[Brutal Honesty]

BERLIN – An imam in France has approved the marriage of two men who had previously married in South Africa, where same-sex marriage is legal, but the French government refuses to recognize it.

The Muslim spiritual leader offered his blessing to French- Algerian Ludovic Mohamed Zahed and his partner, Qiyam al-Din, a South African, during a ceremony outside Paris February 12.

Pink News, Europe’s largest gay news service, reported on Monday about the marriage.

According to an April 2 report on al-Bawaba, the men first married according to Shari’a law before a Mauritian imam named Jamal who blessed their matrimony.

Zahed told France 24 that he met Din last year at a convention on AIDS in South Africa.

“I was in the lecture hall when an imam – who incidentally, is gay himself – introduced me to Din. We discovered we had a lot in common and a mutual admiration was cemented. I stayed on after the convention for two months, deciding to get married, since South African laws were more friendly [to same-sex unions].”

In an email to The Jerusalem Post, Yoav Sivan, an Israeli journalist living in New York, who writes for Gay City News , noted that same-sex has been legal in South Africa since 2006.

“It might be too early to frame this encouraging event as a trend, but it is not too early to take it as a reminder to stop using homosexuality as a political weapon against Islam and religion in general,” Sivan said.

Sivan, who served on the boards of Aguda, the Israeli Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Association, the Jerusalem Open House and the Israeli board of the World Jewish Congress, added that the “acceptance of homosexuality among communities of faith can only result from activism from the inside, from those who are committed to religion just as much as they are committed to progress.”

According to al-Bawaba, “Ludovic decided to make his wedding a family affair, with his trusted Mauritian imam in tow. He read the Fatiha [opening of the Koran] and blessed the marriage.”

Writing by email from New York to the Post, Jayson Littman, the founder of He’bro, an organization for gay Jews, noted, “Any time we see gay men or women of faith marrying in accordance with their religious beliefs and proud to do so, it brings the entire LGBT community of faith one step closer in accepting the different parts of who we are.” Many times LGBT people from religious backgrounds come out as gay, but leave their faith in the very closet they left, he said.

“In order to be truly happy, we must embrace our full selves – including our identity of faith.”

Littman, a strong advocate for Israel, sees Zahed and Din’s marriage as bringing the entire LGBT and non-LGBT community of faith “one step closer to integration.

“The fact that we are able to see a Muslim couple using their full names shows we are at a time when small shifts are happening within the religious Muslim community, and with the blessing of their families and an imam show significant progress.”

Ludovic told al-Bawaba he has known he was gay since he was young. “I liked, even loved, the Imam who taught me the Quran in Algeria back in 1995, despite all the threats from my family and the social pressure from Arab society whether in France or in Algeria, I have not changed.”

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/Pri...aspx?id=265480

Why isn't gay marriage recognised in France, isn't it a secular country? Should they recognise marriages carried out abroad by French citizens in countries where it is legal?

[Hearty_Beast]

"According to an April 2 report on al-Bawaba, the men first married according to Shari’a law before a Mauritian imam named Jamal who blessed their matrimony."


I thought that same-sex marriage was forbidden in Islam, how then could they marry "according to Shari'a law"?!

[Brutal Honesty]

(Original post by Hearty_Beast)
"According to an April 2 report on al-Bawaba, the men first married according to Shari’a law before a Mauritian imam named Jamal who blessed their matrimony."


I thought that same-sex marriage was forbidden in Islam, how then could they marry "according to Shari'a law"?!

Presumably the same way straight marriage is carried out. The only difference being that there's no female. You're right though, most imams would not recognise this marriage as being valid according to Shari'a. Then again, some imams marry Muslim/Hindu couples as well.

[modini]

(Original post by Hearty_Beast)
"According to an April 2 report on al-Bawaba, the men first married according to Shari’a law before a Mauritian imam named Jamal who blessed their matrimony."


I thought that same-sex marriage was forbidden in Islam, how then could they marry "according to Shari'a law"?!

It probably means that they married in the same way that a heterosexual couple would marry by Shari'a law (i.e. an imam, reading versus from the Qur'an etc.)

[Darth Stewie]

Should they recognize it? Yes

Why don't they? Under current French law, same-sex marriages performed abroad are not recognized in France if at least one of the spouses is a French national which Ludovic Mohamed Zahed is.

well I'm happy for them, French laws aside their fortitude in the face of what i can imagine is overwhelming adversity is damn impressive.

Nikah mubarak!

[blueray]

(Original post by Darth Stewie)
Should they recognize it? Yes

Why don't they? Under current French law, same-sex marriages performed abroad are not recognized in France if at least one of the spouses is a French national which Ludovic Mohamed Zahed is.

This is basically it. The french have some weird rules...

[swaggiee]

That is a double no no.

[silent ninja]

Shari'a law approved? Imam? Gay marriage? Lol

This is a joke on so many levels. There is no such thing as gay marriage in Islam. Never has and never will.

[Cyanohydrin]

(Original post by silent ninja)
Shari'a law approved? Imam? Gay marriage? Lol

This is a joke on so many levels. There is no such thing as gay marriage in Islam. Never has and never will.

Why not? Just this blokes interpretation of Islam.

[silent ninja]

(Original post by Cyanohydrin)
Why not? Just this blokes interpretation of Islam.

There is interpretation room for how you pray, which foods are allowed etc There is no such room for many other things, gays being one. No gay marriage in Islam I'm afraid. It's categorical.

[Cyanohydrin]

(Original post by silent ninja)
There is interpretation room for how you pray, which foods are allowed etc There is no such room for many other things, gays being one. No gay marriage in Islam I'm afraid. It's categorical.

Yeah but some Christians say similar things. At the end of the day it is all how you interpret god - some Muslims do it through being ultra-conservative, others do it like the whirling dervishes in Turkey. At the end of the day there is no right or wrong surely? Just different ways of practising Islam and worshipping god, this bloke clearly sees no problem...

[mel0n]

A bit awkward getting married according to Shari'ah law when it doesn't cater for same sex marriages . I am surprised that the French are not willing to recognize it.

[silent ninja]

(Original post by Cyanohydrin)
Yeah but some Christians say similar things. At the end of the day it is all how you interpret god - some Muslims do it through being ultra-conservative, others do it like the whirling dervishes in Turkey. At the end of the day there is no right or wrong surely? Just different ways of practising Islam and worshipping god, this bloke clearly sees no problem...

No room for interpretation on this matter. It would be like a Muslim declaring alcohol permissible. This bloke isn't a Muslim if he goes against something so clearly stated and understood. People are free to pick and mix based on their whims but to then call it Islam is nonsense. The imam isn't forced to be a Muslim nor are these gays so they should go follow their own religion and stop pretending to be Muslims.

Core beliefs in Islam are shared by ALL Muslims. One of these beliefs is that you cannot deny any quranic verses. Homosexuality is very clearly forbidden in the Quran in the verses relating to Loot and the punishment of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. As such anybody who denies that denies a core belief/clear verse (not to mention the wealth of other sources that back this up) and is no longer a Muslim according to the Shari'a.

[Mz-Nmh]

What kind of Imam blesses a marriage clearly forbidden in his religion!? I would really like to know his reason to accept homosexual marriage as it contradicts his faith. I assume No-one is perfect would be his answer..

[TheDizzeeKid]

[Barden]

(Original post by Brutal Honesty)
http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/Pri...aspx?id=265480

Why isn't gay marriage recognised in France, isn't it a secular country? Should they recognise marriages carried out abroad by French citizens in countries where it is legal?

Secularism may be institutional in France, but so is racism...

[jameslad]

Well that imam is probably a fake.

[hamzazulfiqar]

such bull****.

[facdroit]

This whole ''story'' is lol worthy.

[PrismaticCore]

To those who are getting uptight about how Homosexuality is wrong in Islam and how this marriage is a massive sin etc etc: It's literally not your problem. Do we get uptight every time a muslim commits a sin, regardless of how major it is? No. It's their sin.

And to those muslims who are sitting there all shocked and angry: Please go all 'activist' over the honor killings and unjust treatment of people in Islamic states first, and then start whining about situations like this where no-one is unjustly being hurt.

Lots of love, a Muslim.