Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, a married gay Islamic scholar, runs the new mosque and is the founder of Homosexual Muslims of France. Zahed wanted to create a more "inclusive" place for gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims to pray. He and others felt uncomfortable attending established mosques; because of their sexuality, sometimes they face discrimination.
London Imam Ajmal Masroor says that Zahed's "mosque" does not fully abide to Islamic preaching and practice. He believes "God intends for sex to occur between men and women only, within marriage." In addition, he stated that you are not born with homosexuality; you chose it. The Paris Grand Mosque issued a statement saying, "The Koran condemns homosexuality. It is banned."
Zahed say that Islam has nothing to with your sexuality. "Islam is not a totalitaian fascist identity. You shoud not use Islam to justify your prejudices and try to control the sexuality and gender of individuals," he says.
Zahed is concerned about the safety of the mosque. The mosque is not receiving any special protection from the French police because they feel there are no specific threats. However, he is still concerned about demonstrations outside the mosque.
I think Zahed is doing something really significant and daring in the Muslim community. In a lot of religions, homosexuality has been met with discrimination and ignorance. But Zahed and other Muslims in his community are becoming more open minded and adapting to the 21st century. I am happy for him, and hope his mosque is successful.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20547335
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