As Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu and Greetings of Peace:
Insha Allah this finds you all and your families well, and preparing for the start of Ramadan next week, Insha Allaah.
We are very busy at the prison, getting it together for about 175 Muslim women to participate in the month's activities: fasting, iftar, community dinner, Eid prayer, and finally Eid feast!
In the meantime, I am fascinated at how the world seems to be going crazy, especially here in the USA. The illegal immigration battle heats up, and as well, the ongoing opinions of everyone in the media about the New York City mosque controversy near Ground Zero.
Then yesterday, Proposition 8 in California, which restricts marriage to one man and one woman, was overturned by a US District Court Judge who ruled that the voter-approved law violates federal equal protections and due process laws.
Regardless how anyone personally feels about homosexuality and gay marriage, and religion aside, it makes sense that in a country like America any law prohibiting one group of people to do something that everyone else in America is allowed to do, based on race, gender, religion, etc., is indeed unjust. And illegal.
Still, the homophobes continue their fight, and are appealing the judge's decision.
I say "religion aside," because I am talking about marriage that is sanctioned by the government. In America, one can marry in a church, synagogue, masjid, or wherever, but for the marriage to be "legally" recognized by the secular government and the IRS, a secular marriage license is needed.
To clarify, I do not agree that gays should be allowed to have a nikah in the masjid. Nor do I think that the religion of Islaam needs to be "updated," to permit gay marriage. I'm just saying that there's a difference between religious and secular marriage in America, and we must advocate for every one's rights in America, least they come after us next.
Back to the New York City mosque controversy, I was pleased to see that the rabbis were out demonstrating today in support of the mosque project. In my opinion, all religious groups should be out there doing the same.
I was also pleased to see a link on my JTA mobile news service describing how a group of Orthodox rabbis, educators, and mental health professionals signed a statement supporting gays in the Jewish community.
WHAT?! Rabbis supporting gays?!
"For the last six months, a number of Orthodox rabbis and educators have been preparing a statement of principles on the place of our brothers and sister in our community who have a homosexual orientation," the statement explains.
Yes! From the mobile link, "All human beings ... deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (kevod haberiyot) ... Embarrassing, harassing, or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism."
The statement of principles views the treatment of gay Jews with dignity and respect as an obligation.
It affirms that "halakhah sees heterosexual marriage as the ideal model and sole legitimate outlet for human sexual expression. The sensitivity and understanding we properly express for human beings with other sexual orientations does not diminish our commitment to that principle."
Halakhic Judaism still views all same-sex sexual interactions as prohibited. It does not prohibit orientation or feelings of same-sex attraction as impermissible, just the sexual acts. Nothing in Torah devalues the human beings who struggle with the feelings.
The group also affirms "the religious right of those with a homosexual orientation to reject therapeutic approaches they reasonably see as useless or dangerous."
Jews struggling to live their lives in accordance with halakhic values need and deserve the support of the Jewish community, and should be welcomed as full members of the synagogue and school community, the statement says.
When will the Muslim community officially develop such a statement of principles?
Is there a middle road? When will our communities become all-inclusive? (Disabled Muslims have been asking this question for a long time.)
Muslims are people, and all of the "problems" and issues of general society are present in our communities. As much as we like to think these problems don't exist, issues such as homosexuality, teenage pregnancy, HIV, and substance abuse are rampant among us. May Allaah t'ala protect us from them/Ameen. Only recently, have the problems associated with domestic violence in the Muslim community received the needed attention they desperately require and deserve.
While some among us spend our time worrying about whether or not our sister wears a hijab or plucks her eyebrows, or why our brother refuses to grow a beard, we run the risk of neglecting some other very serious issues.
Muslim families will live in shame and secrecy if a family member is gay or has HIV.
This shouldn't be.
In my work as a Muslim chaplain, I routinely interact with Muslim inmates who insist they are a lesbian or bisexual.
Are they really lesbian or bisexual? As women, are they merely lonely? Are they afraid and seeking protection? Are they trying to fit in? Are they being a predator and taking advantage of each other (getting money, commissary items, etc.)? Have they always been curious and feel safe to "experiment" while incarcerated?
If so, how can I help? And with what attitude do I approach this area of pastoral counseling within an Islaamic framework?
And if they are truly a lesbian or bisexual. AND a Muslim? Then what? Do I shun them? Shame them? Enjoin the good and forbid the evil? Be a warner and then leave it between them and Allaah t'ala? After all, they know Islaam's position and have probably thought about it more than I have.
In his book, "Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims," Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle bravely puts the gay card on the Muslim table. You can read the first 42 pages here. Kugle maintains that Islaam is not so clear about homosexuality as most of us Muslims may think. "Many Islamic authorities claim that homosexuality is categorically forbidden, but the reality is much less clear-cut. There are no verses in the Qur'an that unambiguously condemn homosexuals, and there are even some that suggest they can be tolerated in Muslim communities. In addition, reports from Hadith that denounce homosexual and transgender persons are of dubious authenticity," reads the back cover of the book.
Subhan'Allah!
Notice that the author does not talk about the sexual acts between same-sex Muslim persons as being acceptable to the religion of Islaam, he merely challenges Muslims to think about how we perceive our LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) brothers and sisters among us - much like the rabbis have done in their Statement of Principles.
What do you think? Do you know any gay Muslims? How are they treated within your communities? Does Islaam differentiate between the "sin" and the "sinner"?
