Azwan Ismail, Malaysian Muslim Gay Diugut Bunuh

Lelaki songsang yang memalukan umat Islam Malaysia ini khabarnya sedang berada dalam kerisauan setelah menerima beberapa ugutan bunuh akibat pengakuan berani matinya dalam sebuah video bertajuk "Saya Gay, Saya OK" baru-baru ini.

Menariknya, kegelisahan yang dihadapi oleh lelaki ini turut mendapat liputan agak meluas media antarabangsa di UK dan Amerika Syarikat seperti Associate Press, Washington Post dan Fox News. Agaknya, dengan tersiarnya berita ini, lelaki songsang ini mungkin berharap agar komuniti gay di Barat akan menyatakan sokongan kepadanya? Jika ini berlaku, benar ia satu malapetaka buat umat Islam Malaysia! Sila baca artikel berita daripada Washington Post di bawah.


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A Muslim gay man in Malaysia says he fears for his safety after speaking about his sexuality in an Internet video that attracted online death threats and accusations by religious authorities that he is insulting Islam.

Azwan Ismail told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday he was taking safety precautions following fierce criticism in this conservative, Muslim-majority country over his clip, which has been viewed more than 140,000 times on YouTube in just six days.

The segment, titled "I'm Gay, I'm OK," features the 32-year-old engineer encouraging other gay Malaysians to be confident in themselves. It is part of a series of interviews posted online by gay rights activists since last week, but Azwan has attracted heavy attention because he is the only one from Malaysia's ethnic Malay Muslim majority so far.

"I don't know what to expect next," Azwan said Tuesday in his first comments to the media after his nearly three-minute clip was posted Dec. 15. Other gay Malaysians featured in the "Independent Sexuality" video campaign so far are mainly ethnic Chinese non-Muslims, who generally face less of a public stigma about homosexuality.

Azwan said he has tried to avoid going out alone or lingering at public places after a few of the 3,000 people who commented on his video issued death threats and many others rebuked him. He has also made his personal details more private on social media websites. Although Azwan's face appears clearly in the video, he declined to be photographed for the AP interview.

Malaysia's Cabinet minister for Islamic affairs, Jamil Khir Baharom, voiced concerns over the weekend that gay activists were trying to promote homosexuality. He said officials might take "appropriate action to prevent this from spreading because it would hurt Islam's image."

Harussani Zakaria, one of Malaysia's top Islamic clerics, reportedly said Azwan should have not made such an open declaration that "derided his own dignity and Islam in general."

In the clip, Azwan said it was tough being gay in Malaysia because "religious and cultural factors have defined our lives, telling us who we can be and who we can't."

Azwan did not break any obvious laws by talking in the video, but he said his lawyer friend was checking whether other legal action could be taken against him. Sodomy is punishable by 20 years in prison, though the law is only occasionally enforced. Some states impose fines or jail terms for gay-related actions such as cross-dressing in public.

The video series is inspired by the similar "It Gets Better Project" started in the United States in October in response to a string of gay youth suicides. Several more Malay Muslims are expected to speak in upcoming clips, which are meant to tell young gay Malaysians not to despair about their future.

"My intention was not to insult Islam," Azwan told the AP. "I just wanted to represent gay Malays in this project. I hope these videos will help to create a more open society and more discussion."

Azwan, who has a boyfriend, said he started confiding in others about his sexuality five years ago. He added that he has not broached the subject with his parents, but his brother asked him about it after news of the video surfaced.[source]

komen Billy: Bagus juga pengakuan Azwan Ismail ini, sekurang-kurangnya dengan pengakuan berani mati ini telah membuka mata banyak pihak terutamanya pihak berkuasa dan para ibu bapa tentang betapa seriusnya budaya gay di Malaysia. Sebelum ini, ramai pihak memandang sebelah mata dan buat tidak peduli kerana beranggapan budaya gay ini tidak terlalu parah sebagaimana gejala sosial yang lain. Mungkin kerana gejala ini bergerak secara underground dan eksklusif secara diam-diam. Kalau tak percaya, tengoklah dekat Facebook dan Tagged dimana golongan ini begitu aktif mencari teman sosial lelaki mereka (ya, Encik Billy juga pernah menjadi mangsa). Itu baru di dunia maya, di dunia sebenar? Mungkin lagi parah dengan tumbuhnya rumah-rumah urut dan kelab hiburan Gay. Ia memang parah!!

Sebagai renungan, hayatilah gambar-gambar kemusnahan Kaum Nabi Luth di bawah ini yang dibinasakan oleh Allah Swt kerana budaya Gay yang mereka amalkan. Tanya diri anda, adakah anda mahu jadi seperti mereka ini?

Al-Quran menyebut azab yang menimpa mereka: “Maka Kami jadikan bahagian atas kota itu terbalik ke bawah dan Kami hujani mereka dengan batu daripada tanah yang keras.”

Demikian balasan terhadap mereka yang melakukan homoseks. Berhubung perkara ini, ada sebuah hadis Rasulullah yang diriwayatkan Imam Ahmad daripada Ibn Abas: “ Siapa yang kamu dapati melakukan perbuatan kaum Luth, bunuhlah orang yang melakukannya dan diperlakukannya.” 

Wallahualam.