By Dayang Nurramizah Awang Abdurahman
GOMBAK, 6 October 2018: The much debated issue of LGBT (Lesbianism, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) became an intense focus of discussion at the seminar titled “Instinct or Infliction?” held recently by the Department of Quran and Sunnah Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS), in collaboration with the Islamic Religious Department, Gombak.
Four panelists from different educational background shared their thoughts and knowledge regarding the LGBT at the seminar which was divided into two sessions.
The first session involved two panelists, Dr. Mohd Izwan (LGBT Expert from Federal Islamic Development Department or JAKIM) and Dr. Abdul Latif (Expert in Islamic Psychology) discussing on the topic “LGBT: Instinct or Fantasy?” In the second session the panelists were Xifu Naser (activist and columnist LGBT) and Ustaz Abdullah Bukhari (Head of Department Tilawah, IIUM) exchanged views on the topic “LGBT is the Ideology Movement and World Politics”.
“The LGBT community had claimed that being in that group is not their choice, but because of their hereditary and environment factors.”
Dr. Abdul Latif countered the statement saying that the hereditary factor is not the main cause of LGBT but rather the environmental factors that have more effect on creating this community. He said that the LGBT community cannot blame their parents because it is beyond their control.
“When we have something negative in mind, we started to believe it, and the mind will work like an automatic pilot. Same with this LGBT issue. This group finds support from people to strengthen their belief and argument,” Dr. Latif said.
He emphasised that the LGBT issue had arisen during the time of Prophet Luth where followers of Prophet Luth had deviated from the right path which was taught to them by Prophet Luth. “In the end, the city was turned upside down by Allah because of their stubbornness and arrogance towards the teaching of Prophet Luth.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohd Izwan told the audience that there are several proper solutions that can be considered in handling this group. He gave the example of the “Mukhayyam programme” handled by JAKIM.
“Giving spiritual awareness through religious approach to face challenges in life and abandon the practice of unnatural sex is the objective of Mukhayyam programme,” he said.
Mukhayyam programme was established in 2011 and the programme includes sessions on HIV prevention. With the tagline “prevention is better than cure”, JAKIM moves around Malaysia to create awareness regarding LGBT issue. They bring health experts and former LBGT as speakers of the seminar.
Dr. Izwan further said that not every LGBT chooses to fall into this situation. “Most of them have had their own awful history. Some were bullied by people around them and there were also cases of those who live in the environment of LGBT community,” adding that “the lack of love from their family also became the major factor that led to the individual turning into LGBT”.
Hence, he emphasised that it is important for everyone to help this group of people to come back into fitrah. “As simple as if there are ex LGBTs coming to the mosque, approach them with warm welcome,” he advised. “The LGBT need full support from the community around them rather than being pointed out with negative perception.”
Dr. Izwan reminded that “at the end of the day, it does not matter who help more, the most important thing is at least we do something to pull this community into the right track”.
Earlier, Dr. Mohd Izwan listed four factors that made an individual involved in LGBT. He said the first factor is about the background of the individual’s family. “It might be that the person has been raised only by a single mother or lacked love from his or her family or even came from a family that is overprotected.”
“Secondly, he or she has an awful history in his or her life. Thirdly, he or she was bullied by people around them. For instance, people insult their personalities and appearances that they decided to turn into gay or lesbian.
Fourthly, it is involving their mind which they love to see things that are related to LGBT such as videos on Youtube. Lastly, they live in the environment of the LGBT community.”
The seminar was followed by the Question and Answer session.
To a question from a participant, “If everything happens in this world were scripted, does that mean a gay has also been scripted as a gay?”, Dr. Abdul Latif replied quoting Quranic verses, “Whatever reaches you of good, is from Allah, but whatever befalls you of evil, is from yourself. Allah has sent you (Muhammad) for mankind as a messenger, and Allah is Sufficient as a Witness.” (An-Nisa: 79).” He said that the verse means that calamities, which was referred to as “evil”, was created by man himself, not from Allah.
The event had attracted a lot of attention from both IIUM students and members of the public. Some 300 participants attended the seminar. ***