Toronto Mosque Welcomes Non-Muslims And LGBT Community To Ramadan Feast
The Toronto Unity Mosque, or the El-Tawhid Juma Circle, has opened its doors to the LGBT community and people of other faiths during its annual Peace Iftar, a meal eaten at the end of the day’s Ramadan fast, on June 19. According to a report from CBC, the Unity Mosque aims to be a space that is welcoming to anyone.
Mosque Founder El-Farouk Khaki said that it was important to him and his co-founders that the Unity Mosque was an inclusive “intentional space designed to actually bring everyone into it.”
“There’s a notion, I think, out there that Muslim spaces are not welcoming, that they’re not inclusive, that they don’t embrace non-Muslims, or that women or LGBTQI people are somehow not welcome.”
In the wake of the Orlando shooting, anti-Muslim sentiment has once again been rising, with many using the tragedy to attack Muslims as being “anti-LGBT.” Even the presidential hopefuls, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump, all took advantage of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy as further “evidence” that America must destroy ISIS.
“Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance,” said Trump on Twitter.
Bernie Sanders, before starting his press conference, said that “Our hearts, and condolences, go out to the the families of the fifty-plus people who lost their lives in this unbelievably horrific mass-murder… it goes without saying, to my mind, that ISIS must be destroyed.”
El-Farouk Khaki shared his own thoughts on the Orlando shooting with CBC.
“There are a lot of contradictions in this community. We acknowledge those Muslims, that are prone to radical or violent perpetuation of Islam, are only a small percentage.”
“I woke up to a text message from a friend of mine who is a gay man but not Muslim…
“But also he was concerned about the repercussions and the backlash because the shooter has a Muslim name. Islam has been brought into this and with it the entire Muslim population. We’ve seen in the past that the actions of a few isolated individuals have resulted in a backlash, and more mistrust and more anger and more hatred, and more frustration from all parties. We need to be careful not to give in to that.”
Khaki wants to show everyone that “Islam is not a monolith” and promote peace and understanding. On the extreme end of the spectrum of marginalized groups in Canada, he is openly gay, a visible minority, and a Muslim.
He expressed his concerns about the shooting, and how it would affect everyone, saying that he thinks we are living in a time of greater stereotypes and hostility toward Muslims, and particularly LGBTQ Muslims who “walk this line between two communities” — but he hopes that they can also “act as bridges and ambassadors.”
“No matter how you slice it, the denial of human rights and dignity (call for) a jihad, a struggle against oppression and injustice,” he says. “Our biggest enemy is our perpetuating invisibility. By being invisible, your existence is denied.”
“The one thing taught by my parents is God’s forgiveness. Why would God create gay men to be second-class citizens? Why did he create them only to have them condemned?”
Khaki says that he’s received some criticism from people who don’t support the Unity Mosque’s ideology, but that Islam is flexible, and changes along with the culture. His mosque seeks to respond to the beliefs of the (fairly large) community of progressive Muslims in Canada.
“I think no matter how awful stuff like this is, maybe we have no other choice but to try to find how we can move forward together and hope that there is some reconciliation for the future.”
[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
