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Show compassion when dealing with LGBTQ community, says Muslim scholar
Sean Augustin -April 12, 2021 1:01 PM
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Prominent Turkish scholar Mustafa Akyol believes those in the LGBTQ community shoud be treated as ‘equal citizens with rights’. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: A prominent Turkish scholar said compassion in Islam should be brought to the fore when dealing with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

Mustafa Akyol said Muslims should understand that LGBTQ individuals endure a difficult life.

“They come with an inborn inclination which sees them harassed and looked down upon.

“I think the compassion of Islam, the respect of Islam should come to the fore,” he said at a webinar titled “Freedom and Tolerance in Islam: Why We Need Some Rethinking”, organised by G25 and Edunity Foundation.

Akyol, however, stated that he was not saying that Islam believes every sexual behaviour is morally right, adding that the religion also frowns upon pre-marital sex.

But, he said, a distinction needs to be made between Islam morally approving a certain behaviour and that of the people who have that certain behaviour as they are equal citizens with rights.

He said Islam could say that these kinds of sexual relationships were “not right from our moral perspective”, adding that Sunni jurisprudence “isn’t very liberal”.

“I think regardless of their lifestyle, they should be treated equally as citizens with their human rights,” he said.

Meanwhile, recalling his 2017 arrest by religious authorities, Akyol said the shariah court judge and “religious police” had asked him several times if he had cited a Quranic verse about there being no religious compulsion in Islam during his talk.

At that time, he said, he could not understand why the authorities were uncomfortable with a Muslim quoting a verse in the Holy Book.

But then he found out from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ‘s (Jakim) website that the translation of the specific verse was “given with some editing”.

“Jakim writes it differently. ‘There shall be no compulsion in religion (becoming a Muslim)’ . That statement of becoming a Muslim is not in the verse but inserted in the translation,” he said.

He said this made a lot of difference, as the original verse gave the impression that religion should be based on freedom, including the freedom for people to embrace Islam or vice versa.

It also meant that there was no compulsion to adhere to religious obligations like fasting as it was “between you and God”.

Akyol believed Jakim wanted to prevent such an interpretation and so decided to insert such a clause.

He, however, said Jakim was not the only authority that did this, as he had seen other modern translations in the Quran that also featured such a clause.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...muslim-scholar/

🇲🇾 'Lesbian, pondan' - Netizens find more questionable articles on MOH education portal



After coming under fire for a victim-blaming article on sexual harassment, members of the public have highlighted more questionable write-ups - this time concerning homosexuality - on the Health Ministry’s public health portal.

One article in 2013 claims that women tend to become lesbian if they “prioritise their career”.

It also claims women who “further their studies” in a female-centric environment could turn into lesbians...

Full article at: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/570635

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Added on
Thankfully the article have been removed. 

🇲🇾🇹🇼 Overseas release brings Malaysian LGBTQ film to the screen
Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Arts/Over...m-to-the-screen



KUALA LUMPUR -- "We were well aware from the start that the subject matter would have had its challenges in Malaysia and most other Asian territories," says Jin Ong, the producer of "Miss Andy" (2020), a Malaysian-Taiwanese film about the life of a transgender woman living in Kuala Lumpur. The film was released in Taiwan on Jan. 8 to circumvent a likely ban in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, where the LGBTQ community still struggles for equality.

Directed by Teddy Chin, "Miss Andy" follows in the footsteps of controversial Malaysian Chinese filmmakers such as Lau Kek Huat and Wee Meng Chee (also known as Namewee). Both also turned to Taiwan, one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in Asia, to release films that could not be screened in straight-laced Malaysia, where gay and transgender activity remain taboo topics.

The community rejoiced on Feb. 25, when the Federal Court -- Malaysia's highest judicial body -- unexpectedly invalidated a Selangor State law that criminalized "intercourse against the order of nature." The court's ruling that the law was unconstitutional was hailed as a historic development by Malaysian gay rights activist Numan Afifi. But LGBTQ activity remains largely illegal, and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional government has recently strengthened criminal penalties.

Cinema and the visual arts are under particular scrutiny. For example, a 2018 ruling by the Malaysian film censorship board reinforced earlier restrictions, ensuring that movie content concerning LGBTQ activity is likely to be deleted. As a consequence, films like "Miss Andy" that expose the sad reality of one of Southeast Asia's most shunned communities can only be shown in foreign markets. 

"Miss Andy," produced by MM2 Entertainment of Singapore, is one of the first Malaysian films to use a mak nyah (Malay slang for a transgender woman) as a protagonist. The film has been in the can for more than a year because of its controversial topic and cinema closures caused by COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

"While it's shot in Malaysia, the issues that plague the transgender community are common in a lot of other places, and Taiwan being one of Asia's most LGBTQ-friendly countries made it the perfect launchpad for the film to highlight their plight," says Jin.

"Miss Andy" follows a handful of earlier Malaysian LGBTQ films. "Bukak Api" (2000) directed by Osman Ali, was the first independent documentary to depict the life of Malaysian transgender people, and "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone" (2006), a Malaysian-Taiwanese coproduction directed by Tsai Ming-Liang, depicted the homosexual attraction that a Bengali migrant worker develops for a homeless man to whom he gives shelter.

"Waris Jari Hantu" (2007) by Suhaimi Baba mixed supernatural folklore with the story of a man who wants to become a woman and eventually undergoes a sex change operation. "Dalam Botol" (2011), directed by Khir Rahman, tells the story of a gay man who changes his sex to please his partner, and then regrets his decision when the latter falls in love with another girl.

"Miss Andy" casts a powerful light on the tribulations that LGBTQ people must face daily in one of the Southeast Asian nations that disregards them the most. In the film, 55-year-old Andy, played by Lee Lee-zen,completes his transition into a woman called Evon five years after the death of his wife. Andy's son and daughter cannot cope with the shame of having a transgender father, and shun Evon. If that was not enough, the degrading sex work that Evon must resort to in order to make ends meet turns grimmer and more violent day after day.

The film's opening scene pulls no punches as we follow Evon from the street, where she is almost killed for refusing to service a client, to a police station where she is harassed and ordered to strip naked in front of a group of foul-mouthed Malay officers who want to body-search her.

But sweet-natured Evon is far from being the monster that society thinks she is. Although she needs income from sex work to pay the bills she owns a decent home, and has regular work driving a delivery van. She has friends too, including a joyful fellow trans woman and a handsome and gentle work companion called Teck (Jack Tan), who is hearing impaired and with whom she shares a feeling of being a "lesser" human.

"Prior to doing research for this particular film, I didn't know that the LGBTQ community faces legal challenges in Malaysia," says Lee. "A heterosexual person can conduct himself/herself in a normal and courageous way when it comes to his/her pursuit of love. So why are LGBTQ individuals, [who are] also perfectly normal people, forbidden from loving someone of their choice and doing things of their interest," says Lee.

"But all of the above is forbidden in Malaysia, as well as many other countries, which is very saddening to me."

The movie's plot also incorporates the evergreen issue of illegal migration to Malaysia. Evon gets a chance to regain some balance in her life when she serendipitously meets Sophia (Ruby Lin), an illegal Vietnamese worker, and her son Kang (Kyzer Tou). Starving, and on the run from Sophia's abusive husband, the two gladly accept Evon's assistance and end up becoming her housemates -- a choice that leads to a new set of bittersweet consequences.

"Miss Andy" earned international acclaim at several movie festivals in 2020, including the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, the Kaohsiung Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. But it is unlikely to receive a premiere in Malaysia, where LGBTQ themes are mostly embraced only by independent film producers.

"As a filmmaker, it would be amazing to see my work change public opinion and making a direct/measurable impact on larger society," says Kuala Lumpur-based LGBTQ activist and filmmaker Justice Khor, whose short film "Lonesome" (2020) focused on Malaysian LGBTQ people's experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown in what he describes as "a metaphor [for] LGBTQ's oppressions & experience."

"Lonesome" was funded and showcased by the Southeast Asia Queer Cultural Festival 2021, an online virtual festival in February and early March organized by ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a network of human rights activists from Southeast Asia.

Khor, who says his immediate priority is to create content that rings true to the Malaysian LGBTQ community and to himself, laments Malaysia's strict censorship laws. "I doubt [that] my work, [which] actively presents important social and political issues, would survive their cuts," he says, referring to the country's film censorship board.

Chen Yih Wen, a Kuala Lumpur-based director whose "Eyes on the Ball" (2019) depicted the story of a visually impaired Malaysian football team, also took up LGBTQ issues in the short film "She Ain't Heavy, She's My Brother" (2017) about a Malaysian Chinese trans man. Chen is now completing a documentary called "Shh...Diam!" about a celebrated Malaysian LGBTQ punk rock band.

Chen has also secured support from outside Malaysia -- "Shh...Diam!" is being produced by Alex Lee, co-founder of the Doc Edge Film Festival in New Zealand, with Hong Kong-based director Ruby Yang, winner of an Oscar in 2006 for "The Blood of Yingzhou District" (2006) as creative producer. It also has the backing of the Hong Kong Documentary Initiative.

"With the release of ["Shh...Diam!"] we plan to run an impact campaign to provide a positive portrayal of the community and spark change in perception and attitude towards LGBTQ people, and that there will be legal recognition for them," says Chen. "We hope the film can be used as an educational toolkit to discuss queer issues in a supportive environment with professional and guided knowledge."

He's hot! And the way he is very passionate about transgender rights makes me love him even more.

Feel free to post anything LGBTQ-related in this thread. I myself have posted things that are border-line gossipy in the past so I don't think it's really an issue.

Unless you meant something with less substance like thirst traps? I was thinking of opening a thread the other day in Hnggghhh centered around male thirst traps but never had the chance/courage to do so.

That's true but we can argue that MAIS have no proof that their program is effective too because even if they claim hundreds are "healed" through their program the "converts" can still live their authentic lives behind closed doors. 

My approach is always to give a proper reply to any posts in this thread whether it is good or bad.

I've tried hiding posts which I don't agree with in the past but on hindsight that's a bad decision because it makes me look like I'm surrendering or something. Because of that, I've decided that if a post requires no reply then I will just ignore it and move on with my life.

Of course, if you guys come across any flaming/trolling posts, feel free to report it to the moderators. It's their job to keep not just this thread but the entire forum a place for healthy discussion so I trust their judgement whatever that may be.
The thread did got deleted, but he claimed he wasn't banned at all. We just have to learn to live with him since he's not going anywhere I guess.