Soft Approach

“As an Islamist I cannot condone homosexuality, and I cannot render halal that which is seen as haram in Islam, anymore than I can declare alcohol to be halal. But this I can say: when confronted by things like this, we have two choices: the hard choice or the soft choice. We can take the hard line and say that homosexuals are wrong and they ought to be punished. Or we can take the soft line and say that they are a gendered minority, and while they are practicing something we do not approve, we should defend them when they come under attack and we should counsel them. As an Islamist, I choose the latter, because for me Islam is still the religion of love, not hate.”

"All over the Muslim world we see that the forces of political Islam are still on the march and working to find their way to achieving political power. But the doubts and concerns that many of us have lies in the question of what the Islamists will do when they come to power. Will this power be used for the betterment of all, or will it simply be accumulated and monopolised at the hands of the few?"

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