We Must Reject the Harmful Practice of Conversion Therapy.

• Date: 01 June 2022
• Author: Jahangir, Junaid B.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Canada banned conversion therapy, effective January 7, 2022. What does this ban mean to me?

OPINION | The views expressed in this article are those of the author.

The issue of conversion therapy is of paramount importance to me. I have spent more than a decade addressing Muslim homophobia and building the case for Muslim same-sex unions.

In 2005, when I gingerly broached the issue of homosexuality in an Islamic magazine, I was met with stiff resistance. To date, the Muslim position remains that acting upon same-sex desires constitutes a major sin. And justifying same-sex unions is tantamount to apostasy, which under classical interpretations of Islam merits the death punishment in an Islamic state. Such opinions continue to be advocated on the Muslims in Calgary website as part of normative Islam.

It took me more than a decade to create Islamic scholarship that affirms gay Muslims. Back in 2005...