EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – The world is facing a range of social challenges. One of the most threatening, says the Council for Religious Opinion and Reform Secretary Rofiq Muzakir, is LGBTQ issue.
The message was delivered during the monthly sermon for Muhammadiyah employees in Yogyakarta on Monday (6/7).
Rofiq opened his remarks by asking participants to reflect on the importance of Muhammadiyah’s internationalization efforts. He said the organization’s growing global engagement aims to demonstrate that Islamic values can contribute to solving challenges facing modern society.
“The world today is suffering,” Rofiq said. “Without Islam, the world is in a difficult condition.”
He identified LGBTQ as one of the Issues he believes has become a global concern. According to him, the issue is no longer distant from Indonesian society and deserves greater public attention.
“This is not a problem that exists somewhere far away,” he said. “It is very close to us. It could affect our relatives or even our own children.”
Rofiq therefore encouraged Muslims to remain vigilant and not dismiss the issue as something irrelevant to their daily lives. He expressed hope that Muhammadiyah’s Progressive Islam, which emphasizes pure and functional monotheism (tawhid), could offer cures to this ‘disease.’
At the same time, Rofiq stressed that Muhammadiyah’s religious guidance does not support hatred or social exclusion of people who identify as LGBTQ.
Referring to the organization’s Tarjih fatwa, he said individuals from the LGBTQ community should continue to receive equal treatment as members of society and citizens. They should not face discrimination or be ostracized in social interactions.
Instead, he said, Muhammadiyah advocates what it describes as a rehabilitative approach. According to the fatwa, efforts should focus on helping individuals return to what it considers a normative sexual orientation. Rofiq added that such efforts require cooperation between the government and all sectors of society.
