Imam Daayiee Abdullah
Encyclopedia
Imam Daayiee Abdullah, is a gay
Muslim
that aids in the fight against discrimination and hatred towards homosexuals
and Muslims alike. Adbullah is one of the front-runners against the injustice against LGBT
Muslims, through a group called the Al-Fatiha Foundation
. Although there is much controversy, Abdullah has become very helpful in not only raising awareness of the oppression of homosexuals in Islam
, but also stands as a symbol of hope and proof that one can be gay and Muslim.
beliefs. As a child of 8 or 9, his parents permitted him to visit the Synagogue
, Hindu temple
, and an assortment of Christian
denominations. None of these religions he had explored fit him exactly, so he continued to search for a religion he could put his faith into.
When Abdullah was 15, he graduated from high school early because he had gone to summer school most summers. Along with summer school, he and his family traveled around the world so that he could see what the world was truly like. His parents believed that once a member of the family had graduated high school, he was an adult. Knowing this, Abdullah came-out
to his parents, and was accepted after assuring his parents that they had done nothing wrong. Reflecting on his past, Abdullah recalled that he was always uniquely different from others, even at the age of five; he knew that he loved men. His parents, now both deceased were a source of inspiration and confidence for him growing up. According to Abdullah, his parents were very supportive of all their children and only expected honesty in return.
and studied to be a lawyer. He was even expelled from a Saudi-financed seminary in Virginia
after they discovered he was gay. In 1978 Abdullah went to Washington D.C. for a conference because he was working for Governor Jerry Brown
’s office in San Francisco. Then, in 1979 he returned back to D.C. for the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
as one of the coordinators. Because he was a coordinator, he went a week early and then stayed a week later for his vacation only to return a month later. After two weeks in San Francisco, he decided that he wanted to live in D.C.
In the 80’s Abdullah began his tenure at Beijing University
. He studied the Chinese language and literature, and later Arabic, Arabic Linguistics, North African, and Middle Eastern Studies
, and several years working and studying in Muslim countries. Some of his classmates were from Ürümqi
, and were Chinese Muslims. They asked him what he knew of Islam, which lead to being invited to his very first Beijing
Mosque. At this first mosque, Abdullah understood everything that was being said and knew this was the faith he had been searching for. Soon after, around the age of 30, he declared his faith and chose his name: Daayiee Abdullah. The title Imam
was not added on until later.
Even Abdullah is not certain exactly when people began calling him Imam. It is estimated that it was sometime in 2000 when he joined the online group Muslim Gay Men. On this forum, there were many who claimed to be gay, but were intent on telling those who needed help that the Qur’an disagreed with their life. Abdullah refuted these comments by explaining that one is to follow the Qur’an first and the Haddith second. Through this he began to gain popularity among homosexuals and allies across the online community.
One of the reasons he had began to be called Imam was because he has performed many ceremonies for people in who were considered pariahs in their community due to illnesses or the gender or religion of the person they wished to marry. A few gay Muslims died of AIDS
, and no one would do their Janazah. Abdullah also preformed same-sex marriages for men and women and counseling for all couples—heterosexual and homosexual. Along with performing these ceremonies that others would not, he married mixed couples and religiously differing couples who are from the Abrahamic faith
. Because the Abrahamic faiths are sister religions, he has a belief that because the Qur’an says those of Abrahamic faith can interact with others of the Abrahamic faith, then it is plausible to marry between religions.
As of 2006, Abdullah was in a long-term relationship of ten years. His partner is actually Christian, which is one of the reasons he performs these religious ceremonies between Abrahamic religions. Abdullah believes that the Qur’an permits a loving same-sex marriage and a healthy sexual relationship.
. He also holds a position in Oslo, Norway
at Skeiv Verden (Gay World). The Imam has helped organize many parades and marches in honor of those who wish to explore their freedom of discrimination in the United States. He has attempted to create a gay masjid
in Washington D.C., but it failed because there was much fear over what the community would do to those caught attending. Later, in 2011, he helped create a mosque for anyone who wanted to attend in a public library in D.C. The plan is to raise funds to create a mosque of their own where all are free to worship. Since 2000, Abdullah has provided specialized counseling services for Muslims from a wide spectrum of Muslim religious and cultural backgrounds.
. Because Abdullah has the honorable title of imam, it infuriates those who disapprove of homosexuality. Those who disagree with Abdullah claim that he is “perverting and twisting the religion of Allah
". Others hold strong moral issues with the idea of homosexuality, and those who have homosexual urges and feelings are ultimately sinners. Abdullah is referred to as a fascist
who has little regard for the Qur’an and Sunnah
. Although there is much anger over Abdullah, there are also many who agree that Abdullah is abolishing the discrimination in Muslim society and is trying to “bridge the gap between homosexuality and Islam.”
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
that aids in the fight against discrimination and hatred towards homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and Muslims alike. Adbullah is one of the front-runners against the injustice against LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Muslims, through a group called the Al-Fatiha Foundation
Al-Fatiha Foundation
The Al-Fatiha Foundation is an organization which advances the cause of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims. It was founded in 1997 by Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American, and is registered as a nonprofit organization in the United States...
. Although there is much controversy, Abdullah has become very helpful in not only raising awareness of the oppression of homosexuals in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, but also stands as a symbol of hope and proof that one can be gay and Muslim.
Young Life
Abdullah was born in 1954 as Sid Thompson in Detroit, Michigan. His parents supported him, his six older brothers, his younger sister, and his oldest step-sister from his father’s first marriage to find religion despite his parent’s Southern BaptistSouthern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
beliefs. As a child of 8 or 9, his parents permitted him to visit the Synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, Hindu temple
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
, and an assortment of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
denominations. None of these religions he had explored fit him exactly, so he continued to search for a religion he could put his faith into.
When Abdullah was 15, he graduated from high school early because he had gone to summer school most summers. Along with summer school, he and his family traveled around the world so that he could see what the world was truly like. His parents believed that once a member of the family had graduated high school, he was an adult. Knowing this, Abdullah came-out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
to his parents, and was accepted after assuring his parents that they had done nothing wrong. Reflecting on his past, Abdullah recalled that he was always uniquely different from others, even at the age of five; he knew that he loved men. His parents, now both deceased were a source of inspiration and confidence for him growing up. According to Abdullah, his parents were very supportive of all their children and only expected honesty in return.
Adulthood
Abdullah attended Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and studied to be a lawyer. He was even expelled from a Saudi-financed seminary in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
after they discovered he was gay. In 1978 Abdullah went to Washington D.C. for a conference because he was working for Governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
’s office in San Francisco. Then, in 1979 he returned back to D.C. for the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
as one of the coordinators. Because he was a coordinator, he went a week early and then stayed a week later for his vacation only to return a month later. After two weeks in San Francisco, he decided that he wanted to live in D.C.
In the 80’s Abdullah began his tenure at Beijing University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
. He studied the Chinese language and literature, and later Arabic, Arabic Linguistics, North African, and Middle Eastern Studies
Middle Eastern studies
Middle Eastern studies is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is generally interpreted to cover a range of nations extending from North Africa in the west to the Chinese...
, and several years working and studying in Muslim countries. Some of his classmates were from Ürümqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, and were Chinese Muslims. They asked him what he knew of Islam, which lead to being invited to his very first Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Mosque. At this first mosque, Abdullah understood everything that was being said and knew this was the faith he had been searching for. Soon after, around the age of 30, he declared his faith and chose his name: Daayiee Abdullah. The title Imam
Imam (Sunni Islam)
In Sunni Islam, an imam khatib is a leader, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. This compound title is merely a common combination of two elementary offices: leader of the congregational prayer, which in larger mosques is performed at the times of all daily prayers; and...
was not added on until later.
Even Abdullah is not certain exactly when people began calling him Imam. It is estimated that it was sometime in 2000 when he joined the online group Muslim Gay Men. On this forum, there were many who claimed to be gay, but were intent on telling those who needed help that the Qur’an disagreed with their life. Abdullah refuted these comments by explaining that one is to follow the Qur’an first and the Haddith second. Through this he began to gain popularity among homosexuals and allies across the online community.
One of the reasons he had began to be called Imam was because he has performed many ceremonies for people in who were considered pariahs in their community due to illnesses or the gender or religion of the person they wished to marry. A few gay Muslims died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, and no one would do their Janazah. Abdullah also preformed same-sex marriages for men and women and counseling for all couples—heterosexual and homosexual. Along with performing these ceremonies that others would not, he married mixed couples and religiously differing couples who are from the Abrahamic faith
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
. Because the Abrahamic faiths are sister religions, he has a belief that because the Qur’an says those of Abrahamic faith can interact with others of the Abrahamic faith, then it is plausible to marry between religions.
As of 2006, Abdullah was in a long-term relationship of ten years. His partner is actually Christian, which is one of the reasons he performs these religious ceremonies between Abrahamic religions. Abdullah believes that the Qur’an permits a loving same-sex marriage and a healthy sexual relationship.
Involvement
Abdullah is a board member of the round table of Al-Fatiha for several years. In D.C. he is the imam and religious director of Masjid An-Nur Al-Isslaah, the co-director of Muslims for Progressive ValuesProgressive Muslim Union
The Progressive Muslim Union of North America was a liberal Islamic organization. The group officially launched on November 15, 2004 in Manhattan but was disbanded in December 2006...
. He also holds a position in Oslo, Norway
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
at Skeiv Verden (Gay World). The Imam has helped organize many parades and marches in honor of those who wish to explore their freedom of discrimination in the United States. He has attempted to create a gay masjid
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Washington D.C., but it failed because there was much fear over what the community would do to those caught attending. Later, in 2011, he helped create a mosque for anyone who wanted to attend in a public library in D.C. The plan is to raise funds to create a mosque of their own where all are free to worship. Since 2000, Abdullah has provided specialized counseling services for Muslims from a wide spectrum of Muslim religious and cultural backgrounds.
Controversy
Many people disagree with how he lives his life. There are many online organizations that refute much about Abdullah. Most controversial is that he is a gay imam. Organizations like gaymuslims.org refute that there is such a thing as a gay MuslimGay Muslims
Gay Muslims is a Channel 4 documentary about how the experiences of five lesbian and gay Muslims challenge the heterosexual bias within their British communities and illustrate the diversity within Islam.-Background:...
. Because Abdullah has the honorable title of imam, it infuriates those who disapprove of homosexuality. Those who disagree with Abdullah claim that he is “perverting and twisting the religion of Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
". Others hold strong moral issues with the idea of homosexuality, and those who have homosexual urges and feelings are ultimately sinners. Abdullah is referred to as a fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
who has little regard for the Qur’an and Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
. Although there is much anger over Abdullah, there are also many who agree that Abdullah is abolishing the discrimination in Muslim society and is trying to “bridge the gap between homosexuality and Islam.”