Khalil el-Moumni

Khalil el-Moumni is a Moroccan imam who preaches at the An-Nasr Mosque in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He has been a center of controversy for his views on homosexuality, which brought him into open conflict with the murdered Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. Reportedly he had been banned from preaching in Morocco in 1991 on account of his fundamentalist opinions.

On the 3 May, 2001, he appeared on the Dutch television program Nova to discuss the rising incidence of anti-homosexual violence by Moroccan youths. He said that "if the sickness of homosexuality spreads itself, everyone can become infected". "That's what we are afraid of... Who will still make children if men marry among themselves and women too?".

Later, various sources reported statements from sermons of his that were published in Arabic in 1998. He said: "The western civilisation is a civilisation without morals. In the Netherlands it's permitted for homosexuals to marry each other. The Europeans stand lower than dogs and pigs".

Forty-nine individuals and organizations filed official complaints about his statements on the Nova program, under Dutch anti-discrimination laws. However a drawn-out period of reconciliation followed, involving supporters of el-Moumni, Dutch politicians, homosexuals and religious groups, in which he was gradually moved to apologize. He said that some of the Arabic statements were mistranslated.

In December 2001, the justice ministry decided to prosecute him anyway. On April 4, 2002 a court in Rotterdam announced its verdict: although in principle his statements had been discriminatory against homosexuals, they were permitted on grounds of freedom of religious expression, since they were based on the Koran and other holy documents. The justice ministry appealed the decision but lost again on November 18, 2002.

See also Islamic views of homosexuality.

Notes

[1] Original Dutch, reported second-hand: "[dat] als de ziekte van de homoseksualiteit zich verspreidt, iedereen besmet kan raken." "Daar zijn wij bang voor" "Wie maken nog kinderen als mannen onderling trouwen en vrouwen ook?"