America's first gay Imam goes public with his reasons why...

Is this really possible? A gay Imam in USA? whos is even allowed to boast openly about it...! Com'on, it is no doubt to everyone that the United State of America is the land of all possibilities, but there is a big BUT here. To the best of my knowledge, the Quran forbids homosexuality. Infact, the traditional belief in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is that God forbids homosexuality, and this translates itself into the same-sex marriages as well. 

According to Linda Ikeji's blog, Imam Daayiee Abdulah originally was born and raised in Detroit as a  Christian of the Baptist faith.  But somehow while in China for further studies, he got himself converted to Islam .

So what motivated the new Islamic Daayiee Abdulah to become an Iman? the spiritual gap that existed in the Islamic faith for the lesbians, gays & transsexuals was the drive, all in the hope of providing an ideal channel of Islamic support for them, he says. More after the cut...

"Being an openly gay imam and having been identified as such, I do get a lot of feedback and also kickback, but that's OK,” he said. “I think that when people are unfamiliar with things, they tend to have an emotional knee-jerk reaction to it. Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. And because of the necessity in our community, that's why I came into this particular role."

He continue saying...

"They had contacted a number of imams, and no one would go and provide him his janazah services. This pained me. I believe every person, no matter if I disagree with you or not, you have the right as a Muslim to have the proper spiritual rites and rituals provided for you. And whoever judges you, that will be Allah's decision, not me. The beautiful thing about God is that when you change your attitude, and say, 'God, I need some help,' and mean it sincerely, God is always there for you,”

Abdullah is an imam and educational director of the Light of Reform Mosque in Washington, D.C, and reffers to the place as a rare safe space for Muslim LGBT

Well lets recall the Bible and Quran, The International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson makes reference to the Old Testament, saying in Genesis 19, we see the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot implores the people of his town not to act wickedly and to leave his male guests alone. The story goes on to describe the persistence of the townsfolk in wishing to indulge in homosexuality and the subsequent annihilation of the two communities. Other verses in the Old Testament also prohibit homosexuality, e.g. Leviticus 18:22, 20:13. In the New Testament, we see similar proscriptions in I Corinthians 6:9, I Timothy 1:8-10, Romans 1:26-27 (the translation used is the New American Standard Bible).

You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. [Leviticus 18:22] 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. [1 Corinthians 6:9-10]

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. [Romans 1:26-27]

In the Quran, we see reference to homosexuality in the story of Lot (the translation used is Quran: The Final Testament, translated by Dr. Rashad Khalifa).

Lot: Homosexuality Condemned 

Lot said to his people, “You commit such an abomination; no one in the world has done it before! You practice sex with the men, instead of the women. Indeed, you are a transgressing people.” His people responded by saying, “Evict them from your town. They are people who wish to be pure.” [7:80-82]

Lot said to his people, “How could you commit such an abomination, publicly, while you see? You practice sex with the men, lustfully, instead of the women. Indeed, you are ignorant people.” The only response from his people was their saying, “Banish Lot's family from your town; they are people who wish to be pure.” [27:54-56] 

I no doubt believe Abdulah has all these words at hand anyway...