...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

Muslim Gay-ity: Is it possible to be gay and still be a good Muslim, even though, according to the laws of your faith, your sexuality isn’t just a sin, but a crime that merits a death sentence?  Gay Muslim journalist Parvez Sharma has no problem reconciling gayness and Islam. He’s made a film, A Jihad for Love, that explores “forbidden love” in the Muslim world—and he’s made it for a Muslim audience. From the Toronto Star:

It was shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, when New Delhi-born journalist Parvez Sharma was inspired to make a film about his version of Islamic jihad – the Arabic word that means "an inner struggle" or "to strive in the path of God."

Unlike the threats of Osama Bin Laden's call for jihad, Sharma's struggle is about love – for those whose affections are not restricted to the ones of the opposite sex, a most-taboo subject among Muslims.

Over the next six years, Sharma travelled to 12 countries to document the jihad for forbidden love among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Muslims, and their experience of being denied love. The outcome, co-produced with American director Sandi DuBowski, is the 81-minute documentary, A Jihad for Love, opening in Toronto next Friday.

"The film speaks to our universal desire to be loved," Sharma said in a telephone interview.

The film, said Sharma, symbolizes the coming-out of Muslims, including the filmmaker's own struggle with his family, religion and inner feelings.

"My family's reaction was not positive" when he announced he was gay, lamented Sharma, who is 34 and was educated in India, England and the United States.

"My father and I have never discussed my sexual orientation. My mother died unhappy, and that's why the movie is dedicated to her."

Like the real-life characters in the movie, Sharma didn't abandon his Islamic faith, but he has struggled to reconcile his religion with his sexuality.

"I am told that I can't be a good Muslim because of my homosexuality, but the struggle has made me a better Muslim. I have become more respectful of my religion, a better person, a more spiritual person."

Sharma wanted his film to start a dialogue within the parameters of Islam without attacking the religion or apologizing for it, and he produced the documentary with an Muslim audience in mind.

"In terms of it being a taboo, I engaged a lot of self-censorship in making this film to make sure it's made through a very Muslim lens, that I was not misrepresenting my faith, so we can take back the discussion about Islam from extremists like Bin Laden," the director said.

Gay Pride doesn't exist in the Muslim world, he says…

Kind of an understatement, no? It’s kind of hard to feel “pride” for something that’s liable to get you pummelled on the noggin with large stones or hoisted from a giant crane with a noose around your neck. Good luck trying to keep the faith with that kind of law, Parvez. How’s his target “audience” likely to respond? Well, he’s already “received email threats and...been condemned by Muslim authorities,” so it looks like, while his target audience may be Muslim, his actual audience may turn out to be kafirs, who are apt to be more tolerant of alternate lifestyles.

Posted by: scaramouche at 14:00 | link | comments

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