Tag: LGBTQ

Hue And Cry Over Pink Dot Event Shows Discrimination Exists

The letter writer Ho Lay Ping (“Don’t equate difference in opinion with discrimination”, June 20) said that because the Pink Dot event is allowed to continue, it shows that “discrimination does not exist”.

A minority community which faces no discrimination would not spark calls to have its event advertising material reported to the police on the basis of it being “divisive and polarising”.

The general tone of Facebook groups such as “We are against Pinkdot in Singapore” also makes the writer’s claim of tolerance and lack of discrimination nothing short of disingenuous.

Her comments that our government ministers may have religious affiliations and “that the majority of Singaporeans follow a religion” hint at laying out who has the authority of being the moral majority to steer our society.

Our pluralistic society comprises multiple ethnicities, creeds and religions, and protecting our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) minority community is not that great a stretch.

It is unhelpful to society if our reaction to something we find discomforting is to make police reports instead of having a reasonable and adult conversation.

We can be better than this.

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 1, 2017
Dear Muslim LGBTQ Brothers And Sisters…

Bismilaahirrahmaanirraheem…

Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.

Dear My Muslim LGBTQ Brothers and Sisters…

There’s something we need to confess to you. We, straight Muslims, do not hate you. In fact, we have never hated you. True, we may seem aggressive with our acts of eradicating LGBTQ from the society but it’s not because we hate you. You are our brothers and sisters and we love you for the sake of Allah SWT. We love you and we don’t want you to get punished for your act. We know we are no one to say that you’re going to Hellfire, but it’s already clear in the Qur’an when Allah SWT says:

“Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His apostle is the fire of Hell? Wherein they shall dwell. That is the supreme disgrace.” (al-Qur’an 9:63)

We love you so much, my dear brothers and sisters. Hell is not the place that you wanna be. It’s that last place that you wanna be. We give you reminders because we understand how much pain one will have to suffer in Hellfire. Again Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

“… fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” (al-Qur’an 2:24)

We know you feel the guilt. Keep feeling guilty, my brothers and sisters. Keep telling yourself that Allah SWT hates your action, cz you yourself know that it’s a sin. Don’t let anyone tell you that LGBTQ is acceptable in Islam. Know that you are better than those people who seem pious. Those “pious” people who are trying to re-interpret the Qur’an by saying that LGBTQ is acceptable in Islam, remember that it is just a deception of the devil. Know that these people can go up to kafir.

There’s a huge difference between a person who’s involved in LGBTQ but knows that it’s haram and a person who’s involved in LGBTQ but says it’s okay in Islam. The former, insyaAllah may Allah grant him Hidayah, but for the latter, it’s already clear in the Qur’an that whomever disregards any part of Allah’s commandments, he is a disbeliever.

“… And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the disbelievers.” (al-Qur’an 5:44)

Interpretation by Ibn Abbas, recorded in Tafsir At-tabari: Whomever does not judge by the commands of Allah and he is against it, then he is a disbeliever. However, if he does not judge by the commands of Allah, yet acknowledges it, then he is a zalim fasik.

However my dear brothers and sisters, you still need to keep improving yourself. You need to keep seeking the truth. Don’t stop putting in effort to search for Allah SWT’s pleasure.

Haven’t you heard of Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) community? His community was involved in homosexual acts. Wild sex was widespread. They didn’t want to listen to Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) warnings and reminders. The situation was so bad, he prayed to Allah SWT to destroy his community. What happened to them after that? Allah SWT answered Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) prayers by commanding an angel to “scoop” the land they’re staying high up in the air and turn the land upside down, and within seconds the whole community was destroyed.

Haven’t you heard about the People of Pompeii? The community was similar to that of Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him). They make a living from prostitution. Homosexuality was also widespread. It’s a city of sex. What happened to the community then? A nearby volcano erupted so violently, its lava destroyed the whole community yet Allah SWT preserved their body so perfectly so that we could learn from their mistakes. These are signs of Allah SWT’s anger.

So my dear brothers and sisters, how can homosexuality ever be acceptable in Islam?

Allah’s wisdom is so great that nothing can surpass it. We’re always talking about hijab. That’s why we even need to hijab when we’re in the same room with the same gender. Both men’s and women’s aurah when in front of the same gender are from the navel to the knees (knees included). We cannot be naked in front of anyone, except for your halal wife/husband. That’s the beauty of marriage. MasyaAllah. How much details Allah SWT has put into the rules and guidelines for us to live our daily lives and not even a single loophole in Islam.

Allah SWT even forbids us from cross-dressing. A lady can’t dress like a guy and a guy can’t dress like a lady. Even if a guy wears the headscarf just for sake of fun, it is haram. SubhanAllah. How strict our Lord is when it comes to this.

Again my homosexual brothers and sisters, we’re not against you. We will never humiliate you. Those who humiliate you are not one of us. We are here to give constant reminders to you. It may be hurtful going through the process of purification. No doubt, it will be very very hard to contain those urges and desires. But just think of your parents, if not for them, you’ll not see the world. You need both mother’s and father’s love and attention. You know both of them play very different roles. Can you imagine yourself being brought up by same sex parents? And knowing that you’re either adopted or your birth isn’t normal? Not knowing who’s your real parents or who your dad is? If you can’t imagine, then please spare the emotional torture from your future child(ren). Plus, you know how important breastfeeding is to newborn. How can you have the heart depriving a newborn of the best nutrition?

Allah is great. He wants to protect us. Have we not read of the statistic that proportionally, more homosexuals are infected by HIV than heterosexuals? Can’t you see how much Allah SWT, the One who created you, loves you? He knows you more than you know yourself. He forbids homosexuality as He knows how much detrimental effects it will bring to you, to the community.

It’s not too late, my dear brothers and sister. You may have a very dark past. You may feel that your sin is too big for Allah SWT to forgive. But know that the only sin that Allah SWT won’t forgive is syirk (associating partners to Allah SWT). Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

“Allah says: “O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. It is He Who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (al-Quran 39:53)

Remember that whenever you wanna repent and there’s something inside you saying that you’re not deserving of Allah’s forgiveness, that’s not your voice. That’s syaitan who’s whispering into your ears. You’re better than syaitan and iblis. Know that while you’re struggling to stop loving the same gender, there’s also a straight person who’s struggling not to be in a haram relationship.

I know this post may not change you, but my only hope is that for you to keep seeking the truth. My only advise is that to not miss any prayers. I remembered at one point of time how far I was from Allah SWT, but I keep telling myself that I should never miss any prayers. How difficult it was to find the time or place to pray, I still struggled hard to stop making excuses for myself. At that moment, I didn’t know what actions will make Allah SWT happy, but I knew the things that Allah SWT hated. So I tried my best to refrain from doing things that brought pleasure to me, but hatred to Allah SWT.

If you always club, drink, smoke, have promiscuous sex, or any sinful acts, avoid it one by one. No one is asking you to change drastically. For drastic change will bear drastic impact. If you can handle the drastic impact, then Alhamdulillah for you. If not, then do it one at a time. What’s most important is that you have the intention to change, only for the One. Keep making do’a to the Lord of the universe. Know that if He can control the entire universe, controlling your heart is just a small matter. Just ask for it. He doesn’t need you to survive, you need Him to survive.

Life is just a challenge. Everyone has their own challenges. If you think your challenge is the biggest, know that there’s someone else in this world who’s struggling to live; no food, no place to sleep, no parents, don’t know if tomorrow a bullet gonna pierce through his/her head.

You can be the happiest person. You don’t need a human’s love to make you feel complete. All you need is Allah SWT’s and Rasulullah SAW’s love. To have your halal spouse to love you, is a bonus. You choose your own happiness.

“A happy person once said: “The beautiful day is the day on which we have control of our affairs and our affairs do not control us. It is the day on which we control our desires and we are not controlled by them like slaves.”” (extracted from the book ‘You Can Be The Happiest Women In The World’)

Last not but not least, be friends with those who love Allah SWT. Be in the environment that gives you the positive vibe. Know that if someone loves Allah SWT, it doesn’t only come from the heart. If someone truly and sincerely loves Him, from the heart it will automatically show through from one’s appearance and actions. Be with those who truly and sincerely love Him.

How contradictory and hurtful it may sound, but know that those who support your sinful acts are actually the one who don’t love you. Those who stop and acknowledge you are the ones who truly love you. Life is temporary and we don’t want you to live “happily” only for a short period of time. We want you to be happy forever, now and till the Hereafter. InsyaAllah.

May Allah SWT guide us always and never make us go astray.

WallahuAlam.

Source: https://nurashikinsalim.wordpress.com

June 13, 2015
The ‘Fundamentalists’ and the ‘Progressives’

Of late, the Muslim ‘Progressives’ in Singapore have been more vocal and assertive; and I welcome this. Previously, they worked behind the scenes and used to detest being labeled as ‘liberal Muslims’ and the like. It is high time they ‘came out of the closet’ and clearly spell out their beliefs and agenda, so that the Muslim community can assess them properly.

(note: we must exercise caution in using the ‘liberal’ or ‘progressive’ label against Muslims we disagree with. I am just appropriating the term that some of them have preferred to use to describe themselves).So the narrative being espoused now is that there are some ‘fundamentalists’ within the Muslim community, and, in my opinion quite humourously, they look to the state to ensure that these ‘fundamentalists’ do not threaten the ‘secular’ nature of the state. The #wearwhite campaign is the ‘poster boy’ for what they would term as rising Islamic religious assertiveness.

Firstly let us not obfuscate the facts: the #wearwhite campaign was a call for the Muslim community, to return to fitrah, or the state of purity. It was a peaceful campaign, done in the spirit of compassion and love, and intended to include and not alienate any Muslim, however far from the faith they may be. The campaign was not motivated by events in neighbouring countries, it was not meant to interfere in the political or public policy realm, it was not meant to discriminate against anyone: it was a call to return to purity, i reiterate. This is quite a simple point that i think has either been genuinely misunderstood or adroitly manipulated by the ‘progressive Muslims’. Does not matter; i hope this clarifies it.

Rather than get into a definitional debate about the problematic terms (‘fundamentalist’, ‘progressive’ etc) that have been thrown about recklessly in mainstream and social media, i have a few questions for these self-proclaimed Muslim progressives.

1) What is your agenda or end-goal? Please spell it out properly.

2) What is your position on issues such as homosexual acts and the hijab in Islamic jurisprudence? Please be straightforward and do not skirt the issue. Your positions seem to be ever-changing on these, so it would help to clarify.

3) Do you believe that anyone can interpret the Quran, even those whose knowledge of the Arabic language can fit comfortably at the back of a stamp?

4) What other laws/legal rulings do you seek to ‘reinterpret’?

5) Do you accept the authority of the ulama’, local and foreign ones? If so to what extent? If not why and whose authority then do you accept? Who are the ulama’?

6) What do you guys believe is the position of ‘rationality’ in Islam? Are there limits to rationality? If so where?

7) I constantly hear you guys singing the tune ‘oh we do not reject the Quran, we just reject the interpretations of classical scholars that are not relevant.’

What is the arbiter/criterion by which you judge what is relevant or not?

8 ) What is your methodology in ‘re-interpreting’ the Quran?

9) What is your methodology for accepting or rejecting the hadiths of the Prophet, if you accept them at all?

10) Do you accept that as Muslims, we have to worship Allah the way He wants us to, and not the way we want to?

These are just some of the questions that i believe should be answered, in order for the community to truly assess the ‘progressives’. Be open about your agenda and aspirations, and let the community decide whether they are worth the community’s time and efforts.

And the answers to these questions are also needed if a genuine dialogue is to be started, and to avoid hollow calls for discussion.

Authored by Walid J. Abdullah

READ Ex-MUIS Staff Say SG Muslim Fundamentalists Felt Threatened By LGBT

READ related Articles on PinkDot, LGBT & Islam Here

Read on Liberal Islam/Progressive Muslims Here

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July 2, 2014
AWARE, Liberal Islam, The Reading Group Organise Talk During Ramadhan

http://www.aware.org.sg/

http://www.thereadinggroup.sg/main.htm

AWARE is organising a 3-Part Ramadan talk on Gender in Islam, and first session is on 4 July.

AWARE will be holding a series of presentations and discussions about the works of prominent Islamic scholars and their views on gender in Islam.

Dr Azhar Ibrahim Alwee, NUS and member of The Reading Group

Session 1: Malay Ideas on Women by Dr Azhar Ibrahim (Senior Visiting Fellow, NUS)

Throughout Malay intellectual history, there were several strands of thinking pertaining to gender and women’s role within the socio-cultural, political and religious spheres of the Malays. This presentation will highlight some of these thinking through early proponents of the modern era, such as Syed Sheikh al-Hadi, to later thinkers such as Hamka, Khadijah Sidek and the prominent Muslim feminist group, Sisters in Islam.

Friday, 4 July 2014
AWARE Centre
6.30pm to 9.30pm
Register for Session 1 here!

Assoc Prof Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, NUS & member of The Reading Group

Session 2: Muslim Personal Law and Citizens’ Rights: The Case of Singapore
by A/P Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman (Head, Dept of Malay Studies, NUS)

Prevailing discourse on multiculturalism tend to focus on its merits in protecting the cultures and traditions of minority groups within the framework of the politics of accommodation. Less discussed are its implications on the rights and autonomy of members of the groups themselves who may be adversely affected by the arrangement. This presentation will focus on the problems arising from autonomy granted to the Muslim community of Singapore to determine its personal law, on some segments of the community, particularly in the arena of the Muslim law on marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Friday, 11 July 2014
AWARE Centre
6.30pm to 9.30pm
Register for Session 2 here!

Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib is a social activist with The Reading Group, Singapore.

Session 3: Challenging Patriarchy: Early Reformist Responses
by Mohamed Imran (Associate Research Fellow, NTU)

Feminism and the struggle against patriarchy is not a new phenomenon in Muslim society. This presentation will trace some of the early ideas on feminism to the Egyptian context of Islamic reform in the late 19th and early 20th century. In particular, the ideas of seminal figures such as Rifa’ah al-Tahtawi, Muhammad ‘Abduh and Qasim Amin will be discussed.

Friday, 18 July 2014
AWARE Centre
6.30pm to 9.30pm
Register for Session 3 here!

Individual price: $8 for 1 person/session
Pair price: $14 for 2 persons/session
Price includes cost of catered food.
Prayer space is provided.

Source: http://www.aware.org.sg/2014/06/ramadan-talks-on-gender-in-islam/

READ MORE ON THE READING GROUP, MUIS & LIBERAL ISLAM HERE

EDITOR’S NOTE

Liberal Islam, Progressive Muslims, and The Reading Group seems to be a popular choice among Muslims who are more ‘open-minded’.

Growing number of academics in NUS and NTU are also joining the band of liberal Muslims.

What do you think of this development and trend?

Share your opinion with us at Rilek1Corner.

YOUTUBE: youtube.com/user/rilek1corner

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/rilek1corner

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WEBSITE: rilek1corner.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

FEEDBACK: rilek1corner.com/hubungir1c/

June 26, 2014
SG Muslims Don’t Hate LGBTQ

Sis Nurashikin Salim & Hubby

Bismilaahirrahmaanirraheem…

Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.

Dear My Muslim LGBTQ Brothers and Sisters…

There’s something we need to confess to you. We, straight Muslims, do not hate you. In fact, we have never hated you. True, we may seem aggressive with our acts of eradicating LGBTQ from the society but it’s not because we hate you.

So my dear brothers and sisters, how can homosexuality ever be acceptable in Islam?

Allah’s wisdom is so great that nothing can surpass it. We’re always talking about hijab. That’s why we even need to hijab when we’re in the same room with the same gender. Both men’s and women’s aurah when in front of the same gender are from the navel to the knees (knees included). We cannot be naked in front of anyone, except for your halal wife/husband. That’s the beauty of marriage. MasyaAllah. How much details Allah SWT has put into the rules and guidelines for us to live our daily lives and not even a single loophole in Islam.

Allah SWT even forbid us from cross-dressing. A lady can’t dress like a guy and a guy can’t dress like a lady. Even if a guy wears the headscarf just for sake of fun, it is haram. SubhanAllah. How strict our Lord is when it comes to this.

Again my homosexual brothers and sisters, we’re not against you. We will never humiliate you. Those who humiliate you are not one of us. We are here to give constant reminders to you. It may be hurtful going through the process of purification. No doubt, it will be very very hard to contain those urges and desires. But just think of your parents, if not for them, you’ll not see the world. You need both mother’s and father’s love and attention. You know both of them play very different roles. Can you imagine yourself being brought up by same sex parents? And knowing that you’re either adopted or your birth isn’t normal? Not knowing who’s your real parents or who your dad is? If you can’t imagine, then please spare the emotional torture from your future child(ren). Plus, you know how important breastfeeding is to newborn. How can you have the heart depriving a newborn of the best nutrition?

Allah is great. He wants to protect us. Have we not read of the statistic that proportionally, more homosexuals are infected by HIV than heterosexuals? Can’t you see how much Allah SWT, the One who created you, loves you? He knows you more than you know yourself. He forbids homosexuality as He knows how much detrimental effects it will bring to you, to the community.

It’s not too late, my dear brothers and sister. You may have a very dark past. You may feel that your sin is too big for Allah SWT to forgive. But know that the only sin that Allah SWT won’t forgive is syirk (associating partners to Allah SWT). Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

“Allah says: “O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. It is He Who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (al-Quran 39:53)

Remember that whenever you wanna repent and there’s something inside you saying that you’re not deserving of Allah’s forgiveness, that’s not your voice. That’s syaitan who’s whispering into your ears. You’re better than syaitan and iblis. Know that while you’re struggling to stop loving the same gender, there’s also a straight person who’s struggling not to be in a haram relationship.

I know this post may not change you, but my only hope is that for you to keep seeking the truth. My only advise is that to not miss any prayers. I remembered at one point of time how far I was from Allah SWT, but I keep telling myself that I should never miss any prayers. How difficult it was to find the time or place to pray, I still struggled hard to stop making excuses for myself. At that moment, I didn’t know what actions will make Allah SWT happy, but I knew the things that Allah SWT hated. So I tried my best to refrain from doing things that brought pleasure to me, but hatred to Allah SWT.

If you always club, drink, smoke, have promiscuous sex, or any sinful acts, avoid it one by one. No one is asking you to change drastically. For drastic change will bear drastic impact. If you can handle the drastic impact, then Alhamdulillah for you. If not, then do it one at a time. What’s most important is that you have the intention to change, only for the One. Keep making do’a to the Lord of the universe. Know that if He can control the entire universe, controlling your heart is just a small matter. Just ask for it. He doesn’t need you to survive, you need Him to survive.

Life is just a challenge. Everyone has their own challenges. If you think your challenge is the biggest, know that there’s someone else in this world who’s struggling to live; no food, no place to sleep, no parents, don’t know if tomorrow a bullet gonna pierce through his/her head.

You can be the happiest person. You don’t need a human’s love to make you feel complete. All you need is Allah SWT’s and Rasulullah SAW’s love. To have your halal spouse to love you, is a bonus. You choose your own happiness.

“A happy person once said: “The beautiful day is the day on which we have control of our affairs and our affairs do not control us. It is the day on which we control our desires and we are not controlled by them like slaves.”” (extracted from the book ‘You Can Be The Happiest Women In The World’)

Last not but not least, be friends with those who love Allah SWT. Be in the environment that gives you the positive vibe. Know that if someone loves Allah SWT, it doesn’t only come from the heart. If someone truly and sincerely loves Him, from the heart it will automatically show through from one’s appearance and actions. Be with those who truly and sincerely love Him.

How contradictory and hurtful it may sound, but know that those who support your sinful acts are actually the one who don’t love you. Those who stop and acknowledge you are the ones who truly love you. Life is temporary and we don’t want you to live “happily” only for a short period of time. We want you to be happy forever, now and till the Hereafter. InsyaAllah.

May Allah SWT guide us always and never make us go astray.

WallahuAlam.

Read the rest of the post here.

Authored by Nurashikin Salim

FOR MORE RELATED ARTICLES ON LGBT, PINKDOT SG & ISLAM, CLICK HERE

EDITOR’S NOTE

More and more Singaporeans are coming out to write about the LGBT issue.

Are you supporting the Freedom to Love or are you supporting the Traditional Values of Marriage and Family?

Which side are you on? Share your opinion with us at Rilek1Corner.

June 11, 2014