I've received many e-mails by confused muslim guys and had answered their enquiries about being bicurious, homosexual or bisexual but this guy's confession is just so pure and honest that I have to make it public so others may learn about how to confront themselves in unexpected scenarios.
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An e-mail by Asd,
assalamualaikum and hello afiq deen. you may not know me (i prefer not to disclose my identity), but i really really wanna share my problems with you if you have the time. pls pls do not close this email yet because i feel that ur the only one who can understand me. just so you know that i am 16(PTS student), malay muslim, and i am waiting for my spm results. and ive been schooling at MRSM these past few years..
ive read several entries on ur blog and i found a few to be quite enlightening.. you see my problem is that im afraid that i may have interest in guys. ive gone to a rough childhood since i come from a broken family. i didnt sort of have any guidance since my father wasnt always there for us.
anyway, as youve stated, as all teenagers behave, im afraid that when my hormones were raging, ive come across the dangerous thoughts of anal sex. i kept surfing the net for porn till i stumble upon gay porn. and i couldnt resist myself. i tried really hard but to no avail. it has always spark interest in me. i was never caught before like u did so nobody actually stopped me from doing it. and as i watched more and more my lust really had control over my body. i was really really sad at times that i felt i didnt deserve to live in this world. because people all around me have such high hopes in me since ive performed excellently in academics.. what if they found out?my whole life would have been destroyed right in front of my very eyes...
living in MRSM didnt help me much either. in the dorm full of boys, my eyes simply couldnt avoid making contact with them..sometimes i would try and fondle them during their sleep...i know.. sick right?but im afraid thats why my lust have really taken control of my mind...sometimes i would even steal their underwear.. and a wave of guilt would simple surge over my whole body..but then one day i got caught in the middle of the night..that guy sort of woke up and i was shocked. really really shocked that i thought i might fainted.. luckily he didnt beat me up but he did call some other people.. and this guy was no guy.. he was one of the otai in the maktab. i was freaking scared that night that i couldnt sleep till the next day.. they said that they have heard rumors about me..and they wanted me to stop..i cried in front of them.. apologizing for the 1000th time.. saying that i couldnt control myself.. they were really close on reporting it to the warden but i begged them not too...u can imagine how frightened i was... i just couldnt face them anymore.. i was embarassed to death i can only pray that they didnt tell anyone else...
after that i sort of got myself back together, i prayed to God over and over again, wishing that he would guide me back to the right path. by the way, i did all of Islam obligations, though not as perfect as the rest, but i never missed solat fardhu before.. and i read the Al-Quran every single day after maghrib...i managed to find calmness in myself as i befriended all those religious people.. but it wasnt long before my old habits came back...
you see, living in asrama, i was considered as a jambu, partly because i was younger than most of them and i was small-sized.. (though i beg to differ).. but anyway, i became really close to this classmate of mine.. he was almost like a brother to me.. we shared problems.. and talk and laugh..he was sort of the abang angkat for me.. and people in the school knows.. because i was with him everywhere we'd go..i studied with him, waited for him to come down to prep.. and stayed up with him.. he even talked about his innermost secrets with me, like about when he had a wet dream (and he is straight for sure)..and my worst nightmare came when i realized that i was obsessed with this guy..i would wait for him to call me (my mrsm permits the students to bring phone to school).. and msg me..and everytime i was with him i felt really safe and secured.. people dare not critizise me anymore because they knew i was close to this guy (he was one of the otai in the school also).. and he would always protect me if somebody was disturbing me..and this guy.. he has a girlfriend.. whom i knew well and i helped him to get her.. and i became really jealous of her when he always hang out with her..i even tried to break them up but of cos it didnt work out..
however, he didnt know about my interests, and thought of me as his lil brother only, not more than that..i was really scared at that moment because SPM was so near..i tried to distance myself from him but i just couldnt.. i was afraid that he will know the truth..and i couldnt risk losing him.. when he was the only one i could talk to..i never talked about my interests because i know how he hates gay people. he once said that these people are laknat Allah.. from that moment onwards i knew i had to get away from him..
i cried for days alone..i just couldnt be friends with anyone else anymore because i was so afraid that they will know the truth..but i mustered up the courage and act like nothings happen.. and along the process in MRSM, ive gained some truly great friends..and the fact that they were so kind to me that i couldnt risk letting people know about me...
but somehow, as ive stated before, i was really excellent in my academics. i got a pointer of 4.00 for 2 semesters (thats quite a tough achievement) and even got best student for certain subjects...all the juniors looked up to me...teachers were all expecting me to get straight A1s for SPM.. i also became champion of a few inter-mrsm competition..
but you know what? i felt that i didnt deserve most of the awards..as ive sinned, and sinned a lot to Allah..i began to think that it is istidraj from Allah s.w.t.. its Allah's way to test His servants who have committed sins by awarding him with nikmat on earth.. i was really scared at that point.. i kept thinking that Allah is giving me another chance.. so i reverted back to the Al-Quran, i tried to find answers...but i just couldnt..more and more awards bombarded me.. but i was never riak of it.. i kept a low profile..but as ive stated before.. i was scared that it was all istidraj from Allah...and im starting to type this in tears..do you have any idea how scared i am??
after i left mrsm..i became more uncontrolled.. because i wasnt watched by my friends.. and living in KL does not help much either..ive comitted a lot of sins right after spm till now.. im really really scared.. that Allah would punish me.. that i would not be successful in my SPM... but alhamdullillah i managed to do my SPM quite okay back then..but i still do not know my results.. He is Almighty.. He can do anything...please.. i really need your help..i dont know what am i going to do now.. everything is a blur.. i do not want to lead my life like this.. i want to go back to the right path...please i beg you, afiq, to help me with me problems.. as i feel that ur the only one who really understands my situation... thank you and assalamualaikum.. pls take your time in replying.. i know ur very busy and i do not want to disturb you...you can just call me N .. may Allah bless you..
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Well I can truly relate with your problem because I too was young and jambu and have a weird inclination towards guys (well some guys..)
You may not want to blame it on your childhood but trust me man, part of your problem comes from your parents' divorce. My parents may not approve of this but having no father figure when going through my teenage years were both distressing and depressing. There were times when I surfed gay websites, got caught and had to beg for forgiveness from my mother. Single mothers are often too busy to be sensitive as they should and often result to tough love to compensate the absence of a father figure. By doing so, they are actually implying a certain message "You are suppose to be this or that way so be a man or get out of the house."
Your biggest fear is everybody knowing your sexual orientation. You shouldn't be afraid of the knowledge of people knowing you're gay. Be afraid of God and then be afraid of yourself and what you're capable of. Only by aknowledging your problem will you be able to confront it. Tell yourself "I'm Gay." and progress to "I'm a Muslim" and later "I will become a better Muslim."
The guy crush you experienced is a manifestation of a missing link in your life. It is all to common for people like us to have crush on people that embodies a certain value that fills a void in our hearts. My crush on Haikal was because I had no one with a acute sensitivity to listen to my problems without wanting to solve it like a mechanic. (mothers usually does this) The heart is not a machine. The problem do not have a beginning nor an ending. It evolves or dissolves into something else, be it a positive or a negative manifestation. You didn't have anyone strong to imply a sense of security in your vulnerable years like a proper father so you cling to a friend that embodies such personality. Think to yourself "Do I really need someone to protect me now? Can I protect myself?" If the answer is Yes, find out whether you like him as a loyal friend or because he feeds your ego or inferiority case? If you still can find reasons to be a good friend of his, continue your friendship. If not, let him go and if he still insists to be your friend, hey man, that's a true friend right there.
Real friends are people who accepts your flaws and will help you to manage them. Friends who encourage your habits are traitors who will lead you to your own destruction.
Allah gives you challenges because he still loves you. Do you know those rich buggers who never gives a shit about everyone else and still lead a happy luxurious life? Allah still gives them problems so they can have a chance to reflect and purify their otherwise black life. Allah loves all of us and we can only achieve happiness by making Him happy.
Since you're already out of MRSM, join a club, an affliation or even a sport association so you can be surrounded by activities that will fill the absence of homosexual thoughts. Like I said, problems has no beginning nor ending. When you feel a rush of lust, get hold of yourself and fill the void with fun activities of hobbies. My personal favourite is making gifts and crafts. Find yours. Soon your homoerotic thoughts will still reside in your mind but will serve a certain function. I found out that mine could make me more creative when designing because I appreciate a larger perspective of beauty.
I hope my take on things will help you in discovering and managing yourself. It's not wrong to love men. It's only wrong when you have sex with them. Haven't you heard of guy love? Allah made all of us different in so many ways by throwing in unusual situations and circumstances so we could embrace it and turn it into something positive.
6 comments:
hi afiq..i've been your silent blog reader for a long time..since it's a weekend and i'm free, i feel like sharing my thought on this issue if you don't mind..
In my opinion, our lust needs not to be obstructed, it just has to be controlled. Make our sole life intention only to please allah so that we won't be trapped in a depressing situation where we find we can't please others and also ourselves, (in N case)..
..when we make allah's view on our actions as a top priority to watch for, we wouldn't really care of what others think about ourselves and our own flawed innerself judgment which drives us nut because as a human we know in the first place that we are not that perfect to separate what's right and wrong...The absolute truth only come from Allah and we can acquire it from 'mukjizat' al-quran and hadith. Not from some time-wasting biased newspaper, superficial magazines, or porn websites..(They don't really know wth are we, as teenagers are facing (assuming that their 'money making business' is their top priority instead of the validity of certain articles or the future of their young minds)..
Adding to that, going back to fitrah is what we every muslim should attempt for in my opinion coz as stated in quran syaitan will try every way to get mankind deviated from the straight path, making them forgetting their purpose of life, and also making sins seem like enjoyable for them to do..how can we deny that if we believe in quran?
after all ignorance, arrogance, are all mind diseases, they aren't fitrah..so as homosexuality (lesbians, gay), in this case..isn't it?
Refer back to paragraph 2 and I hope gay/lesbo ppl can ask themselves why should they care about their weird desire..
And by the way, afiq, I remembered you had mentioned these Quranic verses in ur previous "gay muslim" article.:
"And there will go round boy-servants of theirs, to serve them as if they were preserved pearls." Al Tor 52:24
"They will be served by immortal boys..." Al Waqiah 56:17
It's a very well-written article but I assume anyone of us could have different interpretation for the Al Tor 52:24, Al Waqiah 56:17,..and therefore it's inapplicable for us to approve/follow anyone's view/ijtihad of the verses..no offense..
Allah clearly said in the first place that:
Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them--as a reward for their (good) Deeds. As-Sajdah : 17
I can't see in any way that we could relate the two verses to homosexuality..or how we, as a man can be sexually attracted to the handsome young boys.
The 'immortal, young, preserved-pearls alike boy' could as well be our children in the heaven who will bring joy to our heart, who knows?
Hope any person who are having the same problem as N can get something positive from my comment..Sorry if it's too long..
True enough,
but like any Quranic verses, it can be interpreted in many diverse perspectives as you had chosen your light on the matter.
Thanks for sharing your opinion in this matter.
it doesn't matter whether u label urself as straight, gay or bi. at some point of life, people just get attracted to another person, regardless of gender.
need to add some more.
after reading this part "and im starting to type this in tears..do you have any idea how scared i am??", i find it to be disturbing and annoying at the same time. how can someone think too much of it, when i don't care of what others think, cause i believe i'm not doing anything wrong...
love is not a matter of choice. u can't love someone because u choose to. it comes naturally lah.
You'll never understand how it feels to be in love with somebody you know you're not supposed to unless you experience it yourself. You think it's disturbing that some guy is pouring his guts out to figure out what's wrong with him and why he is not what he thinks God intended him to be?
You have no say in the matter because you don't understand the fear and hopelessness of being a closet gay in a strict muslim community. What if his parents found out about his sexuality? They'll probably disown him or ignore his inclination and do nothing to help him.
You have no idea the turmoil he faced when other gays approach him. The feeling of betraying God or betraying the nature of yourself.
He's a brave lad for admitting his unusual nature and his hopelessness should be not be made fun of. This is when I swear out loud... just so you know.
Owh what the hell..
Fuck you man!
wtf. u're talking about me???
read my comment. or let me rephrase it for you. I find it disturbing and annoying, BECAUSE HE THINKS TOO MUCH AND SCARED JUST FOR THE REASON THAT HE'S IN LOVE WITH A GUY!. don't you just get the part where i say "i don't care what others think" why should the guy be scared of others knowing he's gay. The point is, i'm not condemning him or any other gays.
and don't u say fuck to me. read carefully my previous comment or in the future, before u're going to say things at me.
u say i don't experience it, I do. u think I have no say in this matter, I'm well qualified. other gays approach him, i know how it feels. And i did not make fun of him. I just get annoyed because he thinks like he's doing something wrong, too much feeling of guilt can cause emotional disorder. The guy should just face the fact he's interested in guys, and move on with life.
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