Friday, April 13, 2012

Refuting open promotion of Homosexuality by Express Tribune: What should a Muslim do if he/she is struggling with SSA

As I have already mentioned having SSA desires is not a problem but acting on those impulses is a great sin. As I have given examples of various other problems like pedophilia which is also very difficult to come and it is also something which they claim they are born with it. Same like SSA with in most of the cases those desires are not choice. But acting upon them is a choice and it is considered immoral, unacceptable and harmful. Same is from Islamic point of view that that acting upon homosexual desire is sin and unacceptable.
They are a great inconclusive debates going whether that SSA is can be changed or not. Currently the popular myth is that it cannot be changed.  But it is not entirely true. I have been reading stories around internet of people both Muslims and Non-Muslims who have:
1) completely diminished their desires
2) Suppressed SSA for OSA but SSA is still dominant
3) Cannot overcome SSA but they avoid acting upon them. And I will provide with some those stories


1) Completly diminished their desires

From a non-muslim
Can brain structure change? thus changing sexual orientation.?

Because I swear it happened to me. I am a male.I had a female brain aka gay brain, and I was oriented towards guys. No doubt.
But after some events, which involved realising i have feelings for a girl, recently my brain changed into the male brain and I find myself oriented towards girls now. I litterally felt it change. I NATURALLY want to look at girls now. When earlier on I was somewhat acting.
Do you think brain structure changing during growth is possible? Btw my brain changed when I was 18. I am still 18 now.
Or was it more to do with experiences in life, realising what one wants in life etc which makes you naturally become different? in sexual orientation, i.e.
(source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080814111030AA0hcrS)


From a Muslim Revert
IslamOnline.net (or rather, its subsite ReadingIslam.com) has once again led the way by featuring the story of Ayub, a brother who embraced Islam after a period of life in which he actively practiced homosexuality. His journey is inspirational and his advice is of great value to anyone who wants to understand the path of Islam, which is also the path of self-understanding, life discipline and inner peace.
Ayub is someone we have great pleasure to know, and we ask Allah to reward him abundantly for putting his experiences out there for a wide audience to encounter.
Struggling Against Homosexuality, Finding Islam
By Ayub
[And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.] (Ad-Duha 93:7)
Homosexuality has become one of the most widely discussed social issues of our day. Some communities around the world are embracing and accepting its practice.
More and more societies are making room for those who are convinced that God made them gay and that they have no choice but to accept it. This has even begun happening within the Muslim community.
I am telling my story because I found a different path. I am an American man who through Allah’s grace was able to loosen the grip of same-sex attractions and find my way out of the homosexual lifestyle.
I did this by embracing Islam.
I want to share my story, not to fan the flames of any political debate, but because I believe it could be a source of help and comfort to Muslim men and teenagers who want to leave same-sex attractions behind.
I also pray that my words might provide guidance to the families of those who are struggling.
My Story
For all of my adult life I have struggled with attractions to other men. The attractions began during my early teenage years and strengthened over time. I finally gave in to these urges in college and embraced a homosexual lifestyle.
I lived as an openly gay man for five years and had many same sex experiences.
I embraced this lifestyle because I thought this was who I was. It was a mystery to me exactly where these attractions came from.
Anyone struggling with same-sex attractions feels this at some point. The attractions are so deep-seated and arise in such an uninvited way that they seem beyond our conscious control.
At a certain point, in order to live with ourselves, many of us begin to accept these feelings as normal. And we start demanding that others accept them in us as well.
But I soon discovered that there was another way to see this. While living as a gay person, I was also searching for answers.
All my life I felt I was destined to find something more, something special that would better explain who I was and why I was here. The Christian religion I was raised in never really satisfied that yearning.
During and after college I also explored Buddhism, Hinduism and non-religious forms of meditation. None of them did it for me.
Then when I was 25 I had a life-changing experience that led me to Islam. It suddenly became clear to me that what I had been seeking had a name: Allah, that all-encompassing Grace that had created me and everyone and everything else.
Allah, that Light, that same Light, which spoke and continues to speak to man through His Messenger (PBUH) and all His other prophets.
Allah, that Resonance, that same Resonance, that has been delivering His message to mankind since the beginning of time.
It also became clear that in order to follow the path to Allah, I would have to give up the homosexual lifestyle. It was shown to me through several experiences, both internal and external, that homosexuality was wrong and that continuing to practice it would block my spiritual progress.
I didn’t fully understand why at the time. I had to accept it on faith. But I knew deep inside that this was the truth.
Several difficult years followed, but my determination to become free of same-sex attractions was strong. By Allah’s grace I was first able to cut all external ties to my previous life. I also learned, little by little, how to control the urges that kept drawing me back to what was haram.
To this day I am still vulnerable to these attractions in weaker moments. But I had only one more experience after embracing Islam. That was nearly twenty years ago. It was the last one I will ever have.
How I See My Struggle
After years of struggling, the battle has become easier. I have come to see same-sex attractions not as a curse, but as an opportunity.
Some people work for years to figure out how they can serve Allah. For me this question was answered a long time ago: control same-sex attractions and share what you have learned.
I have come to think of my life this way: whatever else happens, if I can stay free of this craziness and perhaps help others become free, I will have found success in the central jihad of my life.
Others may not agree with the approach I have taken, and that’s fine. But for those who are struggling, I offer these words from my own experience: You don’t have to settle for a life that is contrary to what Allah has prescribed for us. You don’t have to accept a definition of yourself that is compromised or any less than what He has ordained for you as a Muslim.
And most of all, you don’t have to live with the shame of rejection by your family, friends and peers. There is another way, and there are brothers (and sisters) out there who can help you, as they themselves have been helped.
Tips and Techniques
Here are some techniques that I and others have found helpful in controlling same-sex attraction.
1) Make the intention to change. You have to want to change, and you have to believe that you can. Allah is there to help you, but you have to make the intention first.
Ask Him with all the sincerity you can muster to help you battle this thing inside.
Develop the certitude that this is your own personal jihad, and make a commitment to Allah and to yourself that you will see it through to the end, no matter what happens.
2) Cut off all associations with friends and activities associated with “being gay.” Do not underestimate the power of outside trappings and “friends” who will pull you back in.
Make a clean break, it will help immensely in your struggle.
3) Develop strong, healthy male friendships. Put yourself in the company of guys who are NOT same-sex attracted and learn how to get along with them. This process can be difficult at first, but ultimately it is essential. It demystifies other men, cutting the tendency to see them as objects.
4) Do regular Salat and Dhikr. Read the Qur’an. As Allah and His Messenger have said over and over, there is special power in prayer. That extends to controlling base desires of all kinds.
5) Get some help. Seek out counseling with a professional who respects your decision NOT to indulge in same-sex experiences. Or join a support group.
StraightStruggle is an online group that caters exclusively to Muslims who are battling same-sex attraction and their families. It is a safe, private and compassionate environment to address all issues relating to this struggle.
A Word to Family and Friends
Finally, a note for family members of brothers and sisters dealing with same-sex attraction. Compassion, love and understanding are the best medicine for anyone struggling to control same-sex attraction.
You need to have patience beyond patience and do your best to reserve judgment.
In my experience, people are best able to learn and change behaviors when given the love, support and space in which to do so.

Those who cannot overcome SSA but they avoid acting upon them.

Comment by a sister on Yasir Qadhi’s blog
Sister Conviction2Change

Salam dear brothers and sisters,
I will firstly introduce myself as a sister who has "homosexual urges". I do not call myself a homosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or any of those terms. I call myself, and I am, a Muslimah battling same sex attractions (SSA). I do believe Allah has chosen me, hand-picked me, for such a test. (So contrary to what ALGEBRA said in the beginning of the comments, I do believe Allah tests us with this. I am not angry at Him for this. He has wisdom in all that He does. I am grateful for having SSA as it has made me a stronger Muslim.)
I am also on the very beneficial support group that brother Taleb Haq has posted up, Straight Struggle. I suggest all brothers and sisters who also wish to combat their desires for the sake of Allah and to live a better lifestyle to join the group.

I have not yet read through all of the comments, but I would like to comment on what Sh. Yasir wrote first:
Shaykh, may Allah reward you for the words you have written and the brothers and sisters you have helped by Allah's will by writing this article. I am an avid listener of your lectures, goer to your events, and reader of Muslim Matters. To finally see an article like this "come out" :) is heart warming and comforting for someone who has struggled with this in silence and now a forum has opened up about this issue in public.
Shaykh, as I have done a lot of research on this topic from the perspective of wanting to rid myself of these desires (and I would like to add there is a lot of material out there, mainly written by non-Muslims, about how to overcome SSA) I would like to comment on and refine a point that you made in the article.
You said your theory is how sexual images are bombarding our minds in the society, day and age that we live in. You are correct, but there is also a greater reason. SSA is due to sexual reasons but more due to emotional reasons. Every person you will ever meet who is struggling with SSA (or even openly gay) has emotional issues he or she is embedded with. SSA is not a sexual problem at all really. It is emotional. This is a long topic though but just to brush the surface: You will notice people with SSA do not always have good relationships with their parents, they probably identified with the opposite gender at a young age, they might've been repelled by their same gender at a young age, they may have been sexually molested/abused at some point in their lives, they might have grown up in physically abusive homes, they probably have insecurities deeply routed in how unsafe they feel at home or around others of the opposite sex, and the list goes on. There is so much to be said on these topics and it is all out there for those who wish to find them.
Another point I would like to emphasize is that marriage is not the solution, but it is PART of the solution for sure. Marriage is very important and should be worked on attaining, whether or not one struggles with SSA, as it is a completion of half of our faith. It should not be put off, but it should also be realized that it should not be seen as the sole solution. There is a lot more emotionally that one needs to work on in combination with taking steps like getting married.
Also in response to calihijabi, dear sister I completely understand how you feel. The fact of the matter is that it is less common to hear of women struggling with this. My theories of why this is true are that (1) we do not "come out" and tell people we even have these problems with our sexuality and (2) in general, I think Muslim women have more readily turned towards accepting a lesbian identity and therefore do not even care to battle their urges. I am always looking around for other sisters who hold my perspective so that we may build a strong united front so that we may support other sisters. I have found a few, and of course we are scatted over the globe, but I am confident others will slowly join us and we can have more of a voice one day insha Allah.
On that note, if anyone has any questions or is seeking advice from a sister, you can always email me at conviction2change@gmail.com. I am open to getting messages from complete "strangers" and don't mind it. To me, you're not strangers, you're my brothers and sisters in Islam.
As a side note, I created my email address a year ago when I joined the Straight Struggle support group. I advise everyone who is struggling with SSA to join it as well as it has helped me, by the will of Allah, come a long way. A little more than a year ago I was suicidal, getting addicted to porn, and even wanted to leave Islam. Today, I am happy I have this test, grateful Allah guided me away from the edge, and confident that I will succeed in my test.

Salam,

Your sister with a conviction to change
conviction2change@gmail.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/straightstruggle/


Some measure into to take:
For Family and Friends:

This of biggest test on your loved one by Allah(swt). Just like people who born without limbs or mentality retarded. They need lots of care and support from family. Try to understand to their problem. Who knows if Allah wills their SSA may diminish with time. If you don’t support them then they may end up harming themselves with suicide or engaging in this sinful act. Don't force them into marriage until their problem is sorted. I have read that many muslims with SSA are depressed because their parent are forcing them into marriage. Marriage is one of the solution but not the only. But it has worked in many cases although they still have SSA in some form but they are content with their lives.


For the individual with SSAPoint picked from my observation and above article/comments. 
1) Learn the fundamental of Islam starting from Tawheed, aqeedah and fiqh.
2) Read Quran with understanding.
3) Recognize your Creator and the purpose for which you are created.
4) Take this hardship as a test. If you successful conquering then you may be one from Awliyyah Allah.
5) Prayer regularly and keep yourself busy with Dhikr.
6) Develop strong, healthy male friendships. Put yourself in the company of guys who are NOT same-sex attracted and learn how to get along with them. This process can be difficult at first, but ultimately it is essential. It demystifies other men, cutting the tendency to see them as objects.
7) Get some help. Seek out counseling with a professional who respects your decision NOT to indulge in same-sex experiences. Or join a support group.
StraightStruggle(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/straightstruggle/) is an online group that caters exclusively to Muslims who are battling same-sex attraction and their families. It is a safe, private and compassionate environment to address all issues relating to this struggle.

8) Try Neuro Linguistic Programming. Skimming around NLP forum I found that many individual and practitioner say that suppressing SSA is possible and successful. Try to contact a Muslim practitioner. Also go through Anthony Robbins  Awake The Giant Within.

9) Ruqya: I think many you have heard of cases that after the marriage men or women OSA goes away completely as a result of Magic or Evil eye. And it is cured by Rugya. So contact a Raqi. If Allah willed then this may also solve your problem.

10)Hypnotherapy: Contact any Muslims hypnotherapist. Here is the result of one of the hypnotherapy:
Of the 15 patients, three showed no improvement, four showed a mild improvement and eight showed a marked improvement.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1935956/

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