Muslim radio host says gay people have a right to be angry at Islam
Muslim radio host Maajid Nawaz has called on the Muslim community to understand why people in the LGBT+ community are angry at Islam.
In a heated segment of his show, he listed the ten countries that still punish homosexuality with death, pointing out that they “are all, without exception, Muslim majority countries.”
“These guys marching at Pride have every right to be angry because they would be killed in these countries,” he said.
Nawaz went on to list names of countries, including Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, all placed where LGBT people face the death penalty because of their sexuality.
He said he believed Islam deserved CEMB’s anger when so many Muslim countries persecute gay people.
“These people marching at Pride have every right to be angry because people like me, Muslims, are killing them simply for being who they are.
“That’s done in the name of my religion, so don’t try and tell me that our religion doesn’t have a history of homophobia,” he added.
His rant on Saturday’s LBC show was prompted by East London Mosque’s demand for an apology from Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) and the organisers of London Pride.
They’d taken offence at CEMB’s “Allah is gay” placards, calling them Islamophobic.
Nawaz said Muslims needed to understand the difference between Islamophobia and satire.
“People have every right to criticise the religion of Islam itself.” he said.
He compared the signs to the Monty Python film Life of Brian or the musical Book of Mormon, and said that the left not only didn’t care about, but encouraged satire and criticism of Christianity.
Nawaz went on a separate rant about intersectionality in faith and sexuality earlier this week after a newly wed Muslim gay man received a torrent of online vile abuse.
Jahed Choudhury, 24, and Sean Rogan, 19, tied the knot last week in a ceremony in the West Midlands.
The pair donned Islamic garb for the marriage ceremony, which was carried out in Walsall registry office.
However, the happy couple have since been targetted with hundreds of messages of abuse by online trolls, some from fellow Muslims.
He said: “You’re either a vegetarian or you’re not. I don’t describe myself as practising or devout, but you do. Who are you to declare Jahed Choudhury suddenly a non-Muslim because he does something you do not approve of?”
