WHY MUSLIMS SHOULD NOT STATE THEIR PRONOUNS

[A Thread].

“What’s the big deal? It’s just pronouns, right?” Not exactly. This thread will hopefully demonstrate why this practice is actually doing something a lot deeper and more problematic than that.

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The first thing to understand is that the Trans movement is not just a political movement, its a pseudo-religious one. It can be argued to have its own central tenets, existential assumptions & moral philosophy centred around the celebration of ‘love’ & ‘being who you truly are’.

While there is no unified conception of god/s in this belief system, insofar as individuals are primarily acting on feelings and internal sensations, the common god is the self. This is affirmed through the Qur'an: “Have you seen he who has taken his own desire as a god” {45:23}.

Not only this, but importantly, the Trans movement comes with its own cosmological beliefs about mankind - who we essentially are - which is starkly different to that of Islam and in fact, different to all other spiritual traditions.

In the LGBT philosophy, a woman can somehow be “trapped” inside the body of a man, and through artificial means [hormones/surgery] can choose to modify certain apparent attributes to various extents, in order to exist according to their “true” sex/gender identity.

This philosophical outlook is utterly foreign to Islam: “the male is not like the female” {3:36} and it is never supposed to be. Hence the cross dresser is cursed, gold & silk are only for women, and the beard of a man is canonical duty. Gender distinction is firmly intended.

Even the notions around Islamic marriage, prayer, ‘awra’, & financial obligation are inextricably bound to a firm distinction and separation between men and women. These are essential to the Qur’an, the Islamic tradition, and (we would argue) the fitra (innate human disposition).

The dual polarity of the sexes exists in a wider cosmological structure within the Muslim faith, in which everything is “created in pairs” {36:36}: Day|Night, Creation|Destruction, Positive|Negative, Paradise|Hell, Death|Life, Man|Woman are just a few archetypal examples.

The Sun and the Moon are also stated as a celestial pair, swimming in their cosmological orbit {36:40}, and guiding core pillars of our worship from the heavens. Trying to change man to woman in Islam, is like trying to make the moon the sun or the sun the moon.

The practice (or “rite”) of stating pronouns is integral to LGBT philosophy, serving as a means to disclose or indicate one’s “true” identity, regardless of their sex assigned at birth or how they appear. It is inextricably linked to their unique beliefs regarding human beings.

As you can see, this wider picture is antithetical to our own beliefs regarding humanity. I would therefore argue that is it not right for Muslims to take part in it, lest we unwittingly comply with the cosmological assumptions of a conflicting worldview.

We have our own cosmological beliefs about reality, and about mankind. We should be proud of it and be honoured to share it with other human beings if asked. Indeed, for us, men and women are an archetypal pair in a cosmology of pairs, indented to be distinct.

So please resist taking part in this practice as much as you can. I know some companies are demanding it from staff, but this is no more acceptable than a Muslim employee demanding that everyone state if they are Muslim or non-Muslim at the start of a team meeting.

In a secular, professional contexts such as work, university etc., we should not be forced or required to make such statements [stating pronouns] which pertain to specific life philosophies of different traditions/groups.

Anyway, feel free to pass this thread on so the liberal-inclined Muslims might reflect on it, and those on the fence might see sense in avoiding this practice. Many thanks

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