Over 100 Muslim Scholars and Leaders Release Statement on Islam’s Position on LGBT

By Yousuf Ali

Over 100 Islamic scholars and leaders released a statement regarding Islam’s position on homosexuality shortly before LGBTQ+ pride month on May 26t. The statement expresses concern over the promotion of LGBTQ-centric values to children through legislation, which they argue disregards parental consent and religious freedom.

They reject the notion that moral disagreement equals intolerance or incitement of violence and emphasize their right to express their beliefs while peacefully coexisting with those who differ. The scholars affirm that Islam’s morality is derived from divine guidance and reject the revision of established principles.

They outline Islam’s position on sexuality and gender, including the prohibition of same-sex relations, premarital and extramarital sexual acts, and the importance of respecting God’s wisdom in creation. Furthermore, they address the American context by invoking freedom of religion and speech to say they have the right to hold these views and not be forced to express pride in what Islam holds to be sinful. The purpose of the statement was to provide Muslims a template to explain their avoidance of pride events that were on the horizon. 

There has been opposition and support for the statement from within the Muslim community.  According to Muslim Matters, “The Western Muslim community has spent over two decades post-9/11 attempting to secure ally ships that would protect itself from the onslaught of right-wing, neocon anti-Muslim bias. These concerns weren’t trivial and included racial profiling, surveillance and monitoring, informant programs, arbitrary detentions with no legal recourse, no-fly lists, and watchlists to name a few.”

The article goes on to say Muslims may have uncritically allied themselves with those who advocate that which Islam opposes in terms of morality.  Furthermore, the author says that such a statement would be brave as those who are open to homosexuality may be subject to being ‘canceled’. 

According to MEMRI, there has also been opposition to the statement from figures within the Muslim community. Regarding Daniel Haqiqatjou, MEMRI writes, “For instance, American Islamist Daniel Haqiqatjou, based in Texas and known for his YouTube channel “According to Haqiqatjou, the statement “is coded. [The authors] take a lot of things that are unobjectionable and perfectly acceptable Islamically, and they make sure to foreground those things and then they bury the bottle, they bury the poison in such a way that you won’t recognize it.”

He further criticized the statement for referencing the constitution to defend Muslim positions on LGBT because it is the same constitution that has been interpreted to favor lgbt rights. On the other side, more liberal critics have said the statement falsely claims that Islam condemns homosexuality or that it was distracting from more important issues.

Brief editorial commentary: overall, the statement outlines Islamic normative positions of homosexuality. Those who disagree should reflect on the fact that their position only seems to have gained traction with the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Perhaps, their thoughts on the issues are not inspired by God and his messenger but by the ever-shifting zeitgeist.

As for claims that this somehow legitimizes homosexuality, this is false on a plain reading of the text. Any references to the constitution are because of the fact that the signatories are from America where that is the law of the land, not out of some secret desire for it to supplant the Qur’?n and Sunnah as God’s revelation.