Muslim, and Pro-Gay Marriage

Two weeks ago, Maryland's first elected Muslim politician, Saqib Ali, a State Delegate from Montgomery County, penned an opinion article in which he unequivocally stated his support for marriage equality. Ali recognized that his support for marriage equality ran counter to the beliefs held by many of his conservative Muslim friends and family members.  But Ali recognized that as a legislator, he represented many people of many different faiths.  Here's his words:

My stance on this issue isn't politically expedient. I am the first Muslim in the legislature. Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Islam. As such I have evinced much grief from my most conservative supporters.

But I recognize that I represent people of all faiths and no faith at all. If I tried to enforce religion by law — as in a theocracy — I would be doing a disservice to my both constituents and to my religion.

Huh, maybe the National Organization for Marriage or the Maine Catholic Church should read Ali's words a couple times.

Ali was also interviewed by NPR today, and he re-iterated his support for same-sex marriage.

What I feel is that people have elected me to not only do what is popular, but to do what is right.  If people would have only done what is popular, we probably never would have had the Civil Rights Act of the 1960s, and lots of other good ideas...

Six states out of 50 have already recognized full same-sex marriage....it's only a matter of time.  I believe by 2011 we'll have legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland, and lots of other states.  This is a tide that is building.

Ali is quite interesting.  He admits to NPR that his position is simply political, not religious.  As it were, he believes that his religion does prohibit marriage equality and what he calls "homosexual acts."  But he sees civil marriage as a state issue separate from whatever religious folks might think of marriage.

Certainly, it's a welcome sign that another politician is able to decipher the difference between the words "civil" and the words "religious" when it comes to marriage.  But it is also interesting that Ali uses such blanket language like "prohibits" when he refers to Islam's position on homosexuality.  Several groups, like Imaan.org in the United Kingdom, would seemingly take issue with that statement.  They have an excellent FAQ section on their site that addresses some of what they consider misunderstandings when it comes to the issue of homosexuality, marriage and Islam.  Imaan.org asks the question, "Can Gays Marry?" And here's their answer:

The Quran’s references to marriage obviously relate to heterosexual couples. But could Islam bless homosexual loving relationships? As discussed previously, traditional Islamic views have condemned homosexuality without much thought. However, the analysis at the top of the page has showed how the Quran may well not condemn homosexual love. Taking this into account, the principles of love, companionship and comfort in marriage may be applied to Muslim gays and lesbians.

To say that Islam accepts gay marriage is not only controversial, but certainly needs more discussion than the few lines written here. However, in discussing such an issue, it is certainly important to note that there are gender-neutral areas in the Quran that refer to companionship and love...

It's certainly a subject that's up for debate.  Still, given State Delegate Ali's more conservative faith position on homosexuality, it's refreshing to see a legislator separate their faith from their politics.  It's also refreshing to hear his prediction that by 2011, Maryland might join the list of states that recognize same-sex marriage.