A lot can happen in 24 hours.
In 24 hours, the sun rises, sets and rises again. In 24 hours you can go from 30 degree blistering heat to a downpour of tercentennial rain. You can go from euphoria in remembrance to status quo – and indeed in the space of 24 hours this is what happened around the world when we went from mourning and honouring the life of Muhammad Ali, a great pioneer of civil rights in addition to heroic sporting figure, to the mourning of 49 civilians in Orlando, Florida who were gunned down in a vicious hate crime against the LGBTQA+ community.
This piece won’t justify the barbaric act of killing tens of innocent lives, nor will it attempt to decipher any causal links between political Islamism (has anyone got a concrete definition yet?) or otherwise. Instead, I want to challenge the idea of taboo issues.
The Orlando shooting itself presented many flaws: the idea that gun control is still something America refuses to control, hate crimes against the LGBTQA+ community. demonizing of another minority group – Muslims only further propagated by could-be President Trump and the acknowledgement of radical Islamism by Clinton, against the wishes of the current sit-in President Obama. On a side note, issues I for one, don’t believe have been looked into further are mental health and homosexuality in the Ummah (Muslim community).
Before some of you read this with a gasp of breath and consistent reiterations there is no just thing as ‘Gay Muslims’, let’s state some facts. Omar Mateen, the gunman, was someone who often used “Jak’d” – similar to that of grindr, a dating app where he engaged in conversations and met someone of the same sex – for dates. He also frequently visited gay bars. Whether this was to case the joint or simply because he enjoyed the atmosphere is entirely up to you. I question this however, if his intention was to go in and kill as many people as possible, would he not have done it at that point?
This was a clear and evident hate crime against the LGBTQA+ community. There are no qualms about it. However the idea of self-hate and associated repercussions for allegedly being gay is something I want to delve into further. Mateen’s father outright plausibly denied even the idea his son may potentially have been gay stating:
“”If he was gay, why would he do something like this” whilst reiterating in another interview “[Omar] was a good boy”.
Whilst this may seem like an in denial father, it is also very telling of the primary socialisation of Omar Mateen. An inability to express ones feelings in their own home, amongst the people who (probably) love them the most can stifle one’s development. And here’s where mental health plays its role.
Mental health within the Muslim community is often overlooked for many a reason. This may be due to stigma – an association can often lead to being an outcast within the cultural community and leave one feeling isolated. This is a perpetual fear of lack of understanding – from parents, friends and even oneself hence why many bury their heads in the sand dismissing a potential diagnosis and the social paralysis they believe may accompany it. Mental health, generally in society, is something we are talking about more which is a great thing but what happens when you’re unable to correspond your state of mind with your state of imaan (Faith)?
This brings me on to my next topic: homosexuality and Muslims. Some of you reading this may find fault with me merely mentioning the two in the same sentence, almost analysing it as an oxymoron. Those same people need to wake up. We need to dig deeper and answer the problems of the Ummah. Why is it we seek solace in Youtubers (Such as: Sid & Dina, Ali Dawah, “Dawah Man” for example), answering our questions about sex, relationships, depression and death but find it difficult to ask for help from those who know us most? Or from our most scholarly in the community – Ulema /Imams? What makes us unapproachable and devoid of honest conversation?
Regardless, whatever your personal belief, set that aside for at least the duration of this piece. There are many people within the LGBTQA+ community who align their religious beliefs as Islamic. In fact, Buzzfeed did a whole segment on it:
I may not be the most well-versed person when it comes to Islamic theology and many will state an Orthodox approach to what I’m about to write (including other Abrahamic religions) but I know enough to say imaan is of twofold: the tongue and the heart. What one may say may not necessarily correlate to what they feel in their heart and vis-a-vis. Similarly, just because someone has desires different to yours; for you to judge them, mock them, ostracise them from the Ummah will undoubtedly lead to psychological unrest and torment. Life is hard enough as it is – it’s unnecessary to put additional duress on people.
This brings me full circle. The inability to talk openly within our community about the struggles we go through – whatever they may be is at the core what is destroying us internally until self-combustion. Now there is no conclusive and definitive evidence Omar Mateen was gay or otherwise, and we will never know. All we can say is this: he killed 49 people in a merciless attack. It was a hate crime. But had he been open about who he was and had he got the guidance he much needed, would this narrative be different?
I’ll leave you with this:
“What is (wrong) with you? Why do you not help each other?” Qur’an [37:25]
If you enjoy my posts, you might enjoy my tweets – Follow me at @alluneesaknow 🙂
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36525219
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/06/14/13/16/omar-mateen-used-gay-dating-app-jackd
All-Uneesa-Know 