LGBTQ+ issues and practical monotheistic approach for parents towards children | LGBTQ+ : Theological Training for Parents along with practical steps rooted in Monotheistic religions | Products

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I had this beautiful opportunity to come together on a platform of Ehawza with other beautiful souls to present this topic. I am sharing it here to spread the knowledge and do my part God willing.

/Ammara Muhammad

Ms. Respected sisters and brothers. It's truly a privilege for me to be here with you all, wonderful, wonderful people today.

Discussing a topic that is both sensitive and crucial.
At the same time.
My topic is gender roles and identity in Islam.
for the practical education and protection of our children from LGBT issues.
Let's delve into theological training of our children on approaching LGBTQ plus and setting an Islamic gender identity, inshallah.
Step 1 is recognizing, teaching, The recognition of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and His infinite wisdom to our children.
We need to instill in our children, from a very young age, The concept that Allah
In his profound intelligence, Creates everything with purpose.
Even if, let's say, only a half millimeter, any planet moves from its place, the whole universe will collapse.
This is how beautiful, intelligently, this whole universe has been created. Everything has a purpose that has been created, that you can see.
Things that you cannot even see has a purpose, too.
And… They… they're there for a reason at that time, divine timing, and divine purpose is behind everything.
So there are no mistakes.
This understanding nullifies arguments suggesting errors in creation, such as Nazubilda saying that God made a mistake, I'm a female in a male body, or vice versa.
And this is the big argument when you talk to
any of, the LGBTQ… LGBTQ plus community members, this is one big argument that they will present.
So, recognizing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, And his infinite wisdom.
That everything is created with a purpose.
for a purpose is very important. There are no mistakes, and Allah subhanahu ta'ala's… Wisdom, and… Creations.
Resources are mentioned.
Step 2.
We need to nurture the spiritual identity of our children.
Teach our children that their very essence their soul.
spirit.
is the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in them.
Within this earthly vessel.
This emphasizes what made angels bow down to Prophet Adam , as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blew his soul into him.
How are they, a potential leader, our children, are a potential leader of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, as mentioned in Qur'an?
Could be better than angels.
Like Imam Ali salam says, one step on our… Desire?
The other step is in heavens, if we follow our intellect.
But if we put a step on our intellect and follow our desires, we can be worse than animals.
So, this is very profound.
Again, you can check the resources mentioned here.
And I would like to say, before I move forward, that this earthly vessel is just like when a doctor enters into the operation room and wears a gown and a mask to perform the duty.
And when leaving the room, he takes them off.
when the job is done, and he walks out of the room. Just like that, this… this Earth is a room where we have to perform our purpose, live our purpose.
And then when we're leaving, the body stays behind, but the soul never dies. We don't die.
And that is the main essence.
So, spirituality, and no mistake in this earthly vessel that Allah has given everything that He has created.
Are setting stones in this understanding.
Step 3 is cultivating emotional well-being. Now, once the spiritual existence is known to the children after knowing the infinite wisdom of the Creator of all, we come to cultivate their emotional well-being.
Mind.
That is very, very important. I would like to share Brother Ali Assad Shafri's example here.
who has been doing phenomenal work in educating and supporting Muslims.
about LGBTQ+.
His website is mentioned here.
So the story is that while growing up, his father was mostly absent due to father's work.
But Ali, Brother Ali, mostly stayed in a…
feminine surrounding of his sisters and mother. So, while growing up, he felt safe with women.
Because women were mostly around him. While growing up, he saw how they do things, what their interests are.
So he says this led him to be attracted towards the same gender.
Because he was missing the same gender, he was seeing so much of the…
Women around him, that he was… he got… you know…
He… he became, like, one of them, and that made him attracted to the… Male.
Just like a female would be.
But now, after the work, the healing that he has done, he's happily married with two wonderful daughters.
And, he says, hope is there for many. If I can do it, I can heal myself.
You know, definitely others can come out of it as well, no matter what situation they went through while growing up.
So, please check out his website, his work, for more information.
We need to encourage our boys to take part in masculine activities, like,
Building, construction, martial arts. Not that girls are not supposed to do any of this, but encouraging our boys more to be into these fields will encourage them.
More to stay in their masculinity.
Remember, we all have masculine and feminine energies.
Being a boy, making decisions, doing physical hard work requires those masculine energies. And while nurturing and creating is a feminine energy, both male and female can do it.
But we are, we are…
Promoting more masculine activities for boys and feminine activities.
For girls, so that there's a balance.
In… while growing up. So they get attracted to the right gender, they feel in themselves the right energy as well.
So we need to encourage our girls taking part in feminine activities, like, you know, with their mothers doing decoration, pottery.
And I would like to touch upon a very important issue here, that if a female is not connected to her feminine side.
to her female energy, she could get negatively affected by it by having thick hair on the chin, disturbed monthly cycles, hormonal problems.
Because of that.
Therefore, let our daughters beautify themselves at home and at Mehrim gatherings. Like, Suray Anul mentions, charms and anklets, as long as they are not seen and heard by non-Mahrim.
It's okay to wear them, because our feminine nature is to…
Beautify herself, and to decorate the surroundings, and to nurture.
So we need to allow that to happen.
I would like to request mothers here, and guardians to engage in such activities with their daughters in, you know, beautifying themselves and their daughters with applied hijab rules.
Another example is we can celebrate 9th birthdays for girls, or 13 or 14th birthday for boys, you know, depending on their physical change. Meaning to say their,
Baliha Birthday.
So, Balu, when they reach Balooch, they're… it should be a celebration for them. So, they feel that I am accepting this body rather than rejecting it. The changes, those are happening.
I'm getting along with them, I'm growing, and I accept, and I welcome, and I… because they're inspired by…
Boys are inspired by male figures in their life, and girls are inspired by female figures, so they're more inclined to accept these changes.
If they're celebrated.
Yeah? And give them beautiful titles along with their names, right? Accolades, praise them for, you know, coming out so beautifully in their gender.
While doing small activities, showing their interest, the way they perform duties and things, you know?
Just praise them and identify their gender beautifully.
Another, thing that we can do as guardians and parents is tell them
Mmm, both roles of mother and father.
like Quran mentioned, sun and moon, both have important roles. None of them can be replaced by the other.
So, make sure you… Present mother and fatherly roles as important roles.
Whatever they're doing in their own axis, they both are important.
And coming together in union, they're both are important as well.
Maybe we can do, play, you know, gender roles, like.
For a boy, young boy to play a role of a father, for a young girl to play a role of a mother while playing with dolls, or constructing, you know, doing construction with the toys, you know, those constructing toys, those are available.
For boys. And sometimes even girls play with them, and that's fine, but giving that space to them to understand these beautiful
gender roles. And maybe we can tell them bedtime stories about these beautiful personalities in our religion and world also.
how… These beautiful, known people were, and what are they known for, what they stood for.
And that is connected to their agenda as well, like, if we talk about Bibi Fat Matasar , how she and Bibi Zainabhi salam used to hold
These, classes at home for sisters in the community to, spread education.
how, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his family, would travel as a merchant.
And,
you know, business role, and even showing Bibi Khartija as a businesswoman, and Imam Ali Salam's bravery and wisdom, and there's so many examples we have.
And stories as well.
Children are like mirrors. You are what they are going to reflect, so you have to be comfortable in your own skin, too, for them to accept that and portray that as themselves.
Another example that can help, understand this and help us cultivate their emotional well-being is providing Islamic ruling
for after puberty. For example, Quran mentions to take, permission before entering your space at certain times in a day, as they're not supposed to be exposed to certain things.
That these days, media may attempt to show them. That is very crucial.
And, we need to protect,
from those inappropriate visuals before the right age. That's where the Quran is mentioning that children should take permission before entering.
Parents' room at certain times when parents are relaxing.
So that children are protected from such visuals.
Because their mind is not prepared for that as of, you know, now, whatever their age is, according to their age.
So we need to mention Quranic rulings like that as well, so they understand that there is sharam, haya, and before entering, their rooms, we have to present the same, personal space, respect for personal space.
In some cultures, parents or adults entering into a child's home, they maybe call the name of the child, or cuff before entering, or knock at the door. We need to do these things. They can…
only learn from us. So if we are giving them respect and space, they
Or, you know, it becomes easy for them to understand that and give the same space to us.
Which is also very much, emphasized in Islam.
Okay, let's say, moving forward to the next step, I hope this was pretty much clear, resources are mentioned.
Step 4 that I came up with is addressing societal issues.
This is very important. We need to teach our children compassion.
Teach them how to distinguish between transgressors.
Survivors of trauma, and people who are just lost. So there are 3 main kinds, right?
Transgressors are the ones who know the limits and boundaries of religion and human dignity and respect.
But still, they crossed the line.
Survivors of traumas are people who went through something
drastic or catastrophic, and that's why they're behaving this way. That's why maybe they chose to be in this LGBT
Q plus community, because something big happened.
Like we mentioned, transgressors, are the ones who know this is not right, but they still choose to do that just to be in fashion, or to be known, or to have fame, or…
To just stand out, whatever their reason is. But survivors of trauma has a different story. We need to have compassion for them.
And they're people who are just lost. They just do not know. They look at other people around them, and they think, maybe I should be this.
Maybe I can try that, and then they try to become that.
But later on, they can change. They, you know, it's… everyone is…
on their own journey. Everyone's turn comes when You know, if…
the creator of all wants, they can turn back and fix the things,
And transform, basically. Learn from their mistakes and transform.
So we need to really teach our children to have compassion for others. We do not know what their story is.
We need to emphasize on the importance of understanding the background of the individual, rather than judging and thinking.
punishing.
Like many usually do.
We need to tell them lessons from Prophet Luther's story mentioned in Quran.
where he is emphasizing on guidance to… for his people, who, Prophet Luth ,
Rather than cursing the people, or… let alone taking actions to hurt anyone. Prophet Luth hasn't taken any action to hurt anyone. He just prayed to God.
All the time that people, his townspeople, came to him, he kept guiding them.
Throughout Quran, we find stories of Prophet Luth and his nation.
Which also teaches us that we cannot take…
law in our hand, we cannot hurt someone in the name of religion. We need to have compassion and allow the people to have their space to learn from their journey.
So, morals and ethics in Islam show us, morally, it is a wrong act to judge someone. However, ethically, hurting others
Is not considered right either.
So I shouldn't put… I shouldn't say however. I should say, and ethically hurting others, is not right either. So, teaching our children this, and teaching our children the gift of dua that we can gift others is… is beautiful.
Rather than judging others, rather than hurting others, just make dua for them. A dua, a prayer for them to be guided by the Creator of all.
Step number 5 that I came up with is understanding LGBTQ plus issues are not exclusive to Islam only.
They transcend across religions.
So, our children don't feel that they are the only ones who are learning this. All monotheistic religions condemn such acts, because these acts are against the very nature of creation.
But actually, Islam is the only one, by the way.
That is not giving… Fundamentalist, approach to this.
Like, in Judaism, the… The punishment is death.
But Islam is telling us, like Prophet Lut's story is showing us, we can pray for them, we can guide them and ask.
Allah subhanah, that led the Creator of all to be the judge.
Step number 6 is awareness about the health concerns that these actions, being a part of LGBTQ plus community, can raise.
discuss health concerns with your children associated with certain behaviors, as we see with LGBTQ+.
There are certain clubs mentioned in Islam.
Diseases as a result of these acts, since these acts are against the very nature of creation, so the body does not align with these acts and thus gets sick.
Science has shown every physical ailment is linked to an emotional ailment.
It shows emotionally they were, or are missing a crucial ingredient. That's why the body is getting sick, or diseases are getting produced. So, you can check out the resources with that mentioned.
So, in conclusion, after all these steps, I'm hoping that I was able to deliver.
a good message and helpful tips. In conclusion, let's say that we equip our children with a holistic understanding rooted in Islam.
Inshallah, these steps are a foundation for open dialogue, fostering humanity with Islamic understanding.
Like Imam Ali said, a person is either your brother in faith or equal in humanity.
So I thank you all for…
being with me in this short journey, and I hope I delivered what I was, intended to.
Assalamu alaykum.