অনুগ্রহ করে অপেক্ষা করুন। ছবি আটো ইন্সার্ট হবে।
This Channel 4 documentary shows how the experiences of five lesbian and gay Muslims in Britain challenge the heterosexual bias in Muslim communities and illustrate the diversity within Islam. Tamsila Tauqir reports
Over the sinister introductory music to the programme, presenter Sonia Deol says: ‘Islam is fierce in its condemnation of homosexuality.’ Let’s be fair, antagonism towards homosexuality is no more exclusive to any one community than favouring men, the able-bodied and those with wealth and power.
Whose Islamic line is it anyway?
There are diverse perspectives on homosexuality amongst Muslims, ranging from condemnation through to the Muslim Canadian Congress's welcome for legislation redefining marriage to include same-sex partners. In fact, a number of Islamic scholars point out that the Qur’anic verse, ‘we created you as partners’, need not be limited to male-female couples. There have also already been Muslim gay marriages (nikahs) in the USA, Canada and India.
In fact, this diversity lies at the heart of traditional Islamic practice. In the formation of the different Islamic schools of thought, which have now become different denominations, such as Maliki and Shaefi, scholars accepted there could be different interpretations of Qur’anic Arabic and people could align themselves to whichever they felt represented them most. So the modern-day call of the politico-religious right for a homogeneous Islam is a new invention, and not at all fundamental.
The scholar
The diverse ways of understanding of the Qur’an are echoed in the programme by Dr Scott-Siraj Al-Haqq Kugle, of Swarthmore College in the USA, currently a research fellow at Leiden University in Holland. He asks a question which is not asked often enough: what do we mean by Shariah? Shariah – Islamic law – is determined by male jurists whose interpretations of Islamic texts are based on cultural assumptions situated in particular times, and particular political and geographical locations? It’s not divine. It offers us different avenues to live our lives as Muslims, depending on who’s doing the interpretation. Importantly, Kugle also points out that there is no word in the Qur’an for 'gay' or 'homosexual', and no mention of lesbians.
The activist
Some 200 lesbian and gay Muslims were contacted by the programme makers but only a handful were willing to be interviewed, and most of those insisted on keeping their identities hidden. Only one was prepared to show his face and give his true name. He was Adnan Ali, an activist on issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) Muslims.
Adnan described how, when he first came out about his sexuality in Pakistan, he was physically and verbally abused. He then came to the UK, where he chatted online with members of the Al-fatiha Foundation in the States. Al-fatiha is an international organisation dedicated to questioning Muslims who are LGBT and their friends. Adnan then set-up a sister group called Al-fatiha UK, now called Imaan.
The voices
The interviewees speak of their commitment to and belief in Islam, though instead of having their beliefs supported by their community and family, they face being ostracised. ‘Razeem’ speaks of his pain at being denied access to the children of his previous marriage, despite having a legal right to access and the fact that his wife ran away with another man. He also wishes there were more role models, like Adnan Ali, for gay Muslims.
‘Shakir’ and his parents find it easier to accept lesbianism than gay men’s homosexuality. ‘Farah’ contemplates going back into the closet, to lie about her sexuality to ease the tension in her relationship with her parents. Presenter Sonia Deol says that the gay Muslim group, Imaan, supports the idea of ‘keeping sexuality a private matter’.
Of course there are other voices out there, which are not heard in the programme, like the mothers, children and siblings of LGBT Muslims who come along to gay Muslim events. There have been active LGBT members of Muslim societies and communities for generations, who now want their relationships and responsibilities recognised just like their heterosexual counterparts. They are not asking for special treatment but for justice.
Information and support
A number of Muslim LGBT groups and organisations now exist across the globe, such as the Safra Project in the UK, which works on issues concerning Muslim LBT women. There are also LGBT organisations in countries where Muslims are the majority, such as Kaos GL in Turkey. There are lots more resources in the Find out more section.
