Mazhar Khan is activist in the United Kingdom, and part of Hizbut Tahreer. He discussed the international so called ‘Pride Month’, which has just ended, with Radio Islam.  The colours of the LGBTQ flag have been flashed across the world. The predominance of the symbolism poses a challenge to the way that kind of lifestyle is accepted and the discourse that exists around the movement. Khan has been advising parents as well as Muslim institutes in the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world of the world of how to deal with this challenge. Hafidh Ebrahim Moosa, talking to Khan, mentioned that the rainbow colours representing the LGBTQ movement had become a common sight throughout the month of June. Any social media app opened, every other profile photo, major corporations around the world having changed their colours in apparent solidarity, reflects just how widespread this kind of symbolism was embraced, willingly or unwillingly.

Khan says that globalization has made this possible. He says this is part of a western led global liberal agenda: the symbols are unified across the world, for all the multinationals, all the governments, and that some of the NGOs are using the same branding to push this message, so without even reading a word, or talking about it, you know what the colours represent. Khan said, “So that’s how much it has been pushed across the world through various media platforms and various channels, and it’s put everybody who opposes this on the backfoot in so far as how to defend against this because everybody supports this.” Khan went on further to say that people opposing the LGBTQ etc. movement, feel inhibited as a minority to speak out against it. However, he adds, “I would say this is part of the global liberal agenda, the Western led global liberal agenda, and they are forcing these values that the European and Western people have accepted, but they are going out of their way to push this into Africa, Asia, the Muslim world, and forcing them to accept this.” He says this is a very dangerous and insidious approach, because what it’s actually doing is that it’s not just normalizing and accepting LGBT, but underhandedly getting the world to accept that secularism and liberalism is the de facto objective basis in determining rights for people. He says that while that is not the open debate, it’s assumed by everybody, that this is the way in order to determine rights and responsibilities for the people. Khan emphasized that this was a trap, and an extremely dangerous trap for Muslims, which, unfortunately, many Muslim public speakers and organizations around the world have fallen into. The mistake they have made is this: if we as Muslims living as minorities in the West, demand rights for our belief, then how can we deny the rights of other communities when they demand their rights? Khan said, “So now they’ve defined the LGBT community, as a community, which in itself is a nonsense.” Khan explained, “that’s why so many speakers in America, respected Muslim public speakers, will openly support the cause of LGBT in America, calling for their ‘right’ to have same sex marriages, and their right to be acknowledged and protected by law.” Khan says that they have come to the conclusion that as they demand rights, they cannot deny it to others, “but what the danger is, that we are on the cusp of falling into, is accepting the liberal secular criteria for determining rights and wrongs. The Furqan.” Khan says this is a disaster for the Muslims because once we accept that everybody has a right to define their own community as they please, then we are running coach and horses in our Deen. He elaborated by saying that if we, as Muslims, say that a gay person has the right to a same sex relationship, and same sex marriage, and a man has the right to transform into a woman, and so on, you are saying that is equal to being heterosexual. He adds if a Muslim woman, then says, for example, “I don’t want to dress according to the shari’ah, it’s my right,” you cannot deny that right. Or if a man says, “I want to drink alcohol,” no can deny him that right because if he wants to do that, that’s his freedom. Khan said,” You basically negate the whole concept of Amar bil Ma’ruf wan Nahi Anil Munkar – enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is evil. So, once you accept liberal secular values as the Furqan, you are doing away with Amar bil Ma’ruf wan Nahi Anil Munkar.”

Khan added, “So, we as Muslims we don’t shy away from the fact that we do stand up and we do draw a line to distinguish between right and wrong, and what is wrong is wrong, and what is right is right; and the only Furqan for the whole of humanity is the Divine Guidance for the whole of humanity which Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala sent.” He says that obviously, while the Western world doesn’t accept that, it is still our opportunity to reach out to them and to explain to them that if they did away with Divine Guidance, they could legitimize everything. Khan says that the LGBTQ ideas about it being natural, and backed by science, and that it is about freedom, it is about consent, are very shallow ideas. He says all of these do not stand up to scrutiny. He said,” And the point here is that when you use human intellect to determine right and wrong, you can logically legitimize everything and logically, you can forbid everything.” This in itself is a demonstration that humans have no way to determine right and wrong if not guided by Divine Guidance – Divine Guidance is free from the limitations of this world. Khan says one example he likes to give is: if you can have same sex relationships, why can’t we get married with an animal? He says that people will say,” Oh, you can’t get married to animals, because animals can’t consent.” Khan adds, “But if you apply logic to that you can logically construct an argument, which is hard to argue against. And the argument is, for example, if you say if it’s about consent, then according to every single legal code in the world, murder is a bigger crime than rape. So, if you murder somebody you get a stiffer sentence than raping somebody. So, the question is, if you can murder of an animal to make a kebab, and you don’t ask for its consent; and if you can imprison an animal in a cage and call it your pet, and you can imprison an animal in your house, and train it to be a guard dog or a dog for the blind, without its consent, why do you need consent for marriage then?” This goes to show you that you cannot use logic when it comes to determining right and wrong, or in legislative issues.

Khan says he sees this as a beautiful opportunity to demonstrate why as human beings we need Divine Guidance, the revelation from Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala, because without that we can see where humankind has ended up:  if 50 years ago it was illegal to have same sexual relationships, and now it is legal, there is no guarantee in liberal philosophy. There is no guarantee that marriage with animals will not be legislated in 50 years’ time. Nobody can give you the guarantee that incest or zoophilia, or any other deviant behaviours will not be legalized. We have no guarantee that it will not all be legitimized. Khan said, “So, this in itself is a proof that we need Divine Guidance, so it’s a beautiful opportunity for us not to just cower and not engage in this debate. It’s an opportunity for us to explain to them that this is wrong. And this is what I what I try to do when I speak about this particular issue with Muslims and non-Muslims. It’s a great opportunity.”

Khan says parents have a very important role in engaging with their children regarding the Pride symbolism, but that it’s just for parents, and that it needed to be dealt with at a community level. He added, “parents, need to understand, it’s not enough to tell your kids ‘this is haram and that is haram, stay away from it’ because so much information has been put in their heads to literally legitimize this.” He says if you just talk to them at home, they’re going to start to doubt Islam, which is already happening in the west, where many children are openly becoming murtad, because they are given so much proof as to why liberalism is right. Khan emphasizes that we need to follow the example of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and the example of all the Ambiya, in that we refute what is wrong and assert what is right: La ilaha illa Allah, there is no God except Allah. So, if somebody believes in something you need to deconstruct that, you need to show that that is wrong so they understand and they let go of it. He says, “You can’t just assert what is right, without refuting what’s wrong.”

He says that parents need to have this debate and discussion with their children, and if they feel ill equipped, they need to enlist others, such as Ulama, to help them. He says madrassahs need to address these contemporary issues which are affecting the mindset of the children. Khan asserts that parents need to tell their children, “Freedom is wrong, because nobody’s free. Everybody has to follow the law, nobody’s free, everybody follows the law.” He advises that parent build up their children’s courage, and empower them with knowledge, the importance of which cannot be stressed enough. As a result, they will carry the da’wah to their non-Muslim and to their Muslim friends and protect them. He says madrassahs, out of necessity, must adapt their curriculums to address these values and challenges that child are facing. However, Khan says, most important is the concept of refute and build – refutation and affirmation. He says this is a lesson we learn from the Kalima, La ilaha illAllah, and if we, if we overlook this, then people will still have false ideas and misunderstandings.

Mazhar Khan has put up a YouTube channel where a presentation of the deconstruction process can be found.

Umm Muhammed Umar