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While Gay Pride Parades like this one in Athens are becoming more common around the world, LGBTQ Muslims still face violence and persecution in many Islamic countries.

(Kostas Tsironis | The Associated Press)

Two women defied death threats in May to become the first same-sex married Muslim couple in the U.K.

The Birmingham Mail reported Rehana Kausar and Sobia Kamar, both from Pakistan, applied for political asylum immediately after the ceremony because their lives would be in danger if they ever returned to their home country.

The practice of LGBTQ Muslims seeking asylum in other countries is not new, but new issues are arising around the application process.

In a report by The Daily Beast, researchers revealed some of the intrusive questioning and practices involved in applying for "sexual asylum."

According to the article, immigration authorities in the U.K., a popular destination for Muslims facing persecution based on sexual orientation, have asked sexually explicit questions including whether applicants use sex toys.

Gay men have been asked to present sex tapes as proof that they are gay, and lesbian women have been argued against if they didn't "look lesbian."

In the United States, President Obama ordered that asylum be given to LGBTQ individuals facing discrimination in 2011, but the application process focuses on different criteria here.

Instead of being asked to provide evidence of being part of the gay community, asylum applicants in the the U.S. must prove that they were being persecuted in their home country based on their sexual orientation.

But an intrusive asylum application may be preferable to the hostility these individuals would face in their countries of origin.

According to a column by Mehdi Hasan on NewStatesman, gay and lesbian Muslims have faced violence, persecution and execution in the past, and continue to do so in many Islamic countries.

As a Muslim himself, Hasan admits to having struggled with the idea of same sex relationships, but says that Muslims need to reexamine their homophobia:

Muhsin Hendricks, an openly gay South African Imam, takes things a step further. In a Q&A with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, he says same-sex relationships can be reconciled in the Koran:

But Hendricks also notes that even in countries where LGBTQ individuals are accepted and constitutionally protected, there is still hostility toward them. He notes that in South Africa, reports of gays and lesbians being killed and "corrective rapes" are not infrequent.

In the U.K. there has been outcry from Muslims over the establishment of a mix-gender, pro-gay Mosque.

In an article on Muslim World, worshipers expressed discomfort both with the idea of LGBTQ Muslims being allowed to worship alongside straight Muslims, and about the concept of women leading men in prayer.

Hendricks concludes the Q&A by saying the future for LGBTQ Muslims is in flux. While there are some indications of increasing acceptance by straight Muslims in countries like South Africa, he says recent events around the world may change how Islam is practiced:

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