Taha (Shia cleric)
Taha | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Shia Muslim cleric |
| Known for | Queer Shia cleric |
| Title | Hujjat al-Islam |
Mullah Taha[1] (Persian: طه) is a gay Shia Muslim cleric from Iran,[2] and is the first openly queer cleric in the history of Shia Islam.[3][4][5]
He is the son of a cleric,[6] and described his childhood self as being "effeminate".[7] He attended Islamic school at the age of 15,[6] where he realized his homosexuality.[8] And attained the rank of Hujjat al-Islam.[9]
He officiated gay marriages in secret,[10][11] leading to him being questioned by other clerics and threatened with death.[11][4] And forced by the Iranian government to flee to Turkey,[12] where he has lived as of 2016.[13][14][15]
He continued to perform same-sex marriages for queer Shia Muslim refugees in Istanbul.[10] He stated that he's treated with suspicion from both the Muslim community and the LGBTQ community.[16] He resides temporarily in Turkey, as his ultimate destination is Canada, where he has sought asylum.[17][18][2]
See also
References
- ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-22 – via YouTube. At 0:33.
- ^ a b Fitzgerald, Michael (2016-06-09). "Gay Mullah Who Conducted Same-Sex Weddings Flees Iran Because Of Death Threats: VIDEO - Towleroad Gay News". www.towleroad.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Hamedani, Ali (8 June 2016). "Gay mullah flees Iran over secret same-sex weddings". BBC News. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b McCormick, Joseph Patrick (2016-06-08). "Brave Muslim cleric flees Iran after being attacked for marrying gay couples". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Gay mullah flees Iran over secret same-sex weddings". Azvision.az. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-22 – via YouTube. At 1:05.
- ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-06 – via YouTube. At 2:38.
- ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-22 – via YouTube. At 2:57.
- ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2026-01-28 – via YouTube. At 1:15.
- ^ a b Brathwaite, Les Fabian (2016-06-18). "Meet the Gay Muslim Cleric Fleeing Iran for Performing Secret Same-Sex Weddings". www.out.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ a b "Meet Iran's Gay Mullah Forced To Flee The Country". www.darpanmagazine.com. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Amadeu, Juli (2016-06-17). "El mulá gay Taha, que casaba a parejas del mismo sexo en secreto, huye de Irán por las amenazas de muerte de otros clérigos musulmanes". dosmanzanas - La web de noticias LGTB (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Barber, Luke (2016-07-08). "Muslim cleric forced to flee Iran after conducting same sex marriages". The i Paper. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country". deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com. June 9, 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Gay Mullah Flees Iran After Marrying Same-Sex Couples". EDNEWS. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-25 – via YouTube. At 5:32.
- ^ BBC News (2016-06-08). Meet Iran's gay mullah forced to flee the country - BBC News. Retrieved 2025-08-25 – via YouTube. At 6:05.
- ^ Sims, Alexandra (9 June 2016). "Gay mullah flees Iran for conducting same-sex weddings". The Independent. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)