We do not hold hatred towards LGBT groups, if anything, they are just like us, their journeys are similar even if we opted for a different path. We are well aware for the discrimination, hate and prejudice the LGBT community faces.
We call for self determination and equality for gay, straight, bisexual, same sex attracted or anything else, to express their ways of life. We uphold freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We do not oppose an individual’s right on how they wish to live their lives and we uphold mutual respect on matters where we disagree.
Our opponents may paint a different picture and accuse of homophobia, coercion and shame, whereas, these are exactly the issues that we fight against.
- We believe that change cannot come from a place of shame. We wholeheartedly accept our same sex lust and do not have shame in having these feelings. Our work is about challenging negative self beliefs and reclaiming our masculinity or femininity in ways that align with our faith and values. To put short, our work is about raising self esteem.
- The work is not aimed at turning people straight. Heterosexuality doesn’t ensure inner peace! The real goal is about releasing shame, finding brotherhood, connecting with the inner gender identity, working around our relationship with God, challenging temptations or habits that we do not want in life. In doing this work, we have experienced a shift in our sexuality, with a reduction of same sex lust and an increase in opposite sex attraction. However, this is a by-product of doing inner growth work (jihad al nafs), rather than it being the focus. Efforts to magically change one’s temptations will never end is success. The aim for a lot of us is to find a God centric life and to know ourselves better.
- We believe in self determination. We strongly oppose coercion, rejection and shame, cause by religious figures, families or communities. We believe everyone has a right on how they express their attractions regardless of a sexual identity.
- We do not practice conversion therapy . We are not a mental health clinic. We are a peer support base for fellow Muslims and other people of faith. See our statement here.
- Being gay is not a disease. We agree with numerous health bodies that this isn’t something to be “cured of”. Instead, what we advocate is for people who find their lust around the same sex unwanted, to be given a chance to navigate around these feelings. We cite statement 6 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in UK : “This position is not intended to deny, discourage or exclude those with uncertain feelings around sexuality or gender identity from seeking qualified and appropriate help. This document supports therapists to provide appropriately informed and ethical practice when working with a client who wishes to explore, experiences conflict with or is in distress regarding, their sexual orientation or gender identity. Nor is it intended to stop psychological and medical professionals who work with trans and gender questioning clients from performing a clinical assessment of suitability prior to medical intervention. Nor is it intended to stop medical professionals from prescribing hormone treatments and other medications to trans patients and people experiencing gender dysphoria. For people who are unhappy about their sexual orientation or their gender identity, there may be grounds for exploring therapeutic options to help them live more comfortably with it, reduce their distress and reach a greater degree of self-acceptance. Some people may benefit from the support of psychotherapy and counselling to help them manage unhappiness and to clarify their sense of themselves. Clients make healthy choices when they understand themselves better. Ethical practice in these cases requires the practitioner to have adequate knowledge and understanding of gender and sexual diversity and to be free from any agenda that favours one gender identity or sexual orientation as preferable over other gender and sexual diversities. For this reason, it is essential for clinicians to acknowledge the broad spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities and gender expressions. “”
- We do not serve children. The minimum age to participate on our programmes is 18.
- We are not for profit and charitable organisation, we do not seek to profit from our services.
- We believe in both diversity and mutual respect. We uphold equal rights for all individuals, however they wish to identify themselves. We respect the paths of others to pursue different paths to inner peace.
We call for all LGBT communities to support our right to express faith and love without fear, for us to live our authentic self. As Muslims who put our faith and beliefs over our sexual attractions, we deserve the same respect as individuals who chose to act on their attractions.