Alhamdulilah for being homophobic!

Now, don't go grimacing at your screen and cursing me out in a million different languages. We all have our right to our own beliefs. To me it seems unnatural for people of the same gender to have romantic relations with one another and my belief is that it is a sickness and a sin (there, I said it!). I look at today's society full of sin: sex, music, drugs, killing, homosexuality, lies, deceit, and the list goes on and I can't help but think how close the end of the world is.

I clearly remember the days when when knowing a gay or lesbian person was so scarce, I remember the days when these people did whatever they could to stay in the closet - to hide their shame, I remember the days when being homophobic was okay and accepted by society. Now a days everyone is a homosexual and they are so proud of it. You have the Gay Pride Parade, TV shows like Will and Grace, even shows that have nothing to do about homosexuals have at least one homosexual in the script, its everywhere! I mean, when I was in high school it suddenly became the newest fad to come out of the closet. People that I knew that were in heterosexual relationships all of a sudden decided to flip the switch. I personally always saw it as disgusting, but looking at it from an Islamic point of view, my phobia doesn't only relate to those who engage in such a sin, but also the repercussions that those who sit and watch silently will have to face.

Many Muslims along with non-Muslims wave the banner of Human Rights but so conveniently forget the story of the People of Lut (pbuh). These Muslims often are quick to say things such as "What's the big deal?" "How does legalizing gay marriages cause such a huge effect on you? What does it matter?" And while all of the arguments may sound valid..really, how does the legalization of gay marriage affect a straight Muslim?? Well, I have news for you....it does. Not all of the people of Lut committed sins such as homosexuality, but they were still destroyed. In fact, the wife of Prophet Lut perished with the rest of his people, not because she committed these crimes, but because she didn't see anything wrong with them. Suban'Allah I see the same behavior with the Muslim community today and quite frankly is scary.

I was listening to Mohammed Al-Shareef's lecture series titled "The Perished Nations" and something he said really struck me. He mentioned that the conotation used to describe one who opposes homosexuality is very negative - Homophobic. The word homophobic suggests that this notion that is supposed to be good (ie, opposing homosexuality) is now looked at as something bad. This very same flip-flopping of good and bad it what was seen during the time of Prophet Lut.

As if it isn't bad enough to have a world that has condoned homosexuality to the point that same-sex marriages have been legalized and the media is teaming with homosexuals in an attempt to desensitize society, we now have "Muslim" groups that openly accept such behavior. Groups such as Al-Fatiha are Muslim, queer and darn proud of it (May Allah (SWT) protect us all).

I was talking to this lady I met at this cafe that I often study at. She, like many people that see me want to ask a million questions about Islam (I love it). Anyways she first asked me about me attire, then about dating in Islam, marriage in Islam and then resorted to the question "Can a Muslim person be Gay?" My answer was "A Muslim can be Gay as long as he stays in the closet, because that kind of thing is not allowed in Islam." And then I froze up, because inside of my head I was thinking all sorts of things including (why would anyone want to be gay in the first place) but I wasn't sure if the person I was speaking to was herself gay, so I left the conversation at that until she asked me what I thought about the legalization of same-sex marriage. I'm not a liar, so I told the truth starting with "No offense but..." and then continued to say "I believe it undermines the sanctity of marriage, and that marriage has always been and should always be between a man an a woman no matter what religion you follow."

Growing up I always thought that what one person does does not have an effect on the rest of society, but from history this belief has been contradicted. Society at a whole is affected by the actions of its citizens, even if it is just the actions of a handful of citizens (the rotten apple in the basket notion). Don't get me wrong, I believe that homosexuals are humans and deserve basic human rights as individuals, but the rights to legal "marriage" and what not in my belief is a right for a man with a woman and a woman with a man only.

So yes, I am homophobic...and darn proud about it!