Pride Flags, Kid Gloves, and Islam’s Religious Right
Currents
Western liberals have long clashed with religious conservatives, particularly over their fondness for limiting individual rights and freedoms, and for advocating faith-based public policy. But too often, liberals narrowly define religious conservatism to mean only the Christian variety, ignoring or denying the threat of Islamic conservatism, despite its potential to erode universal human rights, civil liberties, secularism, and equality under the law — the core values of liberalism — every bit as much, if not more. Outside of the West, the tension between Islam and liberal values is common knowledge among many Muslims themselves. Within the Western world, liberals are only now finally beginning to take serious notice, as the recent case of Hamtramck, Michigan’s Muslim-majority town council banning Pride flags shows.
Muslims living in Western countries often incline toward the political left, which could be attributed to the support they've traditionally received from left-leaning parties. A majority of American Muslims, for example, believe that “homosexuality should be accepted by society” and support same-sex marriage, albeit by much narrower margins than the overall public. This acceptance is sometimes cited by the Western left as a counterargument against concerns about the negative influence of Islam on LGBT rights.
Still, the inherently conservative elements of Islamic teachings shine through as well. In a 2019 survey of 804 US Muslims, 4% of respondents shared that they were bisexual, but none identified themselves as gay or lesbian. Not a single respondent. Notably, 2% refused to answer, and 2% answered “something else”. Increasing numbers of conservative Western Muslims have been asserting their influence and resisting what they perceive as corrupt deviations from traditional Islamic values. Worse still, over half of British Muslims want homosexuality banned outright, just as it is in the lion’s share of Muslim-majority nations, many of which not only criminalize same-sex behavior but execute people for it. This is the side of Islam that many self-described “progressives” tend to be silent about out of fear of being labeled a bigot.
Given the continued growth of the Muslim population in the West, we are approaching a crossroads that demands Western liberals make a clear choice. Will we uphold the principles that have shaped our nations into some of the world's most successful societies? Or will we succumb to Karl Popper’s paradox of tolerance and allow liberal tolerance to be sacrificed on the altar of multicultural tolerance? In our bid to champion tolerance even of intolerance, we risk accommodating regressive ideas.
This brings us to the town of Hamtramck, Michigan. Hamtramck drew international attention in 2015 when they elected the first Muslim-majority city council in the United States, a feat celebrated by progressives as a victory against “Islamophobia.” Yet fast-forward to 2023, and this same council unanimously passed legislation banning Pride flags from city property, a measure already being enforced in the face of outraged defiance. The left-leaning residents who had once reflexively rejoiced at “diversity” now feel the bitter sting of the incoherence of their worldview being made manifest in real life. Clearly, they hadn’t thought through their own politics, and despite all their enthusiasm for difference and multiculturalism hadn’t bothered to see Muslims as full-fledged human beings with faults and bigotries, just like every other group. For a city seen as a beacon of inclusivity, the Pride flag controversy has caused many on the left to question the direction their city is taking. The former Hamtramck mayor, Karen Majewski, expressed her disappointment, stating, “There’s a sense of betrayal.”
This sense of shock masks a far more uncomfortable reality. It lays bare the tension that arises when cultural relativism meets liberal values such as LGBT rights, acceptance of differences, and freedom, not only of religion, but from religion. And it’s by no means unique to the United States.
Across the pond in Keighley, England, Mayor Mohammed Nazam abruptly resigned after apologizing for attending an LGBT Pride event, describing his participation at the event as a “lapse in judgment” which ran contrary to his religious beliefs. His statement incited a storm of criticism from residents, which resulted in his swift suspension from his party and eventual resignation. Last year, an English school descended into chaos when a gay Muslim speaker was accosted by Muslim students and later received death threats. This year, an anti-homophobia event in Belgium was violently disrupted by Muslim students. In Canada, a recent video went viral showing Muslim children stomping on Pride flags during a “pro-family” rally in Ottawa. A woman in a hijab, who appeared to be the mother of one of the children, was heard shouting, “Leave our kids alone!”
Examples of this sort go on and on. The left’s silence on this issue has ceded the narrative surrounding Islam’s attitudes toward LGBT people to the Christian right, a group whose attitudes are often xenophobic, genuinely bigoted, and counterproductive. The left is in a unique position to change minds in the Muslim community and help cultivate more tolerance of LGBT people precisely because we cannot allow our criticism of Islamic bigotry to bleed into bigotry against Muslims as people. Alienating Muslims only serves to isolate them further, pushing them towards a more hardline and reactive expression of their religious identity. What has been sorely needed for several decades is for people on the Western left to begin speaking up and defending unconditional LGBT rights in greater numbers. This would wrest the conversation out of the hands of extremists who are, given their views on same-sex marriage and LGBT issues, simply the Christian versions of the fundamentalist Muslims they deride. More than that, this would broaden the issue from one of tribal animosity between rival religious groups and create an opening to begin bridging cultural divides.
An essential first step to fostering more accepting attitudes toward LGBT people within Western Muslim communities is increasing the inclusion of Muslims in non-religious activities. Our goal, as a society, should be integration; where Muslims and other minority groups define their identities based on more than just their own narrowly defined tribes, but around shared interests, common humanity, and the broader culture. In practice, this means a concerted effort to include more Muslims in non-Muslim environments where they can participate and connect with people outside of their community.
Similarly, liberal Muslims who believe in the goal of integration can promote secularized versions of Islamic holidays with public events that make them less esoteric and more accessible to non-Muslims. Religious traditions can often act as cultural barriers, solidifying religious identities and isolation. By secularizing these events, we can instead turn them into opportunities to bridge the gap between Muslims and the wider society. Just as Christmas became a largely cultural celebration, secularized Islamic traditions can bring Muslims and non-Muslims together. As someone who has spent considerable time interviewing and engaging members of the Muslim community, it’s clear to me that there’s an opportunity to forge a greater connection, but it will need a show of goodwill to begin the process.
The case of Hamtramck, Michigan highlights the need to both expand our conception of the “religious right” and to reconcile the potential for incongruity between multiculturalism and human rights. In a sense, we dodged a bullet, because as these incongruities go, in a Muslim context, it could have been a lot worse. This is a long way from the sort of Islamic state-sponsored anti-LGBT violence we see in other parts of the world. If we truly and explicitly commit ourselves to liberal values, Hamtramck could end up being a teachable moment on how to transcend superficial identity politics and build a society that is truly inclusive.
Published Jul 19, 2023
