What do you want people to know about gay Muslims after the shooting in Orlando?

"First of all, the Muslims and Arab gays who are out of the closet and talking about it openly are completely against this attack. You need to acknowledge and know that. We didn’t deny it or not talk about it, we all talked about it and we all stand up for the gay community. We are gays and also minorities.

"But to see all the hate coming out from a lot of corners, that was super sad. Because automatically, people forgot that the Arab community is a huge world and you cannot say all of them want to kill us and all of them hate us. Because inside of the Arab world, there are gays and there are women and children. Not all of us are trying to kill you, not all of us are trying to kidnap you. Not all of us want to kill the gays, because a huge number of us are gay. So, it’s crazy to hear that, and to see that. It’s crazy to see how people use these things for their election. It’s crazy how the right wing in America is trying to use that. It’s so sad to see that."

One thing that was sad that came out of Orlando was that people were saying that because the shooter was perhaps gay and not accepted, that the Muslim community does not accept gays. What do you think about that?

“It’s super sad and upsetting. It’s also rubbish and it’s bullshit. Of course we can be gay and of course there is a huge population of gay Muslims. If you think that all of the gay Muslims also want to kill you or that you cannot be gay and Muslim, that’s bullshit. It’s like saying to people: ‘You can’t be a gay Christian,’ or, ‘You can’t be Jewish and be gay.’ It’s stupid.”