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.
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.
Thanks for going All Out!
Seyran Ateș,
Founder of the Ibn Rushd-Goethe mosque
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