User:NoahScafati/sandbox

In September of 2019, a group of Muslims known as Imaan who identify and support LGBTQ+ members of Islam religion attempted to crowdfund £5,000 to host a festival for LGBTQ+ Muslims. Since homosexuality is against the law in some Middle Eastern countries, Imaan is taking a large stance against these laws and is attempting to change the way Middle Eastern countries look at LGBTQ+ individuals. Many LGBTQ+ Muslims are forced to choose between their sexuality and their religion, often forcing individuals to not express who they truly are.

During March of 2019, British Muslim parents began protesting Parkfield Community School, a town where more than a third of the children are Muslim, due to the school’s implementation of a “No Outsiders” sex-education program. The aim of this program was to provide students with lessons on same-sex relationships. The protest led to the school backing down by no longer following through with the “No Outsider” program. Regardless of this, the school’s minister emphasized that the school tries express equality.

According to the Albert Kennedy Trust, one in four young homeless people identify as LGBT due to their religious parents disowning them. The Trust suggests that the majority of individuals who are homeless due to religious out casting are either Christian or Muslim. Many young adults who come out to their parents are often forced out of the house to find refuge in a more accepting place. This leads many individual to be homeless – or worse – attempt suicide.

The mosque offers aims to eliminate gender segregation by removing a dress code for women. While it was the only mosques of its kind when it first opened, more communities and mosques have become more accepting of LGBT members. El-Farouk Khaki has been quoted as saying “more and more groups, communities and mosques that celebrate and embrace inclusion and diversity are forming”.

Imam Daayiee Abdullah, one of America’s first openly gay Imam’s, argues that the existing view towards homosexuality among Muslims is based on tradition, not an interpretation of scriptures. In 2011, Abdullah created an LGBTQ+ mosques, known as the Light of Reform Mosque, to provide members of the LGBTQ+ community with marriage ceremonies. Abdullah opened the Mecca Institute in an attempt to open at least 50 LGBTQ+ friendly mosques by 2030.

Despite having shown prior negative views towards homosexually, the Trump administration announced in February of 2019 that it will push for decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide. Homonationalists insist that this change of ideology is heavily influenced by Trump’s attempt to limit immigrants into the United States. It has been seen that when Western developed countries try to push their views of LGBTQ+ individuals onto more conservative and less-developed countries, there is a great deal of backlash from the respective countries.

Due to Brunei’s law dictating that gay sex be punishable by stoning, many lesbian citizens fled to Canada in hopes of finding refuge. The law is also set to impose the same punishment for adultery among heterosexual couples. Despite pushback from citizens in the LGBTQ+ community, Brunei prime minister's office produced a statement explaining Brunei’s intention for carrying through with the law. It has been suggested that this is part of a plan to separate Brunei from the western world and towards a Muslim one.

In February of 2019, the government of Indonesia – a country with a majority Muslim population – threatened to ban Instragram due to an account that was posting “Gay Muslim” comics. @Alpantuni was a profile that posted comics that tackled gay-identity and religious bigotry to connect with members of the LGBT community. Although Instagram refused to remove the account as it would violate its own terms and conditions, the account is currently unavailable.

Although it prohibits homosexuality, Iran is the only Muslim country in the Persian Gulf region that allows transgenders to express themselves by recognizing their identified gender and subsidizing transgender surgery. Although this is the case, transgender individuals who do not commit to reassignment surgery are often outcasted as result of their “disorder”.

·     Omar Sharif Jr. – Grandson of the Lawrence of Arabia star

·     Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed – Founded the first inclusion center in Europe in 2012

·     Samra Habib – Queer Muslim photographer