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In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, Most
Gracious

OP-ED: Silent Injustice: The Cries of LGBT
Muslims

The following is an OP-ED (opinion / editorial)
by Faisal Alam - mfaisalalam@...

July 18, 2001

Dear friends,

Growing up I remember being taught at a very
young age the meaning of justice and the the
responsibility and duty of every Muslim to fight
injustice no matter who it affected or where it
took place.

The Islamic notions of social justice and caring
for minorities, orphans, widows, and those that
are victimized are espoused by many verses in the
Quran as well as a multitude of Hadith (sayings)
by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). But
Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered, and Muslims of other sexual
minorities who do not identify as LGBT have
always been excluded from this pretext of
justice.

In the last 10 years dozens of rganizations
around the world that support LGBT people and
other sexual minorities from Islamic countries
have been created. The voices that have fought
for tolerance have always been loud but more than
10 years later we have yet to taste the juices of
true justice and equality.

Today, more than 50 men stood before a state
security court in Egypt charged with "exploiting
the Islamic religion, spreading extremist ideas,
sparking civil strife, and practicing debauchery
with men." They appeared in court handcuffed and
dressed in white. Several swore and screamed as
charges were read out, reciting verses from the
Quran to proclaim their innocence. The men were
arrested in late May during a police raid on a
night club in Cairo. Their case has sent
shockwaves through Egypt's gay community, with
most internet sites shut down out of fear of
recriminations.

Last month Al-Fatiha, an international
organization dedicated to Muslims who are
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and their
Friends received notice of an alleged fatwa where
the leaders of an extremist Islamic organization
called for the death of all LGBT Muslims as they
were considered "apostates."

Less than two weeks ago at a historical United
Nation's Summit on HIV/AIDS Islamic countries led
the fight for excluding the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission as an NGO present
at the proceedings. Less than 3 days into the
summit they then led a fierce campaign to exlude
mention in the final proclamation of the most
vulnerable social groups in society that are
pandemically affected by this epidemic (men who
have sex with men and commercial sex workers).

In the last 30 years while the struggles for
justice and equality have progressed in Western
countries, the majority of Islamic nations
continue to oppress and victimize LGBT people and
other sexual minorities. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

It is the responsibility of every Muslim to stand
up and speak out against injustice. The time to
stay silent has passed! We can no longer sit
idle and watch our sisters and brothers around
the Islamic world being tortured, arrested,
flogged, and even killed, simply because they are
sexual minorities within their societies. The
right to live freely as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgendered people in Islamic countries
(including Egypt) is not only a fundamental human
right but it is also a God-given Islamic right.

We must fight back! Our plan of action must be
strategic and we must work together with other
progressive and justice-seeking organizations to
further make the point that injustices are in
fact linked to one another. The struggles of
other oppressed groups including women and
religious minorities in Islamic countries is
connected to the oppression of sexual minorities
as well. But, whatever plan of action we choose,
the time to stay silent has passed. The late Dr.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,"

Today I urge all of you to take a stand against
violence, against oppression, and against the
denial of basic human rights. You can make a
difference as an individual in your own community
and in your own society, no matter what city or
country you live in. Our struggle for freedom
and liberation must begin at home and with
ourselves.

Write to your government representatives today
and speak out against institutionalized
homophobia. Join one of the many international
human rights organizations including Amnesty
International and the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission to support their
crucial and life-saving work. Join one of the
many LGBT organizations that are doing work
within the Arab and Muslim communities including
the Gay and Lesbian Arab Society and the
Al-Fatiha Foundation. Attend a meeting! Join a
demonstration! Sign your name onto a letter or
petition! Let your voices be heard TODAY!

Together we can fight for true justice and
equality. We have slowly tasted the juices of
justice and freedom. But we cannot gain peace
until we have been granted full access to our
lives to live in a free and open world, a world
that is free from injustice and oppression!

Yours in the struggle,

Faisal Alam


Short Bio of Faisal Alam:

Faisal Alam is a 24 y.o. queer-identified Muslim
of Pakistani descent. He is the founder and
director of Al-Fatiha, an international
organization dedicated to LGBTQ Muslims &
Friends. Faisal has been involved in LGBT youth
organizing, faith-based work, and in HIV/AIDS
outreach and education, for more than 5 years.


--------------------------------------------------

WALLS OF HATE..
[ In memory of The Queen Boat detainees ]

[anonymous]

I saw him pleading from the ground,
Camera ready in my hand,
Pity my hands limp, his hands bound.
Pityless the soldiers' kicks but
My camera uttered not a sound

An officer alert but polite
Reassured with practised charm
"No problem here, Sir. Good Night."
I return to my hotel bed.
Forget the uncomfortable sight.


Forget how he danced with grace,
Joked with other boys.
No fear then apparent on his face
But already the prey pursued was
Doomed to loose this race.

By then it was already late
His feminine elegance caught on film.
Artistry which sealed his fate.
His young heart immersed in love
Yet imprisoned by walls of hate.

[copyright - gayegypt.com]

--------------------------------------------------

=====
M. Faisal Alam --- E-mail: mfaisalalam@...

"We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny...An inescapable
network of mutuality...I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed
to be what you ought to be." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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