By Vincent D. Scebbi
Homosexual, bisexual, lesbian and transgender Muslims choose to live their lives invisible from the world according to the founder of Al-Fatiha, an LGBT Muslim support group.
Faisal Alam, founder of Al-Fatiha, gave a presentation about LGBT Muslims and shared his perspective on homosexuality in the Islamic religion with UT students yesterday in the Student Union Building Ingman Room.
According to Alam, most of the Muslim community calls homosexuality an act punishable by death.
“LGBT Muslims are afraid of being disowned from their families and mosques,” he said.
Spectrum President Bradley McDermitt, a senior double majoring in biology and women’s and gender studies, said the Office of LGBT Initiatives brought Alam to UT because they wanted someone who could relate to the LGBT population as well as the Muslim community.
In a video shown in Alam’s presentation, a leader of the Muslim faith said the Koran specifies homosexuals should be executed by means of stoning.
Alam said he believes that the Koran does not forbid the love between two men.
Some students disagree with Alam’s interpretation.
Usman Awsari, a third-year law student who practices the Islamic faith and is of Pakistani decent, believes people should not have to reinterpret something to support their lifestyle.
“A person’s actions are between you and God,” Awsari said.
Mohamed Abushaban, a senior majoring in public health, said he was able to see both sides of the argument, but he believes there is a difference between a person’s thoughts and actions.
“Actions are based on what is accepted and your thoughts are based on your perception,” he said.
Abushaban said thinking of homosexual acts is OK, but acting upon them is straying from the religious path.
“Why would God give me feelings [if] I’m not allowed to act upon them,” Alam said while defending his beliefs.
Alam said the Islamic faith should be able to find a compromise for homosexuality.
When Alam got to college he said he “exploded out of the closet” and was involved in the club scene, which eventually led him to live his homosexual life separate from his life in the Muslim community.
After a nervous breakdown, Alam said he decided to bring his two lives together but felt he was the only gay Muslim in the world.
Alam eventually started his own e-mail discussion board called “Gay-Muslims.” Alam said within minutes of his initial e-mail to almost a thousand Muslims from several countries there were members joining his group.
“Nobody sent an e-mail at first because they were afraid the e-mail would be traced back to them and they would be prosecuted for their homosexuality,” he said.
In October,1998, Alam organized a retreat for LGBT Muslims called Al-Fatiha. The first retreat hosted 40 people from six different countries, he said.
Alam quoted Indian pacifist Mahatma Gandhi by saying people should “be the change [they] want to see in the world.”
According to Alam, the quote means one must first envision the change, become the change and then finally one must live the change.
Alam said he hopes there will be more dialogue between those who are against LGBT rights and those who advocate for LGBT rights in the next five to 10 years, as well as an international movement of overturning the sodomy laws in Islamic countries, with help from the United Nations.
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