First gay mosque to open in France

Mohammed Ludovic Lütfi Zahed (right), an Algerian Muslim living in France who is married to his gay partner Qiyam al-Din (left), hopes to open a mosque for homosexuals

Mohammed Ludovic Lütfi Zahed, an Algerian Muslim living in Paris is planning to open a ‘mosque for gays’ in France and hopes to eventually conduct same-sex Muslim marriages.

According to reports, Zahed, a homosexual man is married to his gay partner and hopes to open the doors by the end of the month. He also plans to break another Islamic taboo by refusing to segregate women and men.

Zahed says the mosque, in a Buddhist chapel in Paris, will be very different from the conventional mosque. “In normal mosques, women have to sit in the back seats and wear a headscarf and gay men are afraid of both verbal and physical aggression. After performing the Hajj, I realized that a mosque for gays was a must for gay Muslims who want to perform their prayers.”

Zahed is married to Qiyam al-Din, a South African man. Zahed diagnosed with AIDS at 19, became very spiritual but reveals he regularly receives hate mail from Muslims globally, but added he is ‘comfortable’ in his own skin The pair married in South Africa where same-sex marriage is legal, and their marriage was approved by an imam in France, but was not recognised by the previous government as the French are bitterly divided on gay marriages.

Reports that the French President Francois Hollande plans to enact his ‘marriage for everyone plan’ within a year of coming to power in May is circulation but vocal opposition from religious leaders, some politicians and parts of rural France has sparked protests with an estimated 70,000 marchers.

Riot police used tear gas to break up violence between those who support and oppose the change in law.

As well as opposition from those against gay marriage, the couple will likely face persecution from the French Muslim community. Homosexuality is a religious, political and cultural flashpoint among much of the Arab and Islamic world.

Zahed told Al Arabiya News: ‘Being married in front of my family, was like a new start of life for me.

‘I could have never imagined such a day would come, seeing the joy in my parents’ eyes after they had battled with my sexuality and tried with all their might to change the course of my sexual orientation.’

He added that if his marriage is not recognised in France he will return to South Africa.

Top 10 myths about Africa

There are several myths and misconceptions about the continent of Africa especially in the Western world. Most of these originate from the media where several people look up to for information. I have compiled below some of these myths. Now you'll know how wrong you've been about the ''dark continent''.


1. Africa is a country: Heck no it isn't. Recently Sarah Palin of the U.S.A. made this terrible goof when talking about Africa and this just shows how ignorant most people are when it comes to Africa. It is a continent home to 54 independent, unparalleled countries. South Sudan joined the fray in July 2011.

Who made my baby cry (African edition)

If you are African, black, and probably come from one of the poor, unstable African countries, you've got the odds stacked against you. As an African child, you need to have the spirit of resilience. Your struggle starts on the day of your birth and ends when you go to your grave. As an African child, the day of death is the day of rest. You have to be resilient, perseverent and hardworking. If you are from the land where the sun never sets and never rises, you have to simply give your best. No government is there to save you. Your governments are corrupt and selfish. You have to struggle for acceptance wherever you go: East, West, North or South. Your various governments have sabotaged your future with greed and corruption. They don't care about you. All they care about is to sit in their cozy edifices, globe-trot in these government jets and watch the poor masses die of hunger and starvation.

As an African child, success isn't synonymous with your destiny. You have to fight and fight all your life for what you must own. You are regarded with suspicion everywhere you go. That's what your forefathers and ancestors created. As an African child, you never can have it easy. You toil and toil in the African sun and have little to show for it. You start running the race from your bubbly teenage years and will be surprised you're still running when you go grey in the head. That is the African child.

An African child understands the importance of hardwork and endurance. You have received the baton and have to keep running the race for survival. The glitz and glamour of the world can be yours but it'll take going an extra mile to achieve that. The top rung of the success ladder is almost a pipe dream to you, but still with hardwork and perseverance, it could be yours for the taking. As an African child, all your hopes lie in the life thereafter. Ask the dying children of Sudan and Somalia and they'll tell you death is going to be easy for them as living has turned into a living hell. Ask the mother who lost three children to drought in Chad and Niger and you'll know exactly what I mean. Talk to the women in the Congo who get raped every now and then and my words will make sense to you. Sit with the wives and children of the miners killed in South Africa and their wails and anguish will give you some hint. As an African Child, you are special. Although you have to cope with toils of hard labour and struggle for acceptance all your life, you know the true meaning of life. You have seen poverty and watched people die due to lack of medicines. You appreciate the life you have and you don't consider failure as an option. Even though the first time you step into an office you're greeted with suspicion and cold indifference, you know you have to hold your head up and square your shoulders to make your friends and family proud.

As an African child, you have all it takes as hard as it seems and when next you catch yourself thinking why you are an African child, don't blame the creator, blame your governments and ancestors. At least, all men were born equal!