Freshman Seminar Spring 2011: F6A

I’ ve never had any problem with homosexual people. They are like any other human being, the only difference is that they prefer to spend the rest of their life with people of the same gender. Before i watched the movie that was what i thought about gay people. During and after my thoughts were the same, are the same, but now i feel sorry for the musulman’s homosexuals. It’s really sad all the things they have to do to be happy, or at least try to be happy. They have to leave their country and families, sometimes their love ones end murdered. Fortunately that it’s not what is happening around the world. Some countries are open to the idea that people are different and they don’t care.  Hopefully people will be change and they will acept that we are not all the same, we have diferent preferences and homosexuals will live in peace wherever they want.

The documentary explored the trials and tribulations of the homosexual Muslim. It s indeed an indomitable challenge. from the outset, Muslims are drilled with what is proper and what is not, what a law is, and what the punishment for breaking it is. so there is really no way for a Muslim to reconcile his/her Islamic faith with being a homosexual, and wholeheartedly be at ease. Even if their life were to be protected,  true Muslims would always feel a wrong in their hearts for being gay. The reason being that fundamental teachings can never be eroded.

Personally, I think that anyone should be able to freely share and explore what it is that they feel inside. Therefore I think that homosexuals should be treated no different than heterosexuals because they are no different. I comprehend how difficult it is to come out of the closet for Muslims (for the homosexuals) because of their religious beliefs, but I think that if they believe God loves them, then He would be able to accept them no matter what. However since they are raised with the idea that it is basically forbidden, their heads are filled with this strain because it is not something they can change; it is simply the way they feel. Evidently, feelings cannot magically be changed just because the surrounding people seem to disagree with it.

While watching the movie, I must admit that I was primarily awakened by the fact that laws discriminating homosexuals and religious beliefs, in general are a lot stricter elsewhere than in New York, or in my personal life too. I guess people in the United States don’t realize how lucky they are to be able to express themselves without being wrongfully judged. One fact that shot out to me was when being a homosexual was now a disease. I feel a great disturbance in my heart knowing that so many people are suffering just because they differ in a way that isn’t allowed where they live.

After watching the movie, I really feel for those who aren’t free to express themselves. It’s sad that people are tormented throughout their whole lives for being peculiar in other people’s eyes. (Whether it’s physical or mental torment) I know it’s a terrorizing war to battle yourself and your beliefs so having to battle everyone else clearly makes everything ten times harder. I just hope that with each passing day, more and more people are able to love the way they want to because although it is said that it is wrong, it is just the way people are born.

   Everything exists for its own reason. Anything happening outhere is natural. That’s what it is. If the God creates the world, he creates those people who are gays, as well. It is ashame that people use Bible as a ____ to against homosexuality. I don’t believe in God, but I do think that Bible helps us a lot. It teaches us to be good ones. However, it is just a book, a book written by human being almost two thousand years ago. It’s wisdom but it doesn’t mean that everything in the book is exactly right and suitable for today. People believe what they want to believe and they ignore what they don’t want to see. That’s why those Christian discriminate gay people. Because for them, homosexuality is what they don’t want to believe. If they ever try to understand how hard it is for those gay people to decide to let people know who they really are, they will know how brave those people are. It is not a choice at all, just like that you can choose who you want to be in love with. Who will choose to be in such a hard situation if they do have a choice. God loves everyone including the gay people. There’s no reason to be against them since they don’t harm anyone and they just want to be who they are.

Before I watched this movie, I had a friend who is a gay. He used to talk about how he loves boys. I noticed he used to gaze at the boys in a loving manner, but he is indifferent to the girls around him. I didn’t pay too much attention to him about his feelings and psychological aspect of his mind. Then, I had a lesbian friend who declared her love for me. I told her I am not interested in that kind of relationship and I considered her only as a friend. After a couple of weeks, she found another girl as her lover. Our religion is tolerance in every aspect of human life, so we don’t have too much problems in our society concerning homosexuality.

While I was watching the movie, I was puzzle by the problems facing Muslim’s homosexual people. They have a hard time living their lives in a religion and society that condemns their sexual preferences. It was a new experience for me. I felt sorry for the plight.

After I watched the movie, my mind wondered how to solve this problems. I don’t know what to do or what to advice. There must be reconciliation between religion and the faithful, but I don’t know how or when that will be reached.

I watched the film “For the Bible tells me so” . Although it was very informative it didn’t really show me anything new. The discrimination against gays and lesbians isn’t right but it is evident. It is a little obvious, throughout history, every minority has had some sort of discrimination and tough times. It is in everyone’s best interest to let everyone be but the people who are such religious or just anti gay extremist will never be able to get it. The more we dwell on these sort of uninformed and closed minded individuals the more free pr we give them. The people shown in this documentary are people who grew up knowing only one thing only one way of life and that is the Christian right. for myself I don’t see the gay life style to be correct but I do not think that they should be seen as second class citizens. The people who only see one way of life and see no way of accepting anyone else should be left alone, if we all try to change their mind we will do exactly what they are doing… trying to force someone to change who never will. the gays will always be gay and some might be accepted and some might not be and the Christian extremist will always be extreme .

A Jihad for love described in detail the strugles that a person who is gay goes through in the Muslim Community.

I personally,before, during and after this documentary, always, but always, felt outmost respect for all people regardless of their religion or sexual orientation. For the simple fact that they are human beings just like me, therefore they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

I didn’t n know how hard it was to be gay in the muslim community. I guess , that is what I always thought in the back of my head anyways, but to actually see it and hear it first hand from people who are experiencing this ordeal, it gave me a new perspective. Their lives are truly difficult, they have to be away from their families, their country , their friends, in oroder to save their life, and eventhough they are away, they still dont feel free, because they fear for the safety of the ones they left behind.

It is absolutely sad and heartbreaking that it has to be that way. According to the Qoran, homosexuality is condemened, My religion also doesnt accept it, (Roman Catholic ), and to be honest I don’t believe any religion does embrace the reality of homsexuality. However I believe that in the name of love and equality we shouldn’t discriminate against someone that has a diffierent sexual orientiation, they should be free, like we all are.