My LGBT-friendly mosque saved me from being radicalised’

 | 
05/01/2019

Sitting in my bedroom alone, a wave of fear washed over me. I was 12 years old, confused, and scared – I was beginning to realise I was gay. My dad was watching TV in the living room, and all I could think about was how disappointed he’d be if he ever found out. I grew up in a Turkish neighbourhood in Berlin. My family are conservative Muslims and my dad was always pretty strict. But we were still close and would play football in the street together almost every day. He was football mad, and even named me after a famous Turkish player, but I could never bring myself to tell him I didn’t actually like the sport. It was then I heard about a new, liberal mosque in Berlin called Ibn Rushd-Goethe, that was right on my doorstep. It has a female imam, lets Muslims of all genders pray together, and accepts gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims. It’s caused controversy in the Muslim world, receiving condemnation from Turkish organisations and even a fatwa from Egypt but for me, it was a light in the darkness.

Regions: ,

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 03/28/2024
03/27/2024
Nine men were sentenced to death by a Houthi court in Yemen in a mass trial based on “dubious” charges of sodomy, a human …
Added on: 03/28/2024
03/27/2024
Thailand is set to become the first Southeast Asian nation to recognise equal marriage after politicians passed a same-sex marriage bill. The lower house of …
Added on: 03/28/2024
03/27/2024
In what looks like a deliberate bid to redirect intense public scrutiny away from grave allegations implicating her in a seemingly multibillion-shilling corruption scandal, …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 03/27/2024
Azerbaijan’s LGBTQI+ community was rocked by the news of yet another murder of a trans woman whose body was found on March 12 on …
Added on: 03/26/2024
Britain’s National Health Service has responded to public pressure by banning puberty blockers for minors, but there is still a long way to go …
Added on: 03/26/2024
Georgia’s ruling party on Monday introduced a bill curtailing LGBT rights, a move seen by opponents as an attempt to boost its popularity ahead …