Breaking down the walls in Berlin

Dear friends – I was in Berlin last week and visited the first LGBT+ inclusive mosque in Germany. It's a groundbreaking place where everybody is welcome – regardless of who they are or who they love. I met with Seyran Ateș, the incredibly brave woman who founded the mosque. Seyran still gets death threats and can't leave her house without personal security guards because of her work. But she continues to fight for the rights of LGBT+ Muslims regardless. We talked about her newest idea. She wants to build a community center for LGBT+ Muslims; an unprecedented safe space offering counseling, education, and community work. If her plan comes to fruition, the center will help break down the dangerous walls that stand between LGBT+ Muslims and their communities. Seyran is determined to make it happen – but the mosque and her work rely fully on donations and they need our support. We need just 450 more people to donate – can you be one of them? – Matt P.S. To learn more about why this project is so important, check out my interview with Seyran! Previous email: -------------------

Dear friends, It's been a year since one of my biggest dreams came true: the opening of the first LGBT+ inclusive mosque in Germany. The mosque has been a great success. Every month around 800 people visit us to practice their faith. Everyone is welcome, regardless of who they are or who they love. Many visitors tell me how they struggled for years to come out as LGBT+. They were held back by patriarchal, conservative families and communities that condemned their sexual orientation or gender identity. The mosque is a space where they finally feel safe and welcome. But we need to do more. I have a new dream: I want to create a community center for LGBT+ Muslims; a groundbreaking safe space where we can join in community, heal together, and help build a better future. We'll have counseling for LGBT+ Muslims who are feeling alone and struggling. We'll train LGBT+ Imams to start their own communities. And we'll help educate families and the public about LGBT+ Muslim lives. But none of this can happen without your help. Friends, can you chip in €5 to protect and empower LGBT+ Muslims? I'll be honest – the work we do at the mosque comes with many risks. Last year, after the opening, I was receiving 1,000 hate messages a day. I still get death threats and I can't leave my house without personal security guards. But this backlash only underlines how important it is to create a safe space for our most vulnerable community members and to fight discrimination. If enough All Out members chip in, we can train LGBT+ Muslim counsellors, run projects to fight discrimination in our communities, and organise a whole range of projects and events to empower LGBT+ Muslims in Germany. I know firsthand how powerful the All Out movement can be. I found the strength to continue fighting for our community when members from all around the world sent me hundreds of messages of love and support last year, to counter the hate mail that was piling up. Can you help us make the next important step forward and fund the launch of this community center? Thanks for going All Out! Seyran Ateș, Founder of the Ibn Rushd-Goethe mosque SOURCES:  ● The Berlin mosque breaking Islamic taboos – BBC, 07 August 2017  ● By Taking a Bullet, a Muslim Woman Finds Her Calling – The New York Times, 22 June, 2018  ● Forbidden love – Is Islam homophobic? – Jäger & Sammler, 26 March 2018 (in German) Want to support All Out's ongoing work? Our tiny team stretches every dollar to make it count. DONATE TODAY

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