A Statement From Straight Struggle Muslims

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you

We, the undersigned, are Muslim men and women who experience same-sex attractions, asexuality, and/or gender dysphoria. Over the years, and mainly through our involvement with the Straight Struggle support group, we have had the pleasure of connecting with hundreds of other Muslims who share these same feelings as us. This experience has come with some unique and some common sets of challenges.

On the one hand, one is told to hold strong to the Deen and avoid desires, while on the other, there is a society that is telling people to embrace these desires as an identity and to live a life “true to one’s self,” etc. It was not and is not easy to keep on the straight path of Allah , especially when the topic is taboo in many households, or, if discussed at all, is discussed in a heartless manner that focuses on the sins and ignores action-free desires.

On this note, we emphasize that there is a difference between same-sex attractions and same-sex behaviors. While the behaviors are sinful and immoral in the eyes of Allah , the attractions in and of themselves are not, to the extent that they go beyond our control. In fact, our struggle against these attractions, or feelings, can be a source of goodness and good deeds for us on our journey toward Allah .

This relationship with Allah and holding steadfast to the religion has been vital for our journey. Keeping good company with good, practicing Muslims has also helped many of us immensely in keeping ourselves and our actions in check and under control, alhamdulillah.

What has also helped, however, was not identifying ourselves with these sexual desires and with people who act on these desires. We do not view this as an identity. We reject the terms “gay,” “queer,” etc., and reject the notion that these desires define us. We also reject the deeply misguided efforts of some who wish to distort the teachings of Islam to fit their desires and attempt to make what is haram halal, thereby misguiding vulnerable Muslims into thinking that acting on same-sex attractions is allowed in Islam. We ask Allah to protect us from such actions and to guide us all to His Straight Path.

Over the years, our scholars have started paying more attention to the issue of people dealing with same-sex attractions and gender dysphoria, though we do feel there is still work to be done in terms of guidance and mentorship to those dealing with such attractions and feelings. Also, out of necessity and our lived reality here in the West, the recent statement by scholars called “Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam” is one that we support, and some of us are signatories of. We need a way for us to live in this society despite our different morals. Such morals should be respected, and we refuse to be bullied into compromising our morals, principles, and commitment to the Truth.

To our brothers and sisters who are dealing with same-sex attractions or gender dysphoria, please know that you are not alone. We also realize that there are people out there who are trying to reshape religion to suit their desires. We urge you to reject those vain attempts and to adhere, as much as possible, to our beautiful religion and the teachings outlined in the Quran and Sunnah. Our life is much too precious to waste on following desires and haram actions. Despite sinning, Allah has given us the wonderful gift of repentance to return to the His path no matter what sins we may have committed. A wonderful and very useful resource that addresses many aspects of same-sex attractions and gender dysphoria through a Muslim lens is Waheed Jensen’s podcast A Way Beyond the Rainbow.

May Allah accept from all of us and protect us from the evils our selves and the evils around us trying to lead us away from the Straight Path of Allah . May Allah provide us with good company that will remind us of Him and the Hereafter, and help us stay true to Allah and to Him alone. Ameen!

[the list below is discord handles from the Straight Struggle discord group]

Yousef Salam, Waheed Jensen, Taro99, Maryam Mohsin, abdoowa, Seen, Zayden, DaveStar, kerem<3, chocoloco, Raphida, Spice, Mahmoud Mokhtar, (Finn)ام هريرية, Adam Ali, Ricky123, Sinan Bey, Ibn Adam, akublurr_89, Smash, Multipl312, [anonymous], haji, Omair, mapleleaf, lake, His Abd, Sabr, obi, Sister Mary Crawley, who is alex?, dw97, Caffeine, Sajid, Mekano, q-bear, rehmat, OZZY, Alina, brother, CaramelExotic, Afiya, Ibrahim Run, Cookie, Paris, NinaT, Saji, Betelgeuse.

Related:

– From a Same-Sex Attracted Muslim: Between Denial of Reality and Distortion of Religion – MuslimMatters.org

– The MM Recap: Islam And The LGBTQ+ Movement – MuslimMatters.org