Wa alaikom assalam Br. Ilyas,
Thank you for your kind comment. I’m glad my words resonated with you, alhamdulillah. Here’s my email: waheedjensen@gmail.com
Looking forward to hearing from you soon, inshaAllah! God bless 🙂

Salam Waheed. So I’ve just seen you comment, almost a whole year later! Lol. And the was a manor typo on my part I was supposed to write “does NOT take you out the fold of Islam”…

I can’t explain you how much your article has affected me. I’m 23 years old and never have I been confronted with someone who not only is in the same situation as myself, but also thinks exactly the same way I do.

I’m also Muslim and Gay. Just like you mentioned, I’ve been through domestic violence and I have been sexually abused as a child. However, I do not share or show any of this to my environment. I became a boss in hiding my true emotions and pretending everything is okay. Over the years I have created some kind of an alter ego who is perfectly fine and I feel like he is living 90 percent of my life. He is the only reflection I give to my environment, even to those closest to me.

Now and then I have a complete mental breakdown though. It all becomes too much and I feel like I’m on the edge of giving up. Especially because I just have no one to talk to about this whole situation. I had a major breakdown earlier today and started surfing the net. I came across your article and started seeing things from another perspective. I felt so much better after reading it. Yet there’s still a things I want to ask you in person. I hope you’re still reading your comments and we can exchange mail addresses or so.

Again, mind-blowing article. May Allah bless our souls and guide us to the straight path.

Of course! My e-mail is: waheedjensen(AT)gmail.com

Dear brother, your article has made me understand the situation of such people much better. I know someone who is a homosexual and muslim but is away from islam because it prohibits the act of sodomy. this article helped me understand where he is coming from. Hope he didnt find me harsh in our previous conversations. Can I get him to contact you?

Assalamu alaikom Naeem!
Thank you for your comment and kind words. As you mentioned, some people with same-sex attractions try to find loopholes in Islamic discourse or leave religion altogether, may Allah keep us steadfast, and indeed there’s a lot of discrimination and hate towards us from people with opposite-sex attractions. I do hope this humble endeavor would bring the picture closer to the latter ones, hopefully paving the way for a better dialogue in the Muslim community on this issue in particular.
I am not sure if this is true (forgive me for my limited knowledge in fiqh), but I’ve been reading this a lot and people claim that homosexuality (as in the act itself) takes one out of the fold of Islam as you’ve alluded in your comment. I mean, sure it is a huge sin with punitive consequences, but let’s not confuse the gravity of it with kufr/shirk/overt actions that take the person out of the fold of Islam. Professor Tareq Ramadan beautifully puts it, “This I have continued to affirm, and gone further still: a person who pronounces the attestation of Islamic faith becomes a Muslim; if that person engages in homosexual practices, no one has the right to drive him or her out of Islam.” So please keep this in mind because this is quite a common belief among Muslims that is simply not correct. May Allah guide us all to the righteous path and keep us steadfast. Amen.

Wa alaikom assalam sister!
Indeed things happen for a reason. Alhamdulillah, I am glad my words have had a positive impact on you. Please stay in touch, I’d like to hear more about your struggles, and if I can offer help I’d be very grateful! My e-mail is waheedjensen@gmail.com
God bless you sister.

Check your email Waheed.

Thank you!