Essay: Muslim-Americans and LGBTQ Acceptance: 57% Believe There Is More Than One Way to Interpret Islam



Within the United States of America, Muslim-Americans account for 3.45 million of the population. According to a 2017 study, 52% of Muslim-Americans are accepting of homosexuality, in comparison to only 34% of white evangelical Christian Protestants (Kuruvilla). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) people have always struggled with their identities and faith. While Muslim-Americans are accepting of the American LGBTQ community, they struggle to accept the inclusion of Muslim LGBTQ members. Muslim-Americans and LGBTQ members are both marginalized groups. Muslim-Americans apart of the LGBTQ community should not be shunned or have an ultimatum in being forced to choose between who they love or what they believe in. The Muslim-American community needs to engage in dialogue around LGBTQ equality, take courageous stands against old traditions and cultures, and ultimately allow LGBTQ Muslim-Americans to live fully in their faith and sexual or gender identity.

LGBTQ Muslims who want to respect and honor their family and cultural traditions may need to explain how LGBTQ people fulfll the many traditional roles valued in Islam. “I’ve taken it slow,” Sahib says. “I introduced them to ‘Modern Family’ and my mom loves it. It’s important for them to see that LGBTQ people are teachers, doctors, lawyers — just a part of society. It’s crucial to slowly introduce them to the truth of the whole community before coming out” (Coming)

While it may be difficult and not entirely possible for all LGBTQ Muslim-Americans to be openly gay in their communities, it is possible to gain a stronger sense of self and to step away from the shame that sometimes comes with the act of “hiding in plain sight.” The rewards of reaching out and exploring these new ideas are enormous. They include the gift of spiritual renewal, the joyful celebration of yourself and, sometimes, the opportunity to transform the hearts and minds of those around you.

Creating a dialogue or conversation on the LGBTQ community will offer insights and suggestions that draw on a wide variety of Muslim voices. It is important to remember, though, that each spiritual journey is different, with its own challenges and rewards. Being mindful of spiritual, emotional and mental health. Muslim-Americans must choose the path that best suits your needs and that brings you safely home to become a part of this new day that is dawning.

Like many LGBTQ Muslims, their understanding of American gay culture involved bars, online dating sites and other aspects of gay life prominent in the media. But life in the United States now offers LGBTQ people a full array of choices, including religious observance, political activism, parenting, marriage, career-building and other opportunities for a ful lled and purposeful life. The freedom to fully participate in every aspect of society is sometimes limited by local attitudes and even laws, but LGBTQ people are becoming increasingly integrated into communities and spaces that once excluded them.  

One challenge unique to LGBTQ Muslims is the continuing presence of anti-Muslim bigotry across the United States and within the LGBTQ community itself. Having faced homophobic attitudes at home and at the mosque, LGBTQ Muslims often face similar frustrations created by stereotypes and prejudices about Muslims, which have increased signifcantly since 9/11. The result is that LGBTQ Muslims often feel unwelcome in LGBTQ communities that they hope will embrace them.

Many non-Muslims also fail to recognize that Islam provides a cultural identity as well as a religious one. Even LGBTQ advocates often don’t understand the real dangers of coming out within the Muslim community. As in other communities, those dangers can range from physical violence to familial rejection or isolation.

O people, We created you all from a male and female And made you into different communities and different tribes So that you should come to know one another Acknowledging that the most noble among you Is the one most aware of God. — Qur’an 49:13. Author Scott Kugle is at the forefront of the progressive interpretation of sacred Muslim texts, with a particular emphasis on sexuality. His books, such as the scholarly Homosexuality in Islam and the more personal Living Out Islam, lay the groundwork for a reading of the Qur’an that focuses on its inclusive and accepting passages. Other discussions of gender are taking place in Muslim spaces, as in the work of Amanullah De Sondy and his recent book, The Crisis of Islamic Masculinities.  

With this text as his foundation, Kugle argues that humanity’s differences are its strength, and that no group should be raised above another. He explains, “Progressive Muslims extend [the verses’] implied meaning beyond its explicit wording, to condemn also male sexism, gender injustice and social stigmatizing of homosexuals.” Most Muslim Americans, 57%, say there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of Islam.

While alternatives have become available, many LGBTQ Muslims continue to embrace the traditional communities that have shaped their lives since birth. Many Muslims believe Islam, is not incompatible with an LGBTQ identity. Even if you are gay or lesbian, you are not less loved by God, and you are not inherently unwelcome in the mosque.

Regarding LGBTQ Muslims in mosques, there’s often a don’t ask, don’t tell approach. It can be harmful to feel that you are being silently pushed away but it also works for a lot of people who may not want to make that open expression. Many mosques and Muslim organizations are struggling with how to respond to changes in cultural attitudes. “They’re not quite sure how to proceed, they can’t accept [homosexuality] within the fold of Islam but they are not dismissing those individuals who are LGBT” (De Sondy).

LGBTQ Muslims who attend colleges and universities often discover campuses to be an ideal setting for the process of reconciling faith with identity. Undergraduates are often already in the process of exploring their identities in an environment that is typically more inclusive than their homes or communities. In addition, chaplains are likely to be trained in creating communities that are safe and welcoming, and doing so in a culturally and racially diverse setting.

At the University of Chicago, Rachel Heath, a spiritual life coordinator, has learned  rsthand the power of gathering a small community of people facing similar challenges. “We have an amazing opportunity,” Heath says. “For students, it’s a time of critical inquiry. They’re asking questions about themselves and about the world. It’s a special time in their lives, and we try to provide resources that simply weren’t available until recently.”

Heath’s students also bene t from vast new resources beyond the college campus. “Thank goodness for the Internet,” she says. “There are books now that can be ordered or checked out. There are virtual resources that are available online. That doesn’t lessen the need for community in someone’s particular location, but for people without community it can be a huge help to contact Imam Daayiee, there’s more knowledge, more understanding and less self-hate.”

While many LGBTQ Muslims hope to integrate their lives with mainstream Muslim communities, there are an increasing number of alternatives.  

At the traditional mosque, there’s a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ mentality. Everyone has secrets that they put away when they come through the door. For LGBTQ people, that experience can be very traumatic. In contrast, Unity Mosques feature services that are often led by women and LGBTQ Muslims. Their message is one of inclusion, that all people are part of God’s creation.

“There is no ‘one size  ts all’ in Islam,” says Daayiee Abdullah, an openly gay imam, lawyer, counselor and the leader of the Washington, D.C., Unity Mosque. “How you approach this issue depends on your home life, the culture you come from, your age, when your parents arrived in the United States, your level of education and your parents’ level of education.”

Even the idea that younger generations are more open to change is not set in stone. “Very often the grandchildren are more conservative, especially if they live in a more isolated community,” point out Imam Daayiee. “They’re trying to return to a culture that they feel their parents lost touch with.” Such numerous variables create endless combinations of challenge and triumph, joy and sorrow. Imam Daayiee, though, remains hopeful that an accepting Islam is within reach. For him, the widening acceptance of same-sex marriage has a profound effect on the Muslim experience. “These legislative achievements,” he says, “are an illustration of acceptance. They’re the experience of acceptance.”

As one can see, Muslim-Americans have become more progressive throughout the years in regards to the LGBTQ community. Although there is present disdain for LGBTQ Muslim-Americans, there are also ways they are seeking to fight the common ignorance. Many LGBTQ members are finding ways to create conversations and start dialogues in terms of LGBT community.