By: Keisha John and Nazirah Sapiah
Will the Religious LGBTQ Muslims ever be fully accepted in Singapore?
People from all walks of life face violence, discrimination, and sometimes even inequality at some point in their life - there can be many reasons for it. It can be because of how they look, dress, sexual orientation, religions, belief, and the list goes on.
Unfortunately, homosexuality and homophobia are still considered the main issue in many countries and Singapore is no exception. When talking about issues of homosexuality, many often use the term ‘LGBTQ’ which stands for (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer).
In Turkey, their secular laws mention how Turks from the LGBTQ community don’t exactly fit into their vision of an “ideal citizen”.
In 2014, a Muslim religious leader, Ustaz Noor Deros initiated a Wear White Campaign in Singapore, on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. The campaign was initiated to convince or ask his fellow Muslims to “return to their natural disposition - Fitrah.”
All Muslims throughout Singapore were encouraged to wear white when attending their first prayer on 28 June, to show their support against homosexuality. The campaign organisers felt that the date chosen to initiate the Pink Dot event was deemed as disrespectful towards Islam and the Muslim Community.
Two years later, members of the Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC) and the LoveSingapore network of churches attended the Wear White Campaign, to show their support and opposition towards homosexuality and the Pink Dot event.
In an article by Today, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) mentioned that it was against the promotion of LGBTQ lifestyle. But, that “support and help” should be given to those Muslims who lead that lifestyle or have drifted to that path.
In Singapore, many have heard stories of how this group of people are being perceived or treated by their own religion. However, it is peculiar that LGBTQ people, especially in the Muslim community are least being brought up in this conversation. Why is that so?
Attitudes that the Muslim Community have towards Homosexuality
There have been a lot of debates and discussions on whether one can be a Muslim even though he or she is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And surprisingly, there are gay and lesbian Muslims out there.
However, the majority of Muslims claimed that being gay and Muslim is mutually exclusive. It’s like a choice. A person can’t be both, only one or the other and that homosexuality is prohibited in Islam.
At times, you may hear families or friends saying things like “It’s considered Haram”, “You’ve committed a sin”, or “You are going to hell for being gay or lesbian.” But is it true? Does Islam strongly reject and oppose people of the LGBTQ community?
There are many different groups from the community that opine their thoughts with regards to this matter so let’s take a look.
The LGBTQ within the Muslim Community
While we approached many Islamic organizations, institutions and religious leaders to give a remark on the issue, it is also worth noting that many have rejected being interviewed or even talking about it. We did however manage to find two locally certified Asatizah to talk about this issue without fear of having backlash from their own Muslim and Asatizah Community.
Muhammad Ashraf Anwar, also known as Ustaz Ashraf, shared his views on the issues that surround the LGBTQ group within the Muslim Community.
Ustaz Ashraf is a former graduate from Islamic Theology, Islamic Propagation & Culture in Al-Azhar University, as well as in Islamic & Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo. He willingly volunteered to speak up and share his views about this issue. (PHOTO BY: NUR NAZIRAH BINTE SAPIAH)
Together with Ustaz Ashraf, Ustazah Lina Sakina Binte Salim stepped in to give her opinions and thoughts as well.
Ustazah Lina Sakina Binte Salim, a former graduate from International Islamic University Malaysia, also shared her views on this issue. Both went to a local madrasah for twelve years and continued their graduate studies overseas. (PHOTO BY: NUR NAZIRAH BINTE SAPIAH)
Both are certified under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) and are currently completing their Masters in the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
MUIS formed The Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) consisting of qualified Islamic teachers and educators (Asatizahs), to teach and educate Muslims on Islamic religious knowledge. (PHOTO BY: KEISHA JOHN NATHAN)
When asked about their opinions towards the LGBTQ community, this is what they have to say.
“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are multiple views and scholastic opinions, sentiments and arguments regarding this issue nationally or internationally, and each opinion does not devalue the other opinions. All scholastic opinions from Imams, Sheikhs and Scholars hold the same value of weight for consideration,” said Ustaz Ashraf.
‘Ikhtilaful Ara’ yadullu ala Husubatil Fikri’ which also means: differing views and opinions (from scholars); is indeed a manifestation of how fertile one intellectual is.
Henceforth, we don't disrespect the differing opinions just because it isn’t a public norm or popularly accepted by members of the public. But the public or community’s sentiment may totally differ. Amongst the contributing factors might be that they personally might not fully understand or even comprehend the basis of their conclusion which have been usually associated with the popular story of the Prophet Lut,” he added.
When it comes to issues related to LGBTQ, immediately many Muslims would make a reference to the story of Prophet Lut and the people of Sodom, and how both the people and city were being punished and destroyed for engaging in homosexual acts.
However, if they were to dive deeper into the story, the issue of the destruction was not simply because of the LGBTQ or the homosexual act itself. But it was due to many contributing factors – Social degradation, public nuisance, transgression and above all, coercion and imposition of the act itself to members of the public, as featured and explained in the Quran.
“…… let me just say and put it clearly, we live in a globalized and interconnected world of technology and information, we do indeed have Muslim gay/lesbian friends. I personally do indeed have Muslim gay friends. And Ustazah Lina has lesbian or gay friends, we do. We watch movies with them, we talk to them, we discuss with them, and even eat with them, we do not treat them differently just because of their sexual orientations,” he continued.
“They remain to have the same dignity and sanctity of life just like all straight individuals and couples do. So why don't we begin with that? Establish their sanctity of life first, as a human being and then we can begin with talking and engaging with them. Why are we afraid of talking about this issue when this issue is literally in front of us?. To ignore even discussing with them is to ignore the very fact that they exist and are part of our community”, he further stated.
“We do have the Muslim LGBTQ+ community in Singapore. It is indeed a fact…. And often we tend to focus more on “Why are they lesbian?” or “Why are they gay?”. Instead, why don’t we focus on, “Why, despite all of their struggles and contentions notions of their sexuality, do they still believe in God, do they still have the interest to pray and to contribute to the Muslim community?”, and indeed I do have friends who are Muslim gays and sometimes they are surprisingly way more ‘Religious and religiously-informed’ than me! They are excited to go to the mosque and want to be part of the Muslim community. Thus, we simply cannot ignore their existence as part of a larger community in Singapore,” he added.
It's difficult for religious LGBTQ Muslims to step inside a mosque to pray because of the worry of getting shunned or even kicked out. This makes it hard for them to practice Islam openly. (PHOTO BY: KEISHA JOHN NATHAN)
He shared that as a fellow Muslim, one should treat them with dignity and respect. He strongly believes that one can learn from Islamic History and how the prophet treated his community.
There is no one voice in Islam
According to Ustazah Lina, there is no one voice in Islam. Although Islam is a religion where it is centred on the teachings of The Prophet, there's actually a lot of opinions and ambiguities because the text is itself being interpreted differently and in various contexts. Different contexts, different situations.
“The traditional understanding of the LGBTQ community is that it's quite ambiguous because, in the Quran, it's not mentioned explicitly apart from anal sex between men. There's not even a homosexual term in the Quran itself. So that’s why the opinions that most people have, is actually depending on what the previous scholars have said. It's not literally from the Quran, or from the Hadith itself, but it is the interpretation of the scholars,” said Ustazah Lina.
There are different ranges of interpretation. Firstly, it is entirely prohibited in Islam. Any non-heterosexual relationship is prohibited in Islam due to the fact that God has created male and female, and the relationship should be heterosexual only. Secondly, due to Fitrah. This is because any form of homosexual relationships does not produce any offspring, and many believed that one of the major reason for sexual intercourse itself is for procreation.
Although the story of the Prophet Lut (Lot) and the people of the Sodom and Gomorrah doesn't mention anything about sexual relationships between both women or a transgender, they tend to merge them together and assume that it is wrong.
“I am of a different opinion compared to other Muslims because I feel that the traditional understanding is quite rigid. It doesn't really explain a lot, but people generalize it all together, I guess, because, in the past, the issue was not really that prominent,” said Ustazah Lina.
“This is because it's about things which happened behind closed doors. In the past, people didn't go around sneaking and they don't have social media. So whatever happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors, unless they do it in public, which is not a normal thing then,” she added.
In the past, there have been a throughout history where juries tried their best not to hunt people down. There's no hunting of homosexual although, it is pretty much clear that it existed in royalties, where they tend to be engaged in this kind of activities. Even if it happens within the society, they don't witch-hunt it because to witch-hunt is also against Islam, and that one should not transgress other people's private sphere.
Hence for Ustazah Lina, she feels that engaging in a homosexual relationship it is not entirely prohibited, but what is prohibited is actually transgression.
“If you look into the story of the people of Lot, it is not just about homosexuality, but it is about their behaviour, their wickedness to actually coerce homosexual acts towards the people. And the fact that they are also married, but yet they lust over men. I believe that it is not just about homosexuality per se, but it is more than that. That is why they were destroyed and punished severely.” said Ustazah Lina.
She believes that the LGBTQ community has a place in Islam and that they have the right to practice and become a Muslim. In addition to that, she feels that it is something that comes from within, or rather they are born with it.
Homosexuality in Islam
Being anything other than heterosexual does not mean one is committing a sin. Similarly, to eating and drinking, it provides pleasure to the body. But how one uses it against themselves, or others will determine whether it is a sin or not.
“Sex in general, if it is used in the extreme sense against or towards people, it becomes abuse, and therefore it becomes sinful,” said Ustazah Lina.
“When it comes to the LGBTQ community, you have to first look at it in a certain manner. For instance, there's first intimacy, followed by inclination. There's an inclination towards liking or having desire towards the same gender and then acting upon it. And not just acting upon it, but maybe to a more extreme case where you force people, or where you do it in a way that is very lustful, and that is very negative,” she added.
She sees nothing wrong in being attracted towards the same gender because God created them in that way and therefore, it shouldn’t be a sin because it is naturally part of them and it’s just something that they feel.
Majority of Muslim scholars and religious leaders say that if one acts upon a homosexual act, it becomes sinful. In Islam, sex itself is seen as a sacred intimate activity between two consenting adults within the confinement of marriage only. Therefore, there is a lot of debate since gay marriage is not legalised in Singapore.
“For the LGBTQ community, it becomes a bit harder because not only do they have these sorts of sexual desires, but they can’t get married as well. They cannot have that relationship to be actualized and therefore, they can't make it Halal. Thus, it becomes haram throughout their life,” she further stated.
Nevertheless, she feels that having an inclination is not a sin but to act upon it, she is not yet convinced that it is not entirely sinful, so she still holds on to this traditional opinion.
Islam is never just about action. Islam is about sincerity and intention.
As Ustaz Ashraf mentioned, everything has to start with dialogue. If we want to see change and an equal society, there is a need to have listening ears and open hearts. (PHOTO BY: KEISHA JOHN NATHAN)
Ustaz Ashraf also holds a traditional opinion. He mentioned, “There are a variety of views and opinions in which the majority of the Scholars opined that it’s indeed a sin. But then again, I refer back to my earlier point, why are we constantly asking and scrutinizing about the act itself? Or not the fact that despite all of their contentions within, they remain to be a believer and willing to contribute as members of the community”
There are two types of committing a sin, while both are indeed a sin, one that was committed in closed doors holds a lesser weight that one committing in public without any ‘istihya’, shy or feeling of embarrassment. Whether it is a homosexual act or any forms of action, both hold some distinction.
“There are clear distinctions between these two acts. One, there's no feeling of remorse while on the other hand there is a feeling of remorse, embarrassment, afraid and shy. And It is indeed between him/her and his maker”, he added.
He also emphasized that one should not focus and scrutinize only on their actions. Because Islam is never just about action. Islam is about sincerity and intention and one, should believe from his heart; beyond the exoteric aspect of physicality, which too often that the community have been simply focusing on ‘actions without a soul’ of intention and sincerity.
“Nobody should be shunned off from connecting with God. Nobody. It's simple as that, regardless of who they are, regardless of what troubles they’re facing. Do not stop any individuals from connecting with God, and I think that is indeed the most important thing that members of the community ought to establish before ‘harbouring’ any forms of animosity or hatred. Every single human being should be treated respectfully with dignity and sanctity of life,” he continued.
He added that a fellow Muslim should not prevent another fellow Muslim from connecting with his or her god. He also further stated that one should not feel shy engaging with the LGBTQ community, or talking about the LGBT community. Do not just focus on the act, but focus on their intention with an open mind.
To add on, Ustazah Lina also mentioned that both she and Ustaz Ashraf can’t provide a clear answer to these issues because it’s not clear and there are differences of opinion. Therefore, to answer these sorts of issues, experiences from the LGBTQ Muslims themselves really help to address some of the issues they faced.
“I guess the reason why our community is still not okay with even having a dialogue with them, is because of this. We are still stuck with this question of whether “Is it sinful or not?” or “You're going to hell; you're not going to hell”. We are not seeing them as human beings, but rather we are seeing them as sinners, as if we are not sinners ourselves,” she added.
However, Ustazah Lina and Ustaz Ashraf are extremely open with the fact that what people do in their private time. It’s indeed their business and ultimately, it is between them and God to decide, regardless of what the law says. Immoral or Moral in the eyes of God. ‘Legal’ or ‘Illegal’ within the confinement of a secular state. Moral and Immoral is not within the purview of a secular state.
Starting a dialogue and creating change
Ustazah Lina and Ustaz Ashraf mentioned that what ought to be done is to engage in dialogue with the LGBTQ community. A dialogue between these two minority communities in Singapore, to understand the challenges they faced so that there can be an understanding that can be reached, with hopes that Muslim individuals from within the LGBTQ community can practice Islam in a safe and welcoming environment.
They both continued to opine, “The issue that is stopping this from happening is because we start with the idea that talking about sexuality is taboo and so is talking about sex in general or in any specific terms or contexts. When we think about the LGBTQ community it’s all about, oh, they're promiscuous beings, sleeping around with random people, AIDS, HIV, and all of this. So when one starts with such negative rhetoric, one could only expect a negative outcome and conclusion. In reality, a lot of these individuals are just normal people like us.”
“Who are we to deny their religiosity and their connection to God.”
Shifting the perception of the public towards the LGBTQ community is important. And that can only be achieved when we see them as human beings and not as people that we should shun.
It all starts with change, and even by starting a small dialogue, we can truly build a democratic society, based on justice and equality.
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