Bismillahi Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem

The past five years has shown a marked increase in the visibility of gay Muslims around the world on LGBTQ political and religious fronts. LGBTQ Muslims find themselves in a quandary since traditional teachings of Islam hold that homosexuality is haraam (forbidden). How then can one be Muslim and live a gay lifestyle?

Allah is our Creator, and Allah's message is inclusive--not exclusive. The Holy Quran's message clearly states that Allah's mercy is for all who submit/surrender their hearts by developing their personal relationship with Allah. Allah does not ask us as gay Muslims to stop being Muslim. Allah asks all Muslims to follow certain non-discriminatory themes that promote the highest regard for human relationships within Muslim society. It is a shame that not all Muslims agree with me.

As a gay Muslim and religious scholar in the Islamic faith, the search for a gay identity in Islam is fraught with dead ends and myths. Islamic theological history and Islam's theological dogma are not the same. For those who know little to nothing about Islam, it is a common misinterpretation that homosexuality is condemned in the Holy Quran. I believe LGBTQ Muslims are not denied Allah's blessings even to wed.

What is frequently used as a legal support for the social shaming and, in some Muslim societies, murder of gays and lesbians is the story of Lut and Sodom. Based on Islamic scholarship on homosexuality and lesbianism that has grown over the past 15 years, I am able to offer a gay-positive interpretation of the Lut story to show why we need homosexual marriage in Islam.

A misconception within the Muslim community is the condemnation of a "caricature" based upon sexual acts. It is through this misplaced proscription that all formulations of same-sex acts, and not sexual orientation, are summarily condemned. This is like saying that all sexual acts by heterosexuals are condemned because the only correct sexual act is coitus in the missionary position.

It is generally accepted in the Abraheemic faiths that in the story of Lut, men who turned from their mates (women) participated in forced rape, torture and the oppression of the weak.

When a Muslim participates in the general gay culture where alcohol, drugs and promiscuous/anonymous sex are prevalent, some are likely to succumb to their appeal and fall into the sin of fornication, which is forbidden in Islam.

When the Holy Quran is read in historical context, note that Prophet Lut lived during the same time as Abraheem, and therefore, Prophet Lut lived at a time where paganism was the norm. Thus we can better understand the crimes of the men of Sodom were condemned for their pagan beliefs and oppressive control over innocents. The Holy Quran condemns oppressive governmental states that utilize rape and terror as a form of societal control. Thus, these heterosexual men of Sodom, who turned from their spouses, were using homosexual acts as a source of rape and torture. These sexual acts and the reasoning behind them are clearly not the source of love, respect and comfort that the Holy Quran states is for all of humankind for all time.

Again, traditional Islamic religious teachings have supported this general misunderstanding and continue to harm the well-being of same-gender loving Muslims in Muslim societies and the West. Prophet Mohammed, (Sallu Alayhi Wa Salaam or SAWS Peace Be Upon Him) "dislike" for homosexuality is a legal fiction created after the death of Prophet Mohammed, SAWS, by Prophet Mohammed's, SAWS, companions. Many Islamic legal scholars clearly state the Prophet Mohammed, SAWS, never had a legal case dealing with homosexuality.

Thus, these hadith (stories written about Prophet Mohammed, SAWS), concerning homosexuality are not based on historical facts and are fabrications to support "ta'zeer" (punishment) for political reasons. Additionally, Prophet Mohammed's (SAWS) wives had Mukhanniths (effeminate men) and he never expressed any displeasure with having them present in his or their household. At that time, many Mukhanniths were considered to be homosexual.

Since Prophet Mohammed, SAWS, exemplifies the Quran and its teachings, Prophet Mohammed's, SAWS, actions reveal to us how the Holy Quran views homosexuality in our day-to-day lives. This further points to my belief that human interpretation and intervention has caused such destructive behavior towards homosexuality generally and homosexual marriage specifically.

The Holy Quran speaks to human sexuality and holds that human sexuality is a positive attribute for all Muslims. The Holy Quran states, however, that nikah, traditionally a legally binding contract between two consenting adults to wed, is a benefit and blessing from Allah. According to Abdullah Muhammad Khouj's Handbook of Marriage in Islam, it is the way "to meet one's most basic physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs." How then can heterosexual Muslims deny gay Muslims access to nikah?

In the West, same-sex Muslim couples have access to perform a nikah. In those countries where same-sex marriages are performed, it is my belief that gay Muslims should utilize these laws to support their "marriage" though such a marriage may not be openly accepted by the larger Muslim community. As a Sunni Muslim who is homosexual, my personal experience of two long-term relationships/marriages in my 33 years of adulthood, strongly supports same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage supports the concept of family and diversity within our society. From a purely legal perspective, Western societies that have laws that support equal treatment under the "law," have the right idea to put all marriages on the same level, and hold heterosexual and same-sex marriages to the same standard. Property rights or spousal benefits are still upheld as the secular standard, though most of these rights are derived from religious teachings. As for the outcomes of marriage, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.

Allah's message speaks to us as homosexuals that we are a part of Creation and our lives are worth living to their fullest as loving, caring and nurturing Muslimsparticularly as gay Muslims, in loving relationships or not. The Holy Quran speaks in general and specific themes. Each Muslim has the right to find their mate who is their "comfort and cloak," that is, their sexual mate and caregiver. The Holy Quran supports healthy sexual relations, so much so that there are themes that speak specifically to how a Muslim spouse should be treated and the rights owed to their spouse and themselves. With such clear mandates that Muslims should marry, and the development of same-sex marriage that is based upon the concept of "comfort and cloak," why wouldn't a committed same-sex couple do as heterosexual couples do and get married? Marriage is one of society's elements of maturity in Islam, and gay marriages, in my humble opinion, continue to strengthen the Islamic meaning of a religious family.

Marriage in Islam remains one of the methods of attaining a personal standard as a member of society. Single gay Muslims, I believe, are in the most difficult position. When a Muslim participates in the general gay culture where alcohol, drugs and promiscuous/anonymous sex are prevalent, some Muslims are likely to succumb to their appeal and fall into the sin of fornication, which is forbidden in Islam. To combat this possibility and to strengthen the resolve of all gay Muslims, it is important that a clear understanding of one's faith as a Muslim and how our faith protects us from the social ills of promiscuous sex, the results of which erodes the spiritual nature a Muslim has with his Creator.

It is important that same-sex couples marry, and that single Muslims seek a long-term partner/mate to bring them within Quranic teachings that marriage is good for you. I know that for those who are not in the West, having a same-sex marriage is a legal impossibility, and in some countries, such public disclosure could mean one's death. There are many Muslims around the world who seek such freedom to be gay and Muslim and live in society where their sexual orientation does not preclude them from fulfilling their dream of marrying their same-sex partner. I urge those same-sex Muslim couples who are living in the West and have the opportunity to marry legally to have a traditional nikah and a civil ceremony to substantiate their marriage in religious and secular ways.