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nur warsame

It's a difficult to be gay anywhere, even in a country where marriage equality was just legalized. But for a lot of gay Muslims who already face xenophobia all over the world, it gets a lot harder.

An imam in Australia is trying to change that by opening the country's first mosque for LGBTQ Muslims.

The proposed mosque, announced this week, is the brainchild of Nur Warsame, the only openly gay imam (worship leader) in the country. As a mentor to young people in his community, he's received heartbreaking daily calls for years from young LGBTQ Muslims seeking help — and often protection from their family and community members.

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