KUALA LUMPUR: The two girls steal kisses in the corner of this dimly lit cafe in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Their hands poke each other routinely. Life is good for Isa'a and Rina, two college girls who have found young love. “Life is good,” Isa'a, the more outspoken of the two, told Bikyamasr.com. “We live together as roommates, our families don't know and we can just enjoy ourselves.” But they are worried about the new push in the country to crackdown on the LGBT community. “Yes, it is very scary. I mean can you imagine if our parents found us in bed together? It would be the end of us, really,” said Rina, her activist side coming out. But for the two youthful girls of 19-years-old, if Assistant Professor of Psychology at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysi Meriam Omar Din found out about the two lesbians, she would attempt to put them through what he is calling an “Islamic core group” to deal with homosexual relationships. According to her, the new “group” would aim to “guide Muslims inclined towards same-sex relationships, such as lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transexuals (the LGBT community) back to the right path.” She argued that more Muslms in the country are “engaging in unnatural sexual activities.” The girls laugh the professor off. “She probably just is unhappy with her husband, or doesn't have someone to love and that is why she is so angry. Or she is a lesbian and can't admit it,” argued Isa'a, with her partner Rina laughing. Omar Din, however, seems quite serious about “battling” the LGBT community, which in recent years has become more open and public with their life. “The core group could somewhat curtail the trend. From what I gathered through communicating with LGBT, not all of them are happy with the life they are leading. “They were drawn into the situation because of sexuality problems, low self-esteem and immoral lifestyle,” she told Bernama here. She said society had been tolerant towards the community which comprised some very talented people in the arts, as could be seen by the willingness of relevant agencies to employ them. “Getting them closer to Islam is an appropriate approach to detach them from same-sex dependence,” she said, dismissing social websites as a factor. “Unnatural sex was already rooted before the existence of social websites. In the past, those who suffered from an identity crisis would run away from home and go to Chow Kit because they knew there is a group there that would accept them.” The professor said the LGBT would stay away from mainstream society and join the cluster that they believed could accept and support them. “They rebel collectively against society by wearing clothes or do things against the norm. “They deteriorate further by abandoning Islam because they know their activities are against the religion's teachings and as such, it is a cause for anxiety among religious circles, as well as Muslims,” she added. What's ironic is that both Isa'a and Rina said they were devout Muslims who attend mosque regularly and often find themselves together, studying their faith. “You know, there might be a lot of LGBT who are anti-religion, but I find no contradiction to our lifestyle and our live in the Qur'an, so we are happily Muslims and proud,” added Rina. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/fm74t Tags: Cure, Gay, Lesbian, LGBT, Malaysia Section: Culture, Editor's choice, Features, Human Rights, Latest News, LGBT, Southeast Asia, Women
