Homophobia

‘Dr Naseem. Frankly, get a grip!’

Mohammed Naseem’s bigoted and offensive statements on homosexuality were reported shortly after it was announced that Peter Tatchell was to become a patron of Tell MAMA, whose other patrons include IMAAN, the LGBT Muslim support group.  Now Tell MAMA has issued a strong statement unequivocally condemning Naseem’s words. Here’s an extract:

The Huffington Post piece lists the following:

It was apparent that Lahore, the Muslim drag queen featured in the programme, “does not know his religion and has not got much links with it,” Naseem said.

“He would have, otherwise, known that it is prohibited in Islam. If he wants to persue [sic] his inclination then he is free to leave Islam and follow any ideology that suits him,” Naseem continued.

Who exactly made you judge and jury on this matter Dr Naseem? This is the very kind of thinking that has led people to believe that Ahmaddiyas are not Muslims when they pray 5 times a day and where Islam drives them to do good for all communities in the UK. In fact, Ahmaddiyas and minority Muslim communities have done more for the image of Muslims and Islam, then we have seen from other Muslim groups.

Islam was never meant to be brittle and to create people to conform so that they are all the same. If the strength in Islam is its diversity and plurality, which many Muslims say, then you assuming that we should all sexually be the same is just bizarre.

You can read the whole post here.