Before I begin, I wish to clarify a few of my positions, so that you all know what my biases may be. I am a lesbian, in a very happy relationship. I am open about that, in my community and arguably my appearance and mannerisms. I'm also an atheist. Not the preachy, aggressive kind, but it's relevant, I think. I was raised Catholic (Sunday school and all) but stopped believing in God around the same time I stopped believing in Santa, and I absolutely loath Islam.
The Facts
"LGBT Against Islamophobia". There are a lot of things to be said about this ideology. To simplify, LGBT Against Islamophobia doesn't account for the fact that Islam is not in the least bit against homophobia. Rather, they seem quite supportive of it. Simply sample from their texts and it's obvious where Islam stands. For example this post, which can be summarized with this excerpt:
"The crime of homosexuality is one of the greatest of crimes, the worst of sins and the most abhorrent of deeds, and Allaah punished those who did it in a way that He did not punish other nations. It is indicative of violation of the fitrah, total misguidance, weak intellect and lack of religious commitment, and it is a sign of doom and deprivation of the mercy of Allaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound."
Even without reference directly to the Quran, however, we find many examples of homophobia in modern Islamic culture. Articles like this and this bring forward examples of just some of the thousands of hateful posts online after the Orlando shooting, praising the shooter, and comparing his actions to divine work.
However, we need not rely on anecdotes. Even statistics point toward extreme Islamic homophobia. This study found many concerning things about Islam and it's practitioners, the most relevant being this the massive number of people who believe homosexuality is immoral in the countries they polled. Here are some other quick and concerning facts, including:
In Iraq
* At least 68 gay and transgendered men have been killed over the last four months, according to the London-based rights advocacy group Iraqi LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), bringing the total number of killings of Iraqis because of their sexuality to 678 since 2004.
*The killers aren't just executing their gay victims. They are "mutilating their bodies and torturing them," says fundamentalist Sunni cleric Sheik Mohammed al-Ghreri, who has criticized the violence. Hili says the militias have come up with a particularly cruel way to inflict pain: sealing victims' anuses with glue, then force-feeding them laxatives. Hili says he has spoken to several victims who survived the ordeal
Netherlands
* According to an "offender study" by the University of Amsterdam, there were 201 reports of anti-gay violence in that city in 2007 — and researchers believe for every reported case there are as many as 25 unreported ones. Two thirds of the predators are Muslim youths.
United Kingdom
* UK Muslims (in 2006) comprised just 2% of the population, but committed 25% of all anti-Homosexual crimes
* Around 5,000 children at Islamic weekend schools are being taught homophobic and anti-semitic views, it has been claimed.
According to a BBC Panorama investigation to be screened tonight, the Sharia law classes use textbooks which tell children that the penalty for gay sex is execution, that "Zionists" are plotting to take over the world for the Jews and the correct way to cut off the hands and feet of convicted thieves.
Gay sex is punished by execution, the schools allegedly teach. However, children are told that clerics are said to differ in whether the guilty person should be stoned, thrown off a cliff or burnt.
This isn't just an issue in mostly Muslim countries either. The Guardian posted an article which states "However, when asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed that homosexuality should be legal in Britain, 18% said they agreed and 52% said they disagreed, compared with 5% among the public at large who disagreed. Almost half (47%) said they did not agree that it was acceptable for a gay person to become a teacher, compared with 14% of the general population." Though it must be noted that other elements of this article are more positive, that is still a frightening statistic.
My Thoughts
Now that we've looked at some statistics and examples, I want to say what I make of them.
First, I must make it clear that I am very much against thought policing. I have no problem with people hating gays, or even voicing that they hate gays. The concept of "hate speech" and the enforcement of laws against it are frightening tools of fascism, and damaging to freedom of speech. I accept, and encourage private businesses and organizations to disallow me on the basis of my sexual orientation if their beliefs are in conflict with it, or for any other reason they see fit. That is simply personal freedom in a free market.
However I draw the line in two places.
The first, being denied access to public services and rights. Though private business can do what it will, the government is a different story. The right to marriage, privacy, property, free speech, and all other concepts that nobody has ownership of, should be a right for everyone, regardless of colour, creed, orientation, or anything else. The second place? When others beliefs actively endanger me. It's all well and good if a baker decides not to make me a cake because of my orientation, but if he beats or kills me for the same reason (or any reason) that is utterly unacceptable.
That is where my concern about Islam arises. The Quran has no new testament, no promise that Mohammed will return, no reason to change. I believe that Westboro Baptist are the truest Christians, and in the same breathe, Muslim extremists the truest Muslims. These people refuse to adapt to the times, and follow their books, and it's aggressive teachings, as well as they can.
In the middle east, barbaric Sharia law is alive and well, and with the new refugee crisis, it's seeping into Europe, and slowly, into North America as well.
We see this in events like the Orlando shooting, and it brings looming fear to LGBT people all over the world. Suddenly nowhere is safe for us, we've regressed 100 years. Milo Yiannopoulos has come out in full support or giving guns to gays, because "armed queers don't get bashed". A sentiment I have a lot of (sometimes conflicting) feelings about, but can understand, and am slowly being forced to support. (You can visit the Pink Pistols website for some great information if that interests you).
Overall, the attempt to meld Middle Eastern and First World cultures will be a very difficult task, and leftist groups like those that support queers against Islamophobia are trying to oversimplify it massively. They insist criticism of Islam is racism, and try to silence anyone with concerns. But censorship doesn't solve problems, it lets them thrive. We need to admit the facts, collectively, and then learn what we need to do to make things work. The Middle East in general is a difficult subject to tackle, and requires a carefully engineered and nuanced solution. It's not just LGBT people who are suffering, it's the women and girls being raped, and the men being beaten. Ignoring this issue any longer is a death wish.
Islamophobia is not the issue, fear of Islam is reasonable, and until we treat it as such, and stop living in complete fear to criticize Islam, nothing will change. Not seeing our fear to do so as yet another symptom of their regressive culture, the fact we are all aware that criticism of Islam puts us in danger, is more denial of the problem. This needs to change. The Queers Against Islamophobia ought to recognize their part in the Orlando shooting, and every other modern Islamic crime.
Share This Article
