Fridae

Abdul Rohman, a faculty member at Indonesian Islamic University, writes in The Jakarta Post that it is imperative to foster dialogue between religious groups and gay communities, and for religious groups to reach out to them and learn how to synchronise their situation with Islam.

Religious authorities in the Indonesian province of Aceh say they are unsure of how to handle a case involving the marriage of two lesbians as same-sex marriages are not dealt with under local Islamic laws.

South African Muhsin Hendricks, who is an openly gay Islamic cleric, runs a foundation called The Inner Circle which helps Muslims who are struggling to accept their sexuality.

Close to 50 people protested the police's inaction by cycling near the park where the scheduled event was to be held but the gathering was cut short after participants were warned that members of the Islamist group bent on breaking up any IDAHO activity were on their way.

Just a month after crashing the ILGA Asia conference in Surabaya, members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI)  forced their way past police and stormed a human rights training program intended for transgender individuals at a hotel in Depok, West Java last Friday.

Despite being shunned by his community, the devout Muslim and PhD candidate in Economics began a new area of study in Islam and homosexuality, and hopes for Muslims to rethink the possibility of consensual, supportive relationships as opposed to violent homosexual rape which he says is what the frequently referred to story of Lut (or Lot) in the Qur'an is about.

Citing a spate of cases involving young women "behaving like men and indulging in lesbian sex" as reported by the Malay language Berita Harian, Malaysia's National Fatwa Council has announced a ban on "tomboyish" behaviour and lesbian relations.

Faisal Alam, founder of Al-Fatiha, warns against the gay media's failure to accurately report on stories which fuels growing Islamaphobia and hatred towards Islamic world; and urges gays and lesbians to view the queer liberation movement through a broader lens of social justice and human rights.