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I asked Zia Chaudhry MBE, author of Just Your Average Muslim, why critical thinking seems to be discouraged. He told me: "We're going through a rediscovery of Islam, and that's an uncomfortable place to be. Islam used to be flexible and the Qu'ran was a source of guidance that was left to interpretation. Today, however, rigidity has set in."This rigidity is having far-reaching consequences; in a recent article for the Guardian, Chaudhry argues that to reduce chances of radicalization, children need a "space to discover the inherent spirituality of Islam that seems conspicuous by its absence in the modern world."When I came out, I struggled to find the space Chaudhry mentions, and I knew that some choose a more dramatic path. For many, it's a choice: Islam or homosexuality. To quote Ghulam Rasool of Leicester central mosque: "To have the inclination has never been condemned. It's acting upon it."READ ON MUNCHIES: I Talked to a Young Muslim Facebook Group about Pork
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