‘I don’t accept that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam,’ she said. ‘It has to have something to do with Islam because these people are shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
‘Britain’s big mistake was to install sharia courts.’
A liberal female imam speaks out in truth and because of it, she gets death threats. She is also called “controversial,” a term that now is used of anyone and everyone who speaks the truth and warns about sharia incursions in the West. Apparently it is not “controversial” to tolerate human rights abuses in the name of Islam or to accept sharia courts that return women to their abusive husbands, even, in some cases, under life-threatening circumstances.
“‘I don’t accept that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam’: Female Imam who banned burqas in her liberal mosque says UK Sharia courts breed extremism and must be shut down”, by Claudia Joseph, MailOnline, July 26, 2017:
A controversial female Imam, who received death threats after opening a liberal mosque for all Muslims, says the UK’s Sharia courts breed Islamic extremism and called for them to be shut.
Seyran Ates, who preaches at the Berlin mosque for women, men, Sunni, Shiite, straight and gay Muslims, said the secretive Islamic courts in the UK are a mistake – and linked them to recent terror attacks in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline Ms Ates, 54, said hardline Sharia courts support fundamentalists and are alienating moderate Muslims, adding: ‘Britain has a multi-cultural society and London, especially, is a melting pot.
‘But you have made mistakes in the case of Islam. There have been a number of attacks in a very short time. More than any other country, you need to talk about extremism in Islam. You need a more open debate about secularism.
‘I don’t accept that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam,’ she said. ‘It has to have something to do with Islam because these people are shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
‘Britain’s big mistake was to install sharia courts. They have to be forbidden. They are fighting against women. You won’t find an objective judge in a sharia court.’
Strict Sharia courts, of which there are around 85 operating in the UK, working mainly from mosques, settle financial and family disputes according to religious principles.
But they treat women as second-class citizens, a damning report in 2015 claimed.
The parallel justice system runs against the law of the land and is condemning British Muslim women to ‘marital captivity’ while failing to protect them from domestic violence, said the independent study written by Dutch academic Machteld Zee.
Calling on them to be banned in the UK, Ates added: ‘Women there will never have the same rights as men.’
The Imam, a single lesbian, is in London to find a venue where men and women of all Muslim sects and sexuality and can pray side by side.
‘I am proud to be a Muslim, a lesbian, a lawyer and an author,’ she said.
Ates is in the UK with a team of bodyguards, needed because she has received death threats from around the world over her liberal approach to Islam.
Her courage was yesterday applauded by three members of the House of Lords, who are all backing her initiative.
Lord Patel, a Labour peer in Bradford, which has a sizeable Muslim community, said: ‘I stand behind Seyran Ates’ push for inclusivity and the freedom of choice in worship.’
Lord Carlile, QC, who was the first member of parliament to campaign for the rights of transsexuals, added: ‘I support her efforts, and applaud her courageous initiatives.’
While the human rights barrister and crossbencher Baron Pannick, said: ‘Seyran Ates certainly has my support, and should have the support of all who believe in freedom of religion. It is sad that those who take advantage of freedom of religion for themselves are so reluctant to grant it to others.’
The daughter of Turkish immigrants, Ates has lived in Germany since the age of six. A family lawyer, she has dedicated her adult life to human rights, risking her life for the cause.
When she was just 21 years old, and working for an advice centre for Turkish women, she narrowly survived a shooting – she almost died of her wounds.
Since then, she has faced a series of death threats, being forced to close her legal office in 2006 while she was fighting arranged marriage.
‘The husband of a client tried to kick me and beat me,’ she explained. ‘I got so many death threats that I decided to close my office and give up my licence as a lawyer.
But Ms Ates did not retire. She just transferred her skills to writing, publishing three years later, her controversial book, Islam Needs a Sexual Revolution. This time the threats led her to retire from the public eye.
However, in June this year, she came out of retirement to open the ‘liberal’ Ibn Rushd-Goethe mosque, which is named after the medieval Andalusian philosopher Ibn Rushd and German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe and housed inside a Protestant church in Berlin.
Inside a congregation of about 30 Sunni, Shia, Alevi, Sufi Muslim men and women and members of the LGBTQ community pray together side by side in the face of adversity. They estimate they have 100 supporters, who attend either Friday prayers or Sunday brunch.
Not only has the institution been issued with a fatwa from Egypt but it has been attacked by religious authorities in Turkey who have suggested the movement is connected to US cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom they blame for last year’s attempted coup.
However, Ms Ates has refused to be deterred, despite being under 24-hour armed protection since receiving a death-threat days after the mosque opened.
She has now launched a European citizens’ petition to persuade the EU to ‘draft a bill to prevent and reduce the negative consequences of extremism’. She needs a million signatures from seven member states for the initiative to be debated…..
OVERTURNED BY HI says
Because islam allows /encourages violence against “unbelievers” – like this reformer – it cannot be reformed. Just as this case illustrates, the most violent form of islam will always be triumphant until islam itself is eliminiated
Mockingjay says
Yeah – it’s quite ridiculous to be “liberal” and a lesbian and still insist on remaining muslim – or even an imam, no less.
Sure – you can still believe in God the Creator when you’re a liberal – as well as when you’re gay – but it simply can NOT be the god of islam. Sorry, but it’s impossible.
Get real.
Vassar Bushmills says
I recall from a conversation with an Iranian in the 70s that men are such barbarians women routinely took pleasure with one another. Of course it’s all kept indoors, but makes sense that a lesbian would be the first to step outside.
blitz2b says
This is the most bizarre report in a long time. The whole ordeal is contradiction in terms… You cannot have ” Islam” , ” Female imam” and ” lesbian” in the same sentence and have any possible discourse about it.
Allah instills superiority of men over women. They are to be beaten if they disobey, used as “tilth” however and whenever a man chooses and are mere sex objects and population makers, how then do female imams fit into the equation is really a conundrum that mainstream Islam would not only laugh at but kill to vehemently oppose.
But of course as all Muslims say…. Allah knows best…. Or not!
Lioness says
Right. Female imam is an oxymoron. Lesbian female imam… there is no such thing in Islam. It’s like Catholic priest getting married.
Jaladhi says
Why are these lesbians in Islam – how can they reform allah’s commands. They are delusional to continue to follow Islam. There is nothing Islam worth following – they should just leave Islam and join humanity!!
Jaladhi says
BTW, since when Islam has allowed “female” imams – its just a show!
RichardL says
She is not an imam. She said that she wants to study to become one.
That needs correcting. JW reported that too a while back.
Westman says
Few people can make such a giant step, without support. This unusual congregation can serve as a halfway stop. If you’ve ever observed the Unitarian Universalist Churches, it quickly becomes apparent that they have had many times their current congregation moving through from some other religion.
This halfway “reformist” mosque can only increase the number of Muslims leaving Islam and should be supported and protected by the state.
gravenimage says
Westman, the entire congregation of this Mosque is just *30* gay Muslims.
The idea that this represents some sort of watershed–with all respect–seems highly unlikely.
Westman says
True. Yet all significant movements start with just a few members, even Islam. Let’s hope these reform movements continue until one becomes significant; otherwise, there is great bloodshed ahead for the West.
gravenimage says
Westman, I think we should just stop Muslims flooding into the West, rather than hoping a movement of 30 people–who may or may not even actually reject violent Jihad–may take off.
Mockingjay says
“They are delusional to continue to follow Islam.”
– Yes, they are. She is. Delusional.
– And it’s a dangerous delusion. Especially for Westeners who want to see islam as something else than it really is.
ed says
She has a death wish , with her dog and pony show .
John A. Marre says
A country that allows a parallel judicial system has given up on itself. In a country worthy of the name, there is ONE legal system that applies to all, without exception. Allowing Sharia courts is equivalent to the willful dissolution of a country.
eowyn von rohan says
Dear Ms.Douglass-Williams, I like to read your articles, because you name the truth and you have a good look onto Europe. But this time you followed fake-news. Seyran Ates to me is one of the biggest but best disguised U-Boot you can find in Germany (together with: Lamya Kaddor, Aydan Özuguz, Aymann Mazyek ….).
Mrs. Ates loudly talks about so called moderate islam – and the same time she accuses German Society to not do enough for the poor poor muslims. After the US-election she called D. Trump an ugly dictator – just before he did say or do anything!
Two years ago she told the German Media that she was going to live in Georgia, because there was nothing left for her to do in Germany. My fist thought was, thas she is plannung to do so, because Germany is on its way to Islamisation – an christian Georgia needs her help to go the same way. Seyran Ates is as well an actor för Islam as all the other moslems in Europe are, but she took another way. She told german society for decades, that Islam is peace – if it was right understood. And now she is going to install her “moderate” mosque to encourage “Hate” against her and her followers – and – oh wonder – you have a whole lot more moslems to call for asylum in Germany.
gravenimage says
Nothing you say here–which is quite predictable given Muslim “reformers”–suggests that the above story is fake.
This was reported by the Daily Mail–why do you think this newspaper is making things up?
eowyn von rohan says
If you knew Mrs Ates you would doubt her “moderate” islam is honest. She is installing this so called moderate mosque in order to create a new group of muslims in Germany that can call for asylum in my country.
Seyran Ates is no better than all the other Islam-U-Boote that infiltrlated german society – she is always blaming the “unbelievers” if a muslim gets violent or criminal. No, this mosque is not “moderate” its a fake – and I think so, because I have read Mrs Ates articles for long time and she is not as honest as she appears.
David says
“Liberal female imam,” I’ve never heard so many oxymorons in a single phrase before…
Guy Forester says
Somehow, this does not pass the smell test. But then, we do get goofy offshoot Catholic and Protestant groups as well, that seem to pop up. The problem is, none of these groups take the time to study what the scripture peculiar to their faith really says.
The main difference is that the Pope has not sent hit men or pronounced death orders for offshoot catholics. I am not aware of any Protestant group getting a death sentence from the synod or whatever they have for leadership.
Kepha says
Being something of an “offshoot” Protestant (a Confessionalist Reformed believer), I’ve taken quite a bit of time to study what my religion truly says. As far as I can tell, LGBTQ behavior, as well as heterosexual promiscuity and fornication, are indeed hateful to God, and those practicing them are called to repentance.
Now that I see pediatricians and psychologists ostracized by saying that gender dysphoria should not be encouraged in children, and having read the prophets more times than I can count, I sometimes wonder if the current furore islamicus and the caving of the West to Islamic barbarism might not be a divine judgment on a civilization that received great blessings, did great things with them, and then disdainfully turned its back on them.
True, we do not send out hit men or practice private justice against people who persist in sin. However, we do excommunicate the unrepentant.
Baucent says
A good point. Membership of a “Liberal reformed mosque” makes about as much sense as joining the Flat Earth Society. The difference only being you may get killed for it.
VRWC member77 says
I have no sympathy for this woman. She and all her wanna-be adherents are just a dangerous nuisance in a serious ideological war. I agree with eowyn von rohan, Christine. There are some significant details you failed to mention regarding the real character profile of this person.
gravenimage says
Germany: Muslims threaten to kill lesbian imam for opening reformist mosque
………………….
Of course they have–no surprise here.
westcoastjohnny says
regardless of the truth of any of the details of this woman’s story, this is the only part that should count:
“She has now launched a European citizens’ petition to persuade the EU to ‘draft a bill to prevent and reduce the negative consequences of extremism’.”
Any law of this type will be used mainly against critics of Islam, who are routinely disparaged as extremists.
gravenimage says
Yes–this is often the case.
andra says
And I think working against Islam critics is exactly the aim of Ms. Ates. She is very popular in Germany as the show-around integrated moderate Muslim. But as soon as something does not work ouf for a Muslim in Germany she is one of the first shouting that German Society is to blame for it. She is just the same as Masyek, Kaddor, Özoguz – pretending being liberal and integrated but working for the Islamisation of German Society.
Abbisid says
Glad to see this nonsense reaching Islam, Christianity has had to suffer it for years like Atheist Church
Priests etc, woman priests removing the cross as not to insult Islam etc. Not that what this woman says is incorrect, it is totally against Islamic teachings and will get her killed as an apostate, at least Christian fakes don’t get killed. Lesbian Woman Muslim Imam what an oxymoron.
Terry says
Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill
Islam’s solution for everything.