The words “Gay-friendly” and “mosque” may sound like a non sequitur.

But recently such a mosque opened on the outskirts of Paris.

This “mosque”, the first in Europe, is really a small worshipping room in a private building. Still it has still prompted backlash from the Muslim community in France, as well as from abroad. 

For example, Dalil Boubakeur, Rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris, in commenting about this new “inclusive” mosque states that all the faithful, whatever their private lives, were welcome in France’s mosques:

We are in a free country, but these practices (homosexuality) are formally rejected by Islam and in total contradiction with the word of the Koran.

Mr. Boubakeur’s statement begs the question… If all the faithful, including the homosexual, were welcome, why was there such a need for a separate more inclusive mosque?

Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, a French Muslim, recently opened the gay-friendly mosque because of the unwelcome environment for homosexuals in the Grand Mosque and elsewhere.

Mr Zahed joins the voices of many in different religions who are striving for tolerance.

Organizations such as the Gay Christian network, the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jewish Organizations, and Salaam: Queer Muslim Community of Canada have all faced the same challenges.

Mr. Zahed welcomes the conversation:

People are trying to understand who we are, where we come from, what our interpretation of this or that verse of the Koran is, and that’s diversity and dialogue and I’m happy with it.

Perhaps the actions of Mr. Zahed and others like him will inspire others to create more inclusive places of worship.