Islamic law out of date, declares gay imam

The nation’s first openly gay imam says Australia’s Muslim leaders who preach that homosexuals should die are ‘archaic’.

Imam Nur Wasame in Melbourne. ‘My presence refutes their opinion.’ Picture: David Geraghty

The nation’s first openly gay imam, Nur Wasame, says Islamic law is out of date and Australia’s Muslim leaders who preach that homosexuals should be punished with death are “archaic” throwbacks who are “no longer ­relevant”.

The Melbourne man, who comes from Somalia where being gay is punishable by imprisonment and extrajudicial killings, concedes it is particularly dangerous to be gay and a Muslim but yesterday issued a defiant message to Australian leaders who sought to discredit him: “I am here, I am gay, I am Muslim, I am an imam.”

The Australian has reported that at least two members of the executive of the Australian ­National Imams Council believe gays should be punished, including by death following the “proper procedure” in sharia law.

Imam Yusuf Peer said of Sheik Nur at the time: “How can he call himself an imam? Unfortunately he might develop a following as well.”

Sheik Nur told The Australian yesterday he knew there would be positives and negatives when he came out publicly and officially this year. “The risks are great in the Muslim community,” he said.

“If you come out you will be ­excommunicated, you will be ostracised, you risk losing even your life, at times, in different parts of the world. It is promising to see activists — and I know many of them, in places like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — who are trying to address these issues.”

A deeply rooted homophobia in Islam was brought into the ­public spotlight when Malcolm Turnbull shared an iftar (fast-breaking) dinner at Kirribilli House this month with a Sydney imam who is anti-gay and anti-women.

Sheik Shady Alsuleiman, who is president of the national imams council, was castigated by the Prime Minister after the reports about his views but others in the community came out to defend his views.

Sheik Nur studied to be an imam in Egypt and South Africa, gaining the title in 2000, and says Islamic law needs to move with the times. “They (other imams) are ­entitled to their opinions but I am a person who studied theology,” he said.

“I am an expert in my field, I am gay, they can say what they say but my presence refutes their opinion.

“Islam is a religion that came in the eighth century. The sharia law and the laws that applied back then are not applicable to our society today. The individuals you mentioned and others in our communities are people who have ways of thinking that are no longer relevant.

“I don't discredit them, but their voices and opinions are, you know, proof that these old, archaic ways of thinking exist and they are simply no longer relevant and the youth are finding that out and they are saying, hey, this is not on.”

Sheik Nur has been working with LGBT Muslim youth for years, most recently through his Marhaba ­Melbourne organisation.

“I have dealt in the past two years with hundreds of these people from all over the country and people travelling form parts of New Zealand, and I am only one man,” he said.

“That is what gives me the strength to continue what I am doing. It has been very promising to have young, educated LGBT Muslims and straight Muslims come and say thank you.

“The vast majority of those in positions of leadership in our community are trained overseas and they somehow cannot or find it difficult to relate to contemporary, modern youth.”

Sheik Nur said that while he played a role in his community he wanted to see same-sex marriage legalised by the federal government to help incubate the cultural change needed to protect young people from discrimination.