July

26, 2021

Open Letter to the American Muslim Community on Social and Political Activism

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving. May Allah send His Blessings and
Peace to His final prophet and messenger, Muhammad.

In light of the current issues being debated in American culture pertaining to sexuality,
gender fluidity and related issues (the LBGT platform), we, a group of leading Islamic scholars and
community leaders in the United States of America, wish to clarify the proper boundaries for social
and political engagement by the Muslim community regarding these issues based on the pristine
guidance of the religion of Islam. While we have focused this advice on the LBGT issue specifically
due to the significant social and political tensions surrounding these issues, the methodology and
guidelines set out in this letter apply generally for activism by Muslims for other issues as well.

Summary of Key Points

- The duty of Muslims with regards to social and political activism in society is to command
what is good and prevent what is evil. It is also to be witnesses to humanity for the message
of the Prophet Muhammad (S).

- Muslims may never be involved with promoting or normalizing major sins in Islam such as
homosexual acts, contravening gender identity, adultery, fornication, or otherwise.

- On an interpersonal level, the Islamic values of compassion, care, kindness and respect for
all human beings should govern a Muslim’s dealings with others on these issues.

- Political and social alliances in the United States with groups outside the Muslim
community are generally permissible, including potentially with LBGT activists, however
such alliances must adhere to numerous conditions including (i) making the moral
teachings of Islam clear, (ii) avoiding any promotion or normalization of actions that are
displeasing to Allah SWT, and (iii) not being motivated merely by a desire to “fit in” to a
dominant culture, material wealth, or political power.

- In pursuit of its social and political interests in the United States, the Muslim community
must exercise extreme care and caution to avoid adopting the framework of
postmodernism currently dominant in American higher education and progressive culture
as this philosophy is in contradiction to the teachings of Islam.

What is the role of Muslims in society in general?

The ideal role for Muslims in any society which we should all aspire towards individually, as
families, and as a community is described in the Quran:

You (the true believers) are the best community brought forward for humanity. You command
what is good and forbid what is wrong and you believe in God (Qur’an 3:110).

Put simply, Muslims are called to be the best group in any society due to their working for
what is good and working against what is reprehensible. While Allah SWT has purposely used general
language in this verse of the Qur’an and therefore there may be a wide range of issues that sincere
Muslims may debate regarding what is good and what is wrong in a particular context, it is a
fundamental pillar of our faith that nothing which Allah SWT or His Messenger (S) have clearly
prohibited can be good and nothing which Allah SWT or His Messenger (S) have clearly commanded
can be reprehensible. This means that the beliefs and rules of Islam that have been unanimously
confirmed by all generations of Muslims, from the time of our Prophet Muhammad (S) to the present
time, establish important boundaries for the limits of what can be debated as good or evil by any
society and to transgress these boundaries is a grave matter and violation of Islam’s teachings.

Similarly, Allah SWT says in the Qur’an, And We (Allah) appointed you (the Muslim community)
as a middle nation so you may be witnesses to mankind and the Messenger may be a witness unto you
(Quran 2:143). This means that just as the Prophet Muhammad (S) will be a witness in front of God
on the Day of Judgement that he (S) delivered God’s final message to the Muslims, Muslims are
required to be witnesses to this message for mankind as mediators between the teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (S) and humanity. This is a sacred duty entrusted to the Muslim community until the end
of time on this Earth as Prophet Muhammad (S) was the last and final messenger from God to
humanity, so now it is only the Muslim community that can uphold the teachings of Islam in every
generation as a guidance for all humanity. Any corruption or deviance in the teachings of Islam which
is accepted by the Muslim community, therefore, is not only a grave danger for Muslims for failing to
live up to the responsibility God has placed upon Muslims, but it is also a failure of the community’s
responsibility to humanity for representing the ultimate truth which guides people to true happiness
and success in this life and the next.

What are the teachings of Islam with regards to homosexuality, gender identity, and other
related issues?

Based on the direct teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, homosexuality (committing the
sexual act) is a major sin in Islam. The religion of Islam legislates that permissible sexual relationships
are only between a man and a woman bound by marriage. Any sexual relationships and acts outside
of this, whether adultery in violation of a valid marriage, fornication between unmarried men and
women, or homosexual acts between men or between women, are clearly prohibited. Modern
discussions about biological causes for such actions are not relevant in Islamic teachings as even if
the debatable science is accepted on this point, the fact that a person is born with a particular sexual
desire or orientation does not justify taking actions that are prohibited in Islam, just as being born
with desires or orientation towards other sins does not provide justification for such acts. Allah SWT
is free to create as He pleases and can test humans as He pleases with a wide range of desires to see
who can submit their desires to Allah’s desires.

Likewise, the Qur’an makes it clear that Allah SWT has created mankind in pairs, male and
female, and that from this pair, humanity is propagated. There is no third or neutral category that
Allah SWT created and many critical rules of Islam dealing with worship, marriage, family law, dress,
and other matters make important distinctions between men and women. Allah SWT is the one who
creates and the created human is not the one who “chooses” his or her gender identity. Islamic law
has always recognized the minority cases of people born with hormonal or physical complications in
the reproductive organs and can accommodate ethical, compassionate and just rules for such rare
cases of mixed gendered persons, but this is a far cry from the current discussions about gender
fluidity and choice and the issues should not be confused.

This summary of the position of Islam on these matters is unanimous and without any doubt
throughout the history of Islam and in fact, throughout the history of Allah SWT’s revelations to
mankind beginning with the Prophet Adam (AS).

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What is the position of Islam regarding someone that has homosexual desires, engages in
homosexual acts, or has uncertain feelings regarding their gender?

Islam is the religion of Divine Mercy and Allah SWT is the Most-Forgiving. The Qur’an states
that, Allah does not place a burden on a soul greater than that which it can bear (Qur’an 2:28) . As the
Creator of every human, God has not only given each person different abilities and challenges in life
through which to test them, but He has also provided guidance and Divine support for any person to
overcome their shortcomings and enter into obedience of God’s Will if they so choose. So long as a
person in engaged in sincere struggle and effort to obey God, there is no sin too grave for God’s Mercy
and this is despite how unsuccessful our efforts at reform may be. In a well-known hadith qudsi
(sacred narration) of the Prophet Muhammad (S), he (S) says:

Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive
you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of
the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come
to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I
would bring you forgiveness equal to it.

Accordingly, on an individual level, it is critical to know that someone who is a Muslim and
has homosexual desires or engages in homosexual acts is not outside the fold of Islam and has a God
given potential to be amongst the best of Muslims if they sincerely work to reform themselves. In this
sense, there is no difference between a Muslim who commits the sins of lying, fornication, cheating,
being abusive to one’s family, failing to uphold the required worship in Islam, etc. or homosexual acts.
All of these matters are displeasing to God and require repentance and resolve to change. The role of
Muslims in such cases is to counsel each other to good and assist each other with love and kindness
to overcome the many shortcomings we may face in our relationship with God. These high manners
and respect for human dignity are in fact required for all people, regardless of their faith or actions
as an Islamic norm.

As to having homosexual desires specifically, this is in and of itself not a sin and is only a sin
when acted upon. In fact, if a person has a desire that is displeasing to Allah SWT and they do not act
upon it, they are rewarded for this effort to abstain from committing a sin, so this desire can be a
source of many rewards in the sight of God if handled properly. Similarly, having confused feeling
about one’s gender is not a sin. As a general rule, a person must identify with and subject themselves
to the religious rules for the gender determined by their physical organs at time of birth and the
person will be rewarded for their efforts to obey such rules despite any confused or contradictory
feelings about their gender. Certain cases of people born with hormonal or physical attributes of both
genders can be addressed through consultation with medical, psychological, and Islamic experts in
the field.

What are the appropriate guidelines for Muslims to follow in engaging with the current social
and political activism in the United States regarding these issues?

Given the responsibility that Muslims have in society for promoting good and preventing
what is reprehensible as defined by the rules of Islam, and the responsibility to be witnesses to
society for the message of the Prophet Muhammad (S), any public engagement on the issues
surrounding sexual orientation, gender identity and related issues must be considered with great
care prior to taking any action. Under no circumstances, and regardless of any perceived social or
political benefits, Muslims cannot be seen to be promoting lifestyles and behavior which are clearly
displeasing to Allah SWT.

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As a general matter, Muslims are naturally free to publicly engage in social and political
matters in accordance with the legal and political norms of the United States. The legal and political
protections afforded citizens of the United States to express and advocate for their viewpoints on
important social issues is a great benefit to Muslims and a solemn responsibility towards society.
Accordingly, there is no problem Islamically with such engagements per se, but rather, any public
positions taken by Muslims are judged by the specific issue at hand. In other words, depending on
the specific circumstances and facts of the engagement, such actions can be deemed praiseworthy or
reprehensible based on the criterion of Islam, so Muslims should strive to exercise their legal and
political rights in the United States in ways that promote the good and prevent what is reprehensible.

On the issues of LBGT activism, there is an important difference between respecting civil
liberties for all and promoting certain behaviors as “good,” “acceptable,” “natural,” and so on. Muslims
have a vested interest in promoting religious and civic liberties for all people in the United States and
this can include fighting discrimination targeting homosexuals and transgender people, for example,
under appropriate circumstances. However, the line between efforts to fight discrimination for basic
civil right in society such as education, housing, jobs, and healthcare on the one hand, and promoting
the normalization of homosexuality through “marriage equality”, encouraging people to identify
openly as LBGT, making changes in education curriculum, using media campaigns and slogans such
as “gay pride” or “free love” on the other hand, is what matters most for Muslims. There can be no
justification for Muslims to be a part of campaigns, coalitions, or other public statements and efforts
that seek to celebrate or normalize activities which are displeasing to Allah SWT and clearly
condemned in Islam. This is a violation of the most fundamental duty Muslims have to Allah SWT
with regards to their public role in society and a violation of their most fundamental duty to their
society to represent the truth of Islam.

One objection to this general advice often heard by Islamic scholars is that Muslims in
America are under attack from right wing or conservative elements of society and are forced into an
alliance with the progressive left wing of an increasingly polarized society to protect their civil
liberties. Muslims must be very careful not to base their political actions based on conjecture and
emotions such as fear or based on political spin instead of well-studied and analyzed facts. There is
no doubt that there has been an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment, prejudice and hate crimes in the
United States since the deplorable attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 which must be taken seriously, but to
what extent are these concerns actually prevalent in society and to what extent is this an actual
physical or legal threat to Muslims? Have Muslims who live in predominantly urban and left leaning
political environments consulted with Muslim communities that live in more rural or conservative
political environments to get a more accurate assessment of the perceived threat to Muslims?
Further, to what extent are efforts with conservatives, especially other religious groups that share
the same concerns, also an avenue to address these concerns effectively and promote new
understandings between Muslims and these communities?

In all cases, while we wish to point out that the strategic analysis by Muslim organizations
engaged in public affairs is often missing, highly partisan or lacking in political and social imagination,
the moral reality is that Islam does not permit the promotion of sinful actions by a Muslim even under
the most severe circumstances as Muslims have a duty to bear the hardships required to promote the
truth1. Put simply, a loosely examined and unestablished conjecture that Muslims will suffer losses

1
The rare legal exception of when a Muslim can profess disbelief or engage in haram actions in order to save their
life from immediate peril is outside the scope of discussion for this statement and is far from the reality facing
Muslims in the United States in any event.

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in civil liberties or other social harms if they do not join groups that promote the normalization of
homosexuality, even if assumed to be true, does not justify such actions. Suffering hardship and not
“fitting in” to popular culture in service of the truth is the general rule that Allah SWT has established
for all the prophets and their communities throughout human history. With the great educational,
economic, legal, and other material benefits experienced by the majority of Muslims in the United
States, especially in comparison to other Muslims globally and throughout history, the claims and
fears of suffering by Muslims in America to justify alliances with political and social groups that have
express agendas contrary to the goals of Islam are not credible and seem to be based more so in the
fear of loss of material and social gain within the dominant culture of the United States.

It is also critical to note that within the responsibility to promote good and prevent what is
reprehensible, there is no affirmative obligation upon Muslims to speak out publicly on these issues
as remaining silent to avoid a greater harm, such as loss of a job, may also be a valid moral position
in Islam when faced with such circumstances.2 In such cases, the decision to refrain from engagement
on these issues is also a form of enduring hardship for the cause of Islam if motivated by wisdom and
strategy as opposed to a lack of courage. In other words, the duty to speak out on these issues
becomes an obligation only when Muslims decide to take public positions on these issues or form
alliances with groups that have public positions on these issues because without clarifying the correct
position of Islam, there is a grave danger that uninformed Muslims and society at large may believe
that Muslims and the religion of Islam accept the promotion and normalization of such activities.

When the distinction between defending civil rights and promoting values is understood, and
when a Muslim has examined and clarified their intentions and motivations so that pursuit of worldly
gain is not put over their obligations to the truth of Islam, Muslims may reasonably differ over
whether alliances with LBGT groups or the Democratic Party, for example, are beneficial for their
social and political interests due to their specific circumstances. In such cases when alliances are
pursued with groups with highly problematic positions for Muslims, it is critical that Muslims make
it clear that they do not support the elements of the agenda that promote normalization or promotion
of sins in Islam. This can be done by simply issuing formal statements clarifying the same or forming
Muslim interest groups or caucuses within the political party which highlight the agenda points that
the Muslims agree with and the agenda points that the Muslims do not agree with. If this basis for
cooperation is accepted by the others, then the Muslim groups have fulfilled the minimum duty of
clarifying their moral position and may pursue such alliances. If, however, this principled approach
is not accepted by the political party or other groups then cooperation with such groups is not
permissible and Muslim groups should ask themselves why such statements are not accepted by such
groups who promote “diversity” and respecting differences of opinion.

It should also be noted that while this paper is focused on the LBGT and related issues, the
approach and methodology set out is applicable to all issues of public engagement for Muslims in
America. Whether it is homosexuality, abortion, racism, poverty, or any other moral issues, public
engagement and alliances must be governed by the same criterion outlined here. If the Republican
Party, for example, is found to have official statements in its party platform that violate clear,
unanimous teachings of Islam, then a similar approach of creating Muslim caucuses that outline the
areas of agreement and disagreement must be taken by Muslims who wish to cooperate and support
Republicans in order to avoid promoting that which is reprehensible.

2
The Prophet Muhammad (S) stated in a well-known hadith: Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with
his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then (let him change it) with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then
with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.

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One word of caution and importance in our advice is that enjoining the good and working
against the reprehensible as a religious duty is only applicable to agreed-upon (i.e., unanimous)
matters in Islamic Law. This means that the duty and advice we set out here is for matters that are
not subject to reasonable differences of opinion amongst Islamic scholars or for matters which are
outside the scope of religious law altogether. In other words, the measures we are advising here are
meant only for the most clear and major issues under Islamic Law throughout history and which
require Muslims to take strong and possibly highly unpopular stands without regards to the practical
political calculations. This advice is not applicable for the majority of policy level issues debated in
society which Allah SWT has intentionally not provided clear and specific rules for, as such matters
are subject to specific and ever-changing circumstances and therefore reasonable Muslims with good
intentions can disagree about such issues. So, for example, while Islam has a clear, unanimous opinion
on homosexuality, abortion without valid reason, racism, and neglecting duties to the poor for basic
welfare as being sinful, the religion of Islam does not offer any specific policy level guidance for how
to best address the problems of poverty or racism in the United States, what the specific level of
minimum wage should be, whether America should have greater public or private healthcare,
whether America should charge higher or lower taxes and so on. It is important for Muslim activist
not to promote such policy level issues as “Islamic” or not since this erroneously and harmfully
politicizes the religion of Islam which is meant to encompass and be a guiding light for people on all
sides of such debates. Muslims are free to differ with one another regarding these matters and
regarding the best means to achieve such goals which can include supporting one political party over
the other, supporting both political parties, or not participating in politics at all, amongst many other
potential strategies within and outside politics.

A Final Note on the Intellectual Backdrop to the Current Cultural Crisis in the United States

In concluding this paper, we must point out larger historical issues operating in the
background of the current cultural battles in the United States. Since at least the 1960s (although the
roots of this development go back to the last few centuries of Western philosophy), American culture
has gone through self-described “revolutions” against the traditional cultural norms and beliefs of
Western Christianity. Due in part to the disillusionment of Americans with its history of slavery and
racism, treatment of Native Americans, the futility of its global wars, severe economic inequality, and
many other understandable reasons such as the gap between religious ideals for society and practice,
a countercultural and critical revolution took hold with Americans that sought to dismantle the
values of traditional Western Christianity instead of aspiring to uphold such ideals in a more moral
and egalitarian spirit. This countercultural revolution attacked religion, family, and tradition in
general. The “sexual” revolution, for example, separated sex from commitment to a spouse and child
rearing into an individual “liberty” free from the “oppression” of religion or culture to regulate. Any
natural biological differences between genders were denied and claimed to be tools of oppression of
women by men and so on. “Truth” and “morality” are believed to be purely subjective and relative
under the current dominant intellectual movement called postmodernism. This all culminated in the
normalization of homosexuality, calls to dismantle gender as a category and many constantly
evolving attempts to eradicate traditional notions of truth, morality, religion and culture. In
summary, Western culture developed from defining liberty as self-governance through self-
discipline, virtue, and adherence to higher religious or natural laws to defining liberty as maximum
“freedom” from religious, legal, cultural, intellectual, or even biological restraints.

These intellectual trends have created two highly problematic and polarizing forces in
American society. The first being a progressive, left wing which bases its worldview and social
activism agenda on the postmodernist theory described above and the other being a reactionary,

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populist, right wing movement which, fueled by its opposition to the cultural agenda of the left, seeks
to attack the democratic system that allows for such changes to take hold. Neither approach is in line
with Islamic values and teachings for society which stress upholding fundamental, God-given truths
in society and not participating politically in any movements that are extreme, polarizing, or
disruptive to society at large as Islam is the middle way and meant to accommodate as wide a range
of people and views as possible through fairness, mercy, and justice in order to engender peace and
harmony in society, not division and polarization.3

While both political trends currently dominating American society are unacceptable for
Muslims for the reasons given here, Muslims in America must be particularly focused on the
intellectual and moral dangers of the progressive left since the majority of Muslims in America live
in urban or other areas that are dominated by this group. This demographic fact as well as the
perception or reality of the conservatives in America being opposed to minority groups has led to
many Muslim individuals and organizations forming political alliances with progressive groups and
adopting, therefore, the “identity politics,” “critical theories,” language, and agenda of the progressive
left with little to no examination of the religious merits of doing so. A real and foreseeable danger of
this alliance is that Islam could soon be redefined by new generations of American Muslims to be in
line with the “liberal” or “reformed” American Christians and Jews who have reinterpreted their
religious teachings to accommodate the progressive left agenda as correct in their religion. Muslims
must fulfill their duty to God and to society by enduring hardships and exerting all intellectual and
social efforts to protect the correct understanding of Islam for themselves and future generations of
American Muslims. The American Muslim community must seek new strategies through the blessings
of God to work with wisdom and uprightness with all elements of American society for promoting
the good and preventing the reprehensible.


In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of All
the Worlds. The All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving. The Master of the Day of Judgement. We worship You
(Allah) alone and we seek assistance from You (Allah) alone. Guide us to the Straight Path, the path of
those whom You (Allah) have blessed, not of those with whom You (Allah) are angry or those who are
lost (in their path) (Al-Fatiha, The Opening Chapter of the Qur’an).

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It is in this spirit that the authors of this letter choose to remain anonymous because we do not want to subject
our names to politicization and personal attacks instead of focusing on the issues discussed in this letter. At the same
time, we encourage any Muslim individual and organization that wishes to promote this letter publicly to do so if
they choose. Whereas Muslim activists who have decided to make public alliances with others have a duty to clarify
the position of Islam on the various issues being promoted in their alliances, individual Muslims in the United States
have no such burden and rather, have a legal right and moral duty to protect themselves from discrimination or
other harm due to their sincere religious beliefs and may remain silent on these issues or speak publicly as their
individual circumstances permit.