LGBTQ attitudes towards Muslims, and HEY! I was on the radio: Some useful and interesting links

I’m sooo behind on several ex-Moose things! I’ve been putting off posting a few links because I’ve wanted to unify them in a blog post with commentary, but I’ve been caught up in grading, translation assignments, and love, and I realize the cost of delay is not worth the extended commentary I might give! So here are some things I find valuable to share, with just a little bit of commentary.

From Alex Gabriel of Godlessness in Theory, A FreeThought Blog, a two-part reply to Pat Condell’s incensed attack on the LGBTQ left for refusing to endorse his bigoted crusade against Muslims:

Part One: Are British Muslims a threat to gay people? Polling on homophobia, sharia law and violence

Part Two: Dear Pat Condell… why this homo-Islamic masochist rejects your anti-Muslim crusade

Doubtless, homophobia is often prevalent in both Islamic doctrine and among Muslim communities and organizations. However, misrepresenting the motivations and goals of the LGBTQ left and treating Muslim opinion and behavior as a monolith are inefficient, unproductive, unhumanistic ways of discussing the problem of homophobia among Muslims. Treating the views of Muslim populations as justifiable reasons to wrongfully harass and attack them and condemn them as a unified group is arguably worse. Especially when it discounts the very real and often invisible (I wonder why?) efforts of progressive and LGBTQ Muslims. 

I’d like to go on record for a moment to say that it is detrimental to both secular causes and the liberal left to trivialize, ignore, and pass over the existence, efforts, and achievements of LGBTQ Muslims and Muslim organizations that actively endorse LGBTQ rights. As an ex-Muslim, I support Muslims Against Homophobia and LGBT Hate, and I support and respect the Islamic Society of North America (ISMNA), the United States’ largest Islamic organization, for opposing discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in the workplace.

Alex does a much better job of pointing this out, but I’ll briefly say that there is the inherent hypocrisy in what Pat Condell is calling for: LGBTQ people behaving in a bigoted manner towards marginalized religious and racial groups, ignoring the social, physical, and emotional costs of being shunned, discriminated against, and stigmatized.

In other news, I also would like to share a link to an mp3 recording of my recent interview on The Drew Marshall Show, Canada’s Number One spiritual talk show. I spoke about leaving religion, religious violence, and freethought. I sound about 7 years old in the recording, but I promise you I’m not that young.

Cheers!

-Marwa