“Britain’s first Gay Muslim marriage,” “…You can be gay and be a Muslim”
Well yes, you can be a gay and be a Muslim. The homosexual act (not the homosexual urge – which should still be resisted) is prohibited in Islam – the texts are definitive concerning this and there has been a unanimous consensus of all Muslim scholars throughout Islamic history on this. The homosexual act is a major sin in Islam, but a sin does not take you outside the fold of Islam.
There is nothing in Islam preventing us from dealing with homosexuals just as we would anyone else. I personally have worked with openly homosexual people without any problem. I have worked with transgenders as well, treating them all as I would any other person I work with.
But is it possible to believe that homosexuality is a sin and still treat homosexuals normally? Well, yes. Living in this country, in this community, we do things akin to this all the time… we have colleagues who drink alcohol and get drunk (which is proscribed in islam), we have colleagues who have extramarital relations (which are proscribed in Islam) etc. We deal with them perfectly normally. This does not mean we approve of those acts; it just means that we understand that, in some matters, they have their way and we have ours. As adults, we agree to disagree, and let life continue.
There is, I think, a purely emotional rhetoric and attitude amongst some Muslims (and non-Muslims) against homosexuals that should be tempered and moderated. I have heard a few ‘fatawa’ from some people out there that simply boggle the mind. ‘You should wash your hands after shaking them with a gay,’ for example. Really? I would be extremely interested to hear the evidence for that one, because I just don’t get it.
But what we will not accept, and cannot accept is the imposition of their view on us. Forcing their moral values on ours. You cannot force us to change Islam, it will never happen. Our religion is perfect and comes from our Creator. The homosexual act is prohibited, it will remain so. A gay marriage is not recognised in Islamic law, it will never be recognised. You want to get married to a same-sex partner, its not my business. But you want to come into a Masjid and have me (for example) conduct the marriage ceremony? Sorry, not happening.