' Europe's first gay-friendly mosque' triggers debate

' Europe's first gay-friendly mosque' triggers debate

A Muslim prayer centre, which has actually been called Europe's initial gay-friendly mosque, opened up in Paris today. Its creator defined it as the primary step in damaging \"prejudices in Islam\", yet it has actually been criticised by spiritual leaders.

The opening of what has actually been called Europe's very first gay-friendly mosque in Paris has been condemned by a few of the city's Muslim leaders for going \"against the spirit of Islam\".

Yet the prayer space located in the eastern residential areas of Paris is not supported by any kind of formal Muslim organization and lots of imams in France oppose it.

Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grande Mosque\u00e9 in Paris, told FRANCE 24 that the opening of a brand-new area of prayer for gay Muslims violates the policies of Islam.

\" The mosques that are already there accept everybody so producing one specifically for homosexuals protests the spirit of Islam. Worshippers go to a mosque to prayer god, they do not go to demonstrate their sexuality,\" Boubakeur said. \"This is an abuse of the meaning of a mosque.\"

\" Homosexuality is condemned in 13 verses of the Koran. The only sex-related connection that is reputable is between married men and females\", he said, though recognizing that it is against Islam to be homophobic.

Abdallah Zekri, president of an organisation which keeps track of Islamophic attacks for the French Council of Muslims, additionally criticised the action. \"We know that homosexual Muslims exist however opening up a mosque (for them) is an aberration,\" he claimed.

Accepting homosexual Muslims is not the only religious taboo the brand-new mosque will certainly damage, with the typical rules on dividing men from women likewise to be sidelined.

The mosque's founder, French-Algerian gay legal rights lobbyist and exercising Muslim Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, will also urge females to lead Friday prayers.

\" It's a significantly inclusive mosque, a mosque where individuals can come as they are,\" Zahed, 35 told Reuters.

Zahed has already shown he is not afraid to take the chance of a backlash in his very own religious community by breaking with Islamic customized. He made headings in April this year when he came to be the first French male to wed one more male in a Muslim religious ceremony.

Talking To FRANCE 24 soon afterwards event Zahed, a specialist on the Koran, frankly claimed: \"I make certain that if the Prophet Mohamed was still active, he would certainly wed gay couples\".

Zahed is hoping the petition space is just the start, as well as he eventually intends to develop a social centre and library.

\" This is just the very first step in a long-lasting battle to deconstruct bias within Islam in France,\" he said in a meeting with the BBC.

While a handful of gay-friendly mosques currently exist in Canada, South Africa and also the USA, Zahed thinks his job is breaking brand-new boundaries in France and Europe.

His wish to establish the mosque was motivated by a requirement to discover a fixed gay-friendly petition room for participants of his new association Homosexual Muslims of France, which has actually quickly broadened because it was set up two years back. It currently flaunts over 300 participants.

Those likeminded Muslims plainly value having their very own place of worship, with one of the prayer leaders at the brand-new mosque saying that hostility to gay Muslims had triggered several to stop the faith. \"France sorely lacks a room similar to this,\" the 38-year-old informed Reuters, asking not to be called.

\" Being homosexual and also Muslim is borderline schizophrenic,\" stated one more prayer leader.

The feedback from several of France's Muslim leaders might not surprise Zahed, who is concerned regarding the reaction among even more fanatical participants of the Muslim neighborhood.

Although French authorities are not aware of any dangers being made against him, he is anxious sufficient concerning the security of worshippers to keep the mosque's location secret.

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