I read an article a few days ago by Reza Aslan and Hasan Minhaj about how it's believed Muslims should be handling the news about additional LGBT rights. If you don't know who they are, you should check them out. Reza Aslan is a scholar of religions (and a beautifully built man that I wish would marry me), while Hasan Minhaj is a correspondent for the Daily Show starring Jon Stewart (who I also adore).
Anyway--the two of them brought up an interesting point. With the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, they say that they recognize that this puts some Muslims in an awkward and uncomfortable position. “[M]any of you are scandalized by the ruling (we know because you keep Tweeting about it), and many more of you are equally perturbed but have chosen to keep it to yourself,” they write. “With all the rainbow flag waving and self-congratulatory pats on the back this country is giving itself right now, you don’t need another reason for Americans to dislike you.” They then go on to say that if Muslims try to react the same way many Christians did (which wasn't very well) then, “you may end up in Guantanamo. So you’re staying quiet. You may not like the Supreme Court’s decision but you’re willing to tolerate it.”
They bring up a good point. When you're a part of a community of people that is generally not accepted in the United States (Muslims in this case), its hard to voice your opinions on controversial topics. Christian communities can do this because America is pretty much a Christian nation, and while Christians are associated with America in general, Muslims are wrongly associated with being terrorists, and just aren't quite as popular here for the most part.
That's how it is for all minorities: any time you try to voice your opinion on something, people, especially those with power in the majority, are quick to try to shut you down. So, the message Aslan and Minhaj are trying to send to those Muslims is one of solidarity with the LGBT community. “[w]hen you are an under-represented minority—whether Muslim, African-American, female, etc.—democracy is an all-or-nothing business. You fight for everyone’s rights. or you get none for yourself. Democracy isn’t a buffet. You can’t pick and choose which civil liberties apply to which people. Either we are all equal, or the whole thing is just a sham.”
They point out that the Constitution protects their mosques, community centers, and schools and is now also protecting LGBT rights, as well, all under the same Constitution. This wonderful duo explains that it will not be enough to tolerate other minorities, we have to embrace one another. “As minorities, we don’t have the luxury to have either of those emotions. We have to do more than tolerate. We have to embrace. We have to fight for the right of others to live their lives as freely as we want to live ours.” Now, that's just perfect—beautiful, actually. To read the article, click here.
