"GAY MUSLIMS" : BEST RESPONSE Mufti Ismail Menk

Homosexuality and Islam

written by:Sheila Quinn

Qur’an:

   “Therefore stand firm (in the straight path) as thou art commanded,-thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the path); for He seeth well all that ye do. And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will touch you, and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped.” (Sura: “Huud” #11; aya’an #112-113)

  “O Abraham! Seek not this. The decree of thy Lord hath gone forth; for them there cometh a chastisement that cannot be turned back! When our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: ‘This is a distressful day.’ And his people came rushing towards him, and they had been long in the habit of practicing abominations. He said; ‘O my people! Here are my daughters: they are purer for you (if you marry)! Now fear Allah, and cover me not with disgrace about my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?’ They said: ‘well dost thou know we have no need of thy daughters: indeed thou knowest quite well what we want!’…” (The messengers) said; “O Lut! We are messengers from thy lord! By no means shall they reach thee! Now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): to her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: is not the morning nigh?”(Sura: “Huud” #11; ayat #76-81)

These ayat are just some of the ayat which deal with the issue of homosexuality.

Some might say that the issue of homosexuality is a sensitive issue. At first I agreed with this, but as I read more and more about the aggressive behavior of some who are pro “gay” I became incensed about the campaign to make everyone accept homosexuality as “okay”. This campaign is not only in The U.S. and Europe-it is also in Muslim countries as well. There have been “gay pride parades” in both Turkey and Jordan.  (Turkey’s LGBT community draws hope from Harvey Milk: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-lgbt-discrimination-legal-protection-public-awareness.html#ixzz3hGxWgT57)

 Homosexuality is not okay. If a female relative of mine came to me and told me that she was “married” to another woman, how would I respond? I do not know how I would respond. Perhaps I would just stare at her for a few minutes and then walk away, or I might verbally blast her, than again I just might sit with her and give her a quiet but stern lecture about how homosexual behavior is unacceptable.

 Allah has made it clear, in The Qur’an, that homosexual activity is an abomination to Him. No Muslim has the right to be okay with homosexual activity. “ … Now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): to her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: is not the morning nigh?”( Sura: “Huud” #11; ayat #76-81)

“…And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will touch you, and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped.” (Sura: “Huud” #11; aya’an #112-113)

  From what is written in The Qur’an it is clear that The Creator and The Sustainer of The Heavens and The Earth considers such behavior to be absolutely unacceptable. It is unthinkable that any Muslim would accept homosexual activity to be okay. It is not only sinful to be involved in homosexual activity, but it is also sinful to be sympathetic towards those who are involved in homosexual behavior. It is clear- from the ayat that I quoted above- that anyone who is sympathetic towards homosexuals are sinful and will be dealt with to the same degree as those who are active homosexuals.

 Should Muslims please Allah-or should we prostrate to His creatures? Of course, we should please Allah. The Dunya, this life, is a life of tests. It seems that some Muslims are failing in the tests that are being given in regard to homosexuality.

There is absolutely no God, but The God. Muhammad is the messenger of the God. Everything and everyone belongs to God. We do not belong to ourselves. Everything that we have is a trust from God-including: our bodies, our minds and our hearts. All of us do have choices, but each and every one of us will face the consequences of our choices-good or bad. Although our bodies will decay in our graves, we-ourselves- will continue to exist throughout eternity. But, what kind of existence will it be?

Some References:

 Reza Aslan And Hasan Minhaj Explain Why Muslims Can't Afford To Be Intolerant Of Gay Marriage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/09/reza-aslan-hasan-minhaj-gay-marriage_n_7757400.html?ir=Religion&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003 

For Churches That Won’t Perform Same-Sex Weddings, Insurance Begins to Look Iffy Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420928/churches-gay-marriage-insurance?tsrvqUZ2WLkiLuwx.01

Turkey’s LGBT community draws hope from Harvey Milk
: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-lgbt-discrimination-legal-protection-public-awareness.html#ixzz3hGxWgT57


Link: http://theummahtimes.blogspot.com/2015/07/homosexuality-and-islam.html.

Uganda's Makerere University Walter Reed Project Raided In Wake Of Anti-Gay Law

04/04/2014
 by  RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Source: The Huffington Post

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan police raided the offices of a United States-funded project known to offer AIDS services to homosexuals, a government spokesman said Friday, in what appeared to be the first public action by police to enforce a new law that strengthened criminal penalties against gay sex.

The Makerere University Walter Reed Project in the Ugandan capital of Kampala was targeted for "training youths in homosexuality," spokesman Ofwono Opondo said on Twitter Friday. He offered no further details but said a "top diplomat" was involved in the alleged training.

The project said in a statement Friday that it was suspending its activities in Uganda after one of its staff, a Ugandan citizen, was arrested and briefly detained by police on Thursday.

"We are working with police to understand the circumstances under which this person was detained," the statement said. "Until we have greater clarity as to the legal basis for the police action, the operations of the program are temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of staff and the integrity of the program."

Frank Mugisha, a gay leader in Uganda, said the project —a nonprofit partnership between a Ugandan university and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program — was known to offer services to gays who suffer from AIDS, he said.

"A lot of LGBTI people found it comfortable to go there for anti-retroviral treatment," he said.

Patrick Onyango, a spokesman for Ugandan police, denied the raid, saying a man pretending to represent the police threatened workers at the project. He said that authorities were now looking for the man, after police in his jurisdiction briefly arrested him and then freed him.

Daniel Travis, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, declined to comment.

Uganda's president in February enacted a new measure that allows up to life imprisonment for those convicted of engaging in gay sex and sets a seven-year jail term for the offense of "attempted homosexuality." Despite criticism from the U.S. and other Western countries that say the law is draconian and should be repealed, it has wide popularity among Ugandans.

On Monday it became the first legislation in Uganda to be publicly celebrated in a rally attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who told a raucous crowd that he was "mobilizing" to fight Western gays he accuses of promoting homosexuality in Africa. At that rally, attended by thousands of Ugandans, Museveni said gays deserve to be punished severely because homosexuality is "criminal and it is co cruel."

The U.S., the World Bank and some European countries have cut, delayed or reviewed development assistance to Uganda since the bill was enacted, action that some Ugandan government officials have described as blackmail.

Ugandan gay leaders say many homosexuals have had to flee their old homes in the weeks since the measure was enacted, apparently to escape angry mobs, and some are reported to have been evicted by landlords who discovered they were gay.

Mugisha, the gay leader, said he recommended the project's clinic to many homosexuals because workers there were "without bias."

The project says on its website that its objectives include monitoring trends in the HIV epidemic in Uganda and conducting HIV vaccine trials. The project opened in 2002 and has since expanded its activities to include HIV prevention, care and treatment. Through the U.S. President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, the project has been running HIV programs across Uganda.

About 1.5 million Ugandans are infected with HIV, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV and AIDS.

Maria Burnett, a Uganda researcher with Human Rights Watch, warned Friday that the anti-gay measure makes it hard for homosexuals to access confidential medical services.

"The Ministry of Health keeps reassuring everyone that the (anti-gay) law will not result in discrimination and stigma in access to health care services and research but yesterday's events clearly contradict that," she said.

Link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/uganda-aids-group-gay-law_n_5092692.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000014&ir=World.
 

Anti-Gay Marriage Mozilla CEO Resigns After Backlash

04/07/2014 
by: Taylor Casti
Source:The Hufffington Post


Brendan Eich, the newly named CEO of the software firm Mozilla Corporation, resigned from the post after angering gay rights activists and some in the tech industry for his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Eich's views on gay marriage came to light in the days following his appointment last week to run Mozilla, best-known for its Firefox browser. News re-emerged of a $1,000 donation he made in 2008 supporting California's Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage referendum.

Since then two former Mozilla developers and the dating site OKCupid, among others, have publicly condemned the software development firm for appointing a known supporter of the anti-gay law -- voters passed Prop 8, but it was later shot down by the Supreme Court. Critics urged that web users try a different browser.

Mozilla initially tried to bat away concerns about Eich's ideology .

The company explained in a blog post on Thursday:

We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.
Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community.
Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.
Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.
We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community.
While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better.
We need to put our focus back on protecting that Web. And doing so in a way that will make you proud to support Mozilla.

While there is no clear replacement in line for CEO, Mozilla executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker insisted that the company is not without options, saying in an interview this morning that "[t]here are certainly very talented people we have talked to, so we are not at ground zero by any means."

The original version of this article stated that Mozilla removed Brendan Eich as CEO. Officially, Eich resigned from the position.

Link:  .huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-anti-gay-moz_n_5085006.html.