most governments who identify themselves as Muslim violate the human rights of their citizens, and treat LGBT poorly.


@ amina
Censorship under the guise of civility remains censorship.

Anonymous said...

Ali, I am not Laila's husband but I did post the two anon. comments concerning post-colonialism etc.

You are making an easily made mistake in your argument: You are attempting to characterize a 1400 year old complex, pluralistic religion on the basis of a few extracts from Wikipedia about certain acts of some governments in the Middle East in the last few years.

I'm not a Muslim but I have lived and worked extensively in the Middle East for the last 20 years. Amina's understanding of Islam reflects what are some pretty widely held views across the region. In the end, that's what matters: what people believe in and how they treat their neighbour.
I suspect, however, that nothing is going to change your opinion and that's a great shame.

Ali said...

Seems like you're attacking a scarecrow.

Read again what I wrote - I never said anything about Islam as a religion.
In fact, I haven't expressed any opinion, I only gave you a list of statements and asked you whether you agree.
Now calm down and try to answer.


"Amina's understanding of Islam reflects what are some pretty widely held views across the region. In the end, that's what matters: what people believe in and how they treat their neighbour."
Governments also show a way to deal with your neighbor, much more so than whether you personally smile to him in the morning. What do these links above show you about LGBT treatment in these countries?

Ali said...

scarecrow => Straw man

Anonymous said...

'much more so than whether you personally smile to him in the morning' I've smiled at plenty of people in the morning....men, women, all sorts...I tend to think it's a nice use of energy as opposed to this useless discourse. Ciao, Ali.
@Amina: fantastic blog, look forward to reading more.

Patriot USMC said...

There can be no peace in the Middle East until the Arabs learn to love there own children more than they hate Jews and Christians. Until then, there will only be allot more wars and repressions. Their religion is teaching them 5 times a day to pray "itbach al yahud". This is the socalled gaygirl's fellow protesters
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477450,00.html
Can you people honestly claim that you have been to an mosque and haven’t heard the traditionaly prayer:
“We are all Hamas, Jews to the Gas”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLlHPPO25nM skip to 1:05
Here’s a bit of Muslims celebrating the genocide committed by American Muslims on 9/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrM0dAFsZ8k
This is the mentality of these people not even deserve to be called human, but they are lived like animals.
All the talk of democracy and freedom is lies and only stupid braindead leftist will swallow this lies. Really the only goal for all these barabraians is to make a genocide of Jews and finish what Hitler started, this is the goal of all these groups. Then when Israel is killed they will come for the west. Already they are committing genocides against the former free peoples of Europe, in Serbia, Cyprus, Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark Is it safe for Jew to live in Malmo when these monsters are there?
In England, they are working very hard to whip out the free people and anything of English freedom. Then America. We need stop this madness!

Sahand Sahebdivani said...

Wow, Patriot. That's so clueless one doesn't even know where to begin.

Ali said...

Anonymous
3 June 2011 06:37

A discourse isn't necessarily futile just because you couldn't convince the other side you are right.
It is only futile when you were faced with facts, but decided to ignore them.

You were given many links to facts, the bare reality, and weren't actually opposed with an opinion. All you could do is learn those facts and rethink your position as necessary - only if you choose to ignore them this discourse will be useless.

And no, there's nothing to be proud about when all you do is smile to your neighbor when the government threatens to punish him for his sexual orientation.
If you ignore reality, you are not his friend.

Syed said...

Hello Everyone
Peace be unto you.

Everyone is free to believe, imagine and perceive whatever sh/e likes. BUT do not superimpose any personal perception on Islam. Not all that Muslims do / did is Islamic. Certainly "Our Islam" can be anything, but Islam is the Islam of the holey Qur'an. Read it from there only. Read in in context. If you like it fine. If not leave it without messing about it.

Out of scores, here is just one instance in this context (from the Holy Qu'ran):

026.161 Behold, their brother Lut said to them: "Will ye not fear (God)?

026.162 "I am to you an apostle worthy of all trust.

026.163 "So fear God and obey me.

026.164 "No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the lord of the
Worlds.

026.165 "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males,

026.166 "And leave those whom God has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye
are a people transgressing (all limits)!"

026.167 They said: "If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!"

026.168 He said: "I do detest your doings."

026.169 "O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!"

026.170 So We delivered him and his family,- all

026.171 Except an old woman who lingered behind.

026.172 But the rest We destroyed utterly.

026.173 We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower
on those who were admonished (but heeded not)!

026.174 Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.

026.175 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might Most Merciful.

Bashir Kashmiri

Syed said...

My Comment on Out of Context use of لكم دينكم ولي دين to justify Kufr

http://www.facebook.com/notes/syed-bashir-kashmiri/my-comment-on-out-of-context-use-of-%D9%84%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%83%D9%85-%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86-to-justify-kufr/221339927884493

Anonymous said...

Reading some of these comments, I do wonder why some of these people even bother reading this blog. Just to blow off steam in the comments section?

Bobby H. said...

Reading comprehension is a dying art

Anonymous said...

salam alikom


I'm trying to read your article but cant get over the "an openly gay etc etc"


Thank the Lord that I'm not one of those who يتبعون زخرف القول
so doesn't matter how "smart" u r, I'm not going to be impressed by your smartness once u display an act or words that are potentially supporting what is haram. Why would u make your sexual orientation to seem like the most appealing/unique character about your self?

U are free to be gay, but since u claim that you are a Muslim, u should know that u r spreading temptation by declaring tht ur lesbian and making a big deal out of it..

Many ppl would subliminally think about lesbo pornography, indecency etc..mama u r responsible for what u r putting up out there..

"Openly gay" can stand for a lot of unlawful things and organizations that have been trying to inject temptations and turmoil within the ppl's mind so they can profit from them too..


I hope u r one of those who follow the westernized, commercial, to-your-taste, shape-it-as-u-like, take-what-u-like-and-leave-the rest kind of Islam..so may Allah guide u benti..fear Him..

Just think about it..I know u thought about it before..think about it again please..


Islam didn't denounce sexuality especially when it's done within the borders of marriage.

'The fornicator shall not marry any but a fornicatress or idolatress, and (as for) the fornicatress, none shall marry her but a fornicator or an idolater; and it is forbidden to the believers.' Q(24:3)


'And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry such women as seem good to you, two and three and four; but if you fear that you will not do justice (between them), then (marry) only one or what your right hands possess; this is more proper, that you may not deviate from the right course.' Q(4:3)

'Bad women .are for bad men and bad men are for bad women. Good women are for good men and good men are for good women' Q(24:26)


And (We sent) Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see? (27:54)
What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly. (27:55)
But the answer of his people was no other except that they ~s said: Turn out Lut's followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure! (27:56)

isn't that enough?

I'm here to enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong..


kind regards,
Hebatullah

Anonymous said...

Correction:

I hope u r NOT one of those who follow the westernized, commercial, to-your-taste, shape-it-as-u-like, take-what-u-like-and-leave-the rest kind of Islam..so may Allah guide u benti..fear Him..

Hebatullah

Anonymous said...

You have to read more about Islam, you were in sweat dream, but for sure the reality is different, just watch videos from Hama and you will get it, I guess

Anonymous said...

is any body here trying to ease the heart of the other, with out regard to the reality, for Amina is she a practising muslim her self or she is defending her position?
Rememeber Critisising the islamic teaching and criticism of the those who are not follwing the muslim teaching are two different thing altogether, but For Amina she seems to be mixing up everything.
If you are confident enough say 'you are not for the islamic teachings' full stop, there after the argument shall be clear, n the Quran it's clear;
1. Homosexuality is ILLEGAL ( dont cheat pple who dont understand what islam says about this)
2. Men and women are not Equal(the question of similarities and differecies can also be interpreted in a wider range)'a rijaalu qawaamuuna ala nisaa'
3. Certain dresses like the one in your picture is totally prohibited for women in islam.
4. You can not critise your religion altogether and the question of our islam and their islam seems to show who you are? you seems to be no where.
Allah Help you understand your religion and obey its teaching.

Anonymous said...

YOU might be outspoken today but TOMMOROW IS WHAT MATTERS!!!!

'INAL MUNAFIQIINA FI DARKIL ASFARI MINA NAAR'

Sara said...

Beautiful post. Shame the comments indicate the pressure that any progressive Muslim faces - frankly racist neo-orientalism or fascistic one-interpretation Quran-bashers. How about everyone just mind their own business? How about instead of patronising someone who is living the reality of reconciling their faith, sexuality and the political situation in their country you support them? If you really cared about LGBTQ people's rights in these countries you'd listen to them instead of trying to convince them how much of a sophisticated westerner you are. Same thing happens with western feminists too. What makes me laugh is that often the critics aren't even LGBTQ/female, so they have no idea (or simply don't care) about the difficulties faced by these groups in their own countries.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic.

Michel said...

@Mia,
----
You claim that in Islam men and women are treated equally. Would you deny that most Muslims believe,

(a) women are entitled to half of the inheritance of men?
(b) two women’s testimony is equal to one man’s testimony?
(c) Muslim women could only marry Muslim men while the reverse is not true?
(d) There are more restrictions on how women must dress than how men must dress?

You claim that Islam is not anti-science. Would you deny that the vast majority of Muslims reject the theory of evolution via natural selection.

Would you deny most Muslims believe that the Qur'an prohibits sex between people of the same gender.
------

Let me please answer you:

a-This question perverts the truth. The reason why women get less inheritance is because they participate LESS in expenditures. In most cases, it is the man who takes care of the expenditures on his parents as well as family.

b-You may be true here.

c-This exists in all religions, even non-heavenly religions.

Concerning creation vs. evolution, I am really astonished why many people believe in evolution! Evolution is only a supposal and NOT a proof. There are some scientists who proposed evolution, but there are many others who do not believe in evolution and even believe in creation.

The reason of prohibiting homosexuality goes way before Islam emerged. Anti-homosexuality existed in Judaism (before Islam) and in many pagan religions. It is not something caused by religion, but by nature. Do not confuse this. Religion regulates what is natural, not goes against nature.

Anonymous said...

dear Amina, i have you are saved and sound where ever you are now..

i hope Allah always be with you, just keep praying. keep shalat 5 times a day, tahajud would be good too. i hope you do fine out there, no matter where you are.

i hope after the sins that you, me, and all the human beings have made are forgiven by Allah, i hope Allah always be with you and i hope Allah will lead you to the right path of your life..

i hope you're coming back home alive, and fly to US instead living in Damascus. i know you have your parents there, and you want to fight them, but i guess your parents rather to see you alive from the far instead seeing you dying in front of their eyes..


in US there's no shitty matter called religion, people don't care what you believe. it's about who you are.


lakum dinukum, wa li yaddin :)

(for you it's your religion, and to me it's my religion)

mayhem said...

this is a wonderful thoughtful, heroic blog, and Inshallah that Amina Arraf is still alive, and that she has inspired others to write as she does. I'm delighted to read how her blog has enabled so much discussion to take place and for Westerners to have contact with real live thinking Muslims. I'm a very gay lady, who has known, lived with and worked with a variety of Muslims in Australia and France (sunni, shiia, devout, lapsed, north African, south Asian, east Asian etc)- and for the most part, Muslims in Australia are generally escaping the extreme religious fascism that has cursed their countries. I'm not denying Islamofascism, but all of the Muslims I have met have respected my queerness which I don't hide. And Islam is a BROAD faith, with many religions, sects, diversions, and covering a lot of different cultures. I don't think we can generalise about a Muslim Majority at all, but support and honour the mutual practice of respectful engagement with different beliefs and cultures. It makes the world more interesting and bearable for everyone.

abc said...

Your words are beautiful, Amina. Praying for you and may your God be with you and peace be upon you.

Don't give up.

Anonymous said...

Your words are beautiful, but they are tainted by your twisted desire to interpret islam as you see fit. everything you said was true. But what you said about homosexuality is not true.See the case of Aal Lut for instance..
You are misguided my love.

أحمد said...

I really respect you but I can't belive you !!!! Our Islam regultes our life and that includes sexual desire. Islam supports our freedom but protects us fom uncontrlled desires and that includes homosexuality!!!

Anonymous said...

Religion is different for all people, unless they put aside all they are and do whatever it is they are being told. True religion is in the heart.
I, myself, feel more at home with The Dark Goddess, or vodoun, for example. But do I hate others, not like me? No. I respect them.
Only The Goddess, or God (whichever you prefer) can judge if she/he/whatever chooses to do so. It is not for us to do.

Anima- I hope that you are safe. I think it's a good idea for you to leave your country behind if you get the chance. Your family will always be in your heart, or a Skype- call away. :)
All who truly love their children will understand.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Do your readers include many Saudi Arabian clerics?

Anonymous said...

Because this blog is totally geared towards westerners, isn't it? DO YOU EVEN WRITE IN ARABIC? DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH?

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