Author Topic: "Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District  (Read 163 times)

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"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« on: May 08, 2003, 09:30:26 PM »
Don't worry Tech......you are not alone.




http://www.blacklightonline.com/muslims.html


Gay Muslims Meet in London
Retreat Hailed a Success
by Raza Griffiths


"Allah hu Akbar," is perhaps a cry that has never before been uttered in Soho Square, the heart of London's Gay district. Yet this is exactly what surprised onlookers heard as a group of avowedly homosexual Muslims chorused aloud the line meaning, "God is great." They then hugged each other before departing for home. Some came from as far away as the United States and Canada.


The gathering was the final event of Britain's first-ever Gay Muslim Retreat at London University held during the last weekend in May. Organized by the Gay Muslim group Al Fatiha, the international event brought together eighty Muslims, their partners and friends, to examine religious and social identity issues of being Gay and Muslim.


The title of the Retreat, "Hold fast onto the rope of Allah," followed an earlier conference held in New York last year titled, "Creating a Community." Both emphasized the purpose of cultivating solidarity among homosexual Muslims, many of whom suffer marginalization and isolation difficult to imagine. Questioning the position of homophobic Muslim orthodoxy, participants discussed Gay-friendly reinterpretations of Koranic passages traditionally seen as condemning homosexuality, such as the story of the destruction of Sodom.


Faisal Alam, founder of Al Fatiha, suggested the town was not destroyed because of homosexuality per se, but because the men practiced male rape and broke ancient codes of hospitality. A Muslim religious dignitary present did not assent, although he did emphasize that Islam, unlike, say, Catholicism with the Pope, had no central authority which could claim its interpretation of scripture was definitive. "We live in a beautifully diverse world, where the flowers are of different colors," he said. "We have to respect this and agree to disagree."


The fact that he was even present at the Retreat is a significant step, since many Islamic religious leaders, are at the forefront of moves to oppose liberalization of homophobic laws in Britain and view the very idea of homosexual Muslims as a contradiction in terms. In early May Sheikh Sharkawy, a Muslim imam at the Regent's Park mosque in London, held a slide show featuring a Lesbian with a strap on leather dildo to stress the supposed dangers of homosexuality for the benefit of Baroness Young and other assembled dignitaries. The presenter of the slide show, Dr. Adel Abbas, claimed to be a consultant microbiologist and even called for AIDS funding to be slashed to help "innocent" heterosexuals instead.


One session which clearly aroused strong emotions at the Retreat centered on peoples' experiences of relating to their families and communities as Gay. While Muslim men certainly experienced difficulties, they could often get away with Gay liaisons as long as they were discreet and finally fulfilled social appearances by getting married to the opposite sex.


While some Lesbians, such as twenty-seven year old DJ and club promoter Betty Shabazz, had managed to conduct their lives as out Lesbians, others, born into severely patriarchal structures, the situation was worse. Not allowed to leave the family space at all, they had nowhere to even begin exploring their sexuality. One woman in her twenties had a Gay brother but felt she could not come out to him because of his chauvinistic attitudes. Another woman burst into tears, fearing her family might even kill her if she came out.


Adnan, Al Fatiha coordinator for the UK, hailed the event a great success, thanking the university authorities and the Metropolitan Police for helping to ensure the Retreat went ahead despite threats from homophobic Muslim organization Al Muhajiroun. The group was planning to wreck the Retreat by beating loud drums and throwing eggs and bricks at the participants, according to an article in London-based Arab newspaper Al 'sharq al-awst.


For security reasons the Retreat venue was only revealed to people wishing to attend, and then only after having been screened by phone or in person. Not managing to discover the location of the Retreat, Al Muhajiroun instead staged a demonstration outside the British Broadcasting Company offices, protesting against alleged Islamophobic bias.


One of the happiest moments of the Retreat was the announcement by a British Lesbian Muslim couple of five years of their intention to get married next year. They requested Daayiee, an American Muslim who had performed the same ceremony for another couple in America, to arrange a Muslim marriage service, or nikah, for them also--to which he happily agreed. This led to thunderous applause, dancing and impromptu drumming, though without the throwing of eggs or bricks as recommended by Al Muhajiroun. :P :P :P
 

Trauma-san

Re:"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2003, 09:37:32 PM »




Organized by the Gay Muslim group Al Faggia,

 :o
 

Quakaveli

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Re:"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2003, 11:28:44 PM »
LMAO!!!  :D Theres GOTTA BE some Faghans there, Tech n Jamal will be REEEEAL welcome
 

DOC. da G.P.T...[METS][REX/MaB]

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Re:"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2003, 12:58:52 AM »
no comment....
MC Mass, rep.in' Great Persia and the T Dot Squad:

Docky
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till the day when skies turn black and red water covers the lake/
Great King Kourosh sleep well, cuz all of us IRANIANS are still awake/


 

Woodrow

Re:"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2003, 02:48:34 AM »
Would you like a bowl of soup? Of course not. See?
 

TheSheriff

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Re:"Allah Akbar".....The New Call of London's Gay District
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2003, 05:37:28 AM »
Cwalker, you fucking retard. Go fuck a duck.

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