Homosexuality in Islam

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful

Traditional Muslim scholars interpret some verses of the Quran as a condemnation of homosexuality altogether. However, more recently there has been a new breed of liberal Muslims who have commented on the Quran in a slightly different manner to those held by most Muslims. To the vast majority of the Muslim gays and lesbians the threat of hell fire cited by the Shariah scholars is the main cause of their uneasiness, anxiety, and the utter denial of their homosexuality. The fear of God’s punishment in the Hereafter if a homosexual person is to get tempted and have sex with a member of his or her sex brings a huge amount of stress and conflict between religion and sexuality and consequently leads a lot of Muslims away from their faith altogether. The verses that are used to refer to homosexuality are those narrating the story of the people of Lot and their eventual annihilation by God because of their unrepentant transgressions and way of life.

We also (sent) Lut: he said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you?”For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" But We saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who lagged behind. And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime! (The Holy Quran, 7:80-84) "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, "And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!" (26:165-166) “And Lot! when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination knowingly?

Must ye needs lust after men instead of women? Nay, but ye are folk who act senselessly.”(27:54-55)

And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: "Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. "Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? - and practise wickedness (even) in your councils?" But his people gave no answer but this: they said: "Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth." (29:28-29)

To the Muslim gays and some straight liberals, these verses are taken to mean that the people of Lut were not homosexuals per se but heterosexuals who raped men and indulged in gay sex as a pleasure and culture. They also quote the following verses from the Holy Quran and the Hadiths (or sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him)) to indicate that homosexuality is not illegal at all and that there are allowances for it in Islam:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. (24:31)

It is said that Almighty God is referring to the Gay men with the words “or male servants free from physical needs”……However, many commentators of the Quran interpret the above mentioned words to mean old men who have passed age of sexual desires. They do so deliberately in order to avoid the word “homosexual”. To me this is very unreasonable as the following points indicate:Some people lose their sexual vitality and vigour as they grow older but many are sexually active even into the eighties! Remember prophet Ibrahim had both Ismail and Isaac with his wives Hager and Sahra respectively when he was very old. Also, the very old people are not usually employed as servants as their efficiency and ability to do jobs have greatly diminished with age. Therefore, the only logical interpretation of the above mentioned verse is that it refers to gay men.

 “Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He createth what He will. He bestoweth female (offspring) upon whom He will, and bestoweth male (offspring) upon whom He will; Or He mingleth them, males and females, and He maketh barren whom He will. Lo! He is Knower, Powerful.”(42:49-50)

And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast. (3:36)

Volume 7, Book 62, Number 13h: Narrated Abu Huraira: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I am a young man and I am afraid that I may commit illegal sexual intercourse and I cannot afford to marry." He kept silent, and then repeated my question once again, but he kept silent. I said the same (for the third time) and he remained silent. Then repeated my question (for the fourth time), and only then the Prophet said, "O Abu Huraira! The pen has dried after writing what you are going to confront. So (it does not matter whether you) get yourself castrated or not."  What does God Almighty mean when He said: "........Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female;............"?

The last Hadith is interpreted by some that Abu Huraira was referring to His homosexuality and that the Prophet allowed him to get castrated (to follow his homosexual instincts) if he wished.In one Hadith the prophet actually explicitly forbade the mutilation of the testicles!

Malik's Muwatta Book 51, Number 51.1.4: Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar disapproved of castration and said, "The completeness of the created form is in the testicles.

So in that sense the prophet (pbuh) might not have told Abu Huraira to cut off his testicles but rather to follow where his nature takes him. To be honest I do not completely understand the meaning of the word ‘castration’ in the context of the aforementioned Hadith but just compare the Prophet’s reply to Abu Huraira’s question with his stern reply to the other companions in those Hadiths. If Abu Huraira wasn’t gay then why would the Prophet (pbuh) allow castration for him and forbid it to the rest? Some people are of the opinion that even if homosexuality is natural thing that people are born with, it would be illegal to practice as the Quran expressly prohibits it and that the commandments inscribed in the Quran by Almighty God will not be affected irrespective of its nature. Many Muslims also cite the fact that life itself is a test and that everyone will have his or her test whether it is with health, wealth, family, or in this case sexuality. They say that the homosexual people are being tested by God to stay chaste as gay and lesbian sex would violate the laws of God and hence call for His punishment both in this World and in the Hereafter. But the opponents of the gay rights are clearly contradicting themselves. In their argument, they say sex between members of the same sex is a violation of the natural order of things as males and females are made for each other to reproduce offspring. On this basis Muslim gays and lesbians are often advised by their families and the wider Muslim community to get married in the traditional sense or not to have sex at all. What I found more absurd is that abstinence by a straight men or women is strongly discouraged by Muslim legal scholars. The reasons given for this stance are many but the most important one is that marriage forms half of one’s Imaan or faith according to the following authentic Hadith of the holy Prophet (pbuh).

Volume 7, Book 62, Number 11: Narrated Sad bin Abi Waqqas: Allah's Apostle forbade 'Uthman bin Maz'un to abstain from marrying (and other pleasures) and if he had allowed him, we would have gotten ourselves castrated. (1)  Volume 7, Book 62, Number 13o: Narrated 'Abdullah: We used to participate in the holy battles led by Allah's Apostle and we had nothing (no wives) with us. So we said, "Shall we get ourselves castrated?" He forbade us that and then allowed us to marry women with a temporary contract (2) and recited to us: -- 'O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but commit no transgression.' (5.87)  Volume 7, Book 62, Number 1: Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet asking how the Prophet worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where we are from the Prophet as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he, who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers)."

Moreover, when Muslims accept if at all that one is born gay, lesbian, or straight and cannot help but feel attracted to one’s own sex, some go on to say that gays, lesbians, or bisexuals should never reveal their sexuality to others as this will promote vice. In effect, they are arguing one to lie about one’s sexuality which is actually a violation of Islamic law as lies is strictly forbidden in Islam.

And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is). (2:42) Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while ye have knowledge? (3:71) To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and the Day that the Hour of Judgment is established, - that Day will the dealers in Falsehood perish! (45:27)

What is completely ignored though is that for a homosexual to have sex with a member of the opposite sex is a violation of his or her natural feelings and hence should incur God’s anger. Also what is not thought about when dishing out “religious advices” to homosexuals is that coercing them into marriage would almost certainly lead to friction and the eventual break up of that marriage for there is an absence of that sexual bond to sustain such a marriage. There is a wealth of evidence from married homosexuals that straight marriages lead to depression and a host of other problems not only for the homosexual but also for his or her straight partner in the ‘marriage’. These problems clearly undo the purpose for which marriage was instituted in Islam as the following verses indicate:

And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.(30:21)

They (wives) are garments for you, while you are garments for them. (2:187)

As according to the following Hadith found in the collections of Abu Da’uud, the prophet makes it clear the undesirability of divorce, wouldn’t it be hypocritical to push the gay Muslims into such actions hated by the prophets whilst advising the straight Muslims to avoid it by choosing the most suitable partners?! Of course a divorce is inevitable in most of the marriages involving one homosexual and one straight partner. 

The most hateful of all lawful things, in the sight of Allah, is divorce.

And arguing the believers not to rush into divorces before exhausting all other options, Almighty God says in the Quran:

Live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah brings about through it a great deal of good. (Qur’an 4:19)

If homosexuality is a “test” in life for some believers as many people claim, then we will have the problem of contradictions in the Quran since God Almighty mentioned in the Quran that there is relieve after every hardship as the following verse clearly demonstrate:

So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief (95:5)

So keeping in mind the meaning of the above verse; where is the relieve for the homosexual Muslim from the daily temptations that is brought on them directly as a result of his or her unconventional sexuality as the provision of marriage is not an option for them? Well, some people might argue that disabilities and other forms of misfortunes which are by the way a test of faith for the some people can also be life-long conditions too. But then let us not forget that disabilities do not necessarily lead one to temptation as does homosexuality which means that a disable person due to his or her disability does not have to fight Satan’s “whispers” as does a gay or lesbian due to their sexuality.In fact, homosexuality is not a short term “problem or a trial” at all but a life-long characteristic of a human being (or an animal as we all know) that is an enduring and natural as the attraction between males and females in the animal kingdom.There is also the other question that comes to mind when homosexuality is condemned: will the merciful Creator of all punish His creation for just following the natural order He ordained for them? If yes, then that means a large section of His creation is already doomed from its inception and so the doctrine of freewill in Islam becomes meaningless.  According to the above mentioned arguments, it becomes manifest if the legal line of the traditional Islamic scholars is follows, there will be one set of laws for the homosexuals and another one for the heterosexuals. Since without a doubt Islam is a religion of reason, the current position of the Muslim jurists is unsustainable and an open and honest debate about the legal status of homosexuality and the homosexuals is paramount. In the end God will judge us all as only He knows the ultimate truth.  

Selektive Moral

Some people do think it is easy to get asylum.

No. It isnt. Even when one is gay. Part of the reason I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that I have exhausted all the necessary steps to stay in Uganda, and only seek asylum as a very last resort.

This report of a Gay Ugandan asylum seeker is the one which has set me off.

Fact, I will need to have a very good reason for leaving Uganda to face the indignity that is described in this article. A reason like the loss of my life. Yes, I know, (sighhhhh!), another reason to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich. Dont worry, life is too precious for me to throw away. Inspite of the Bahati Bill.

Frank Mugisha talks about being Gay in Uganda, here. I havent watched the film. My link is too slow. But, I am sure he says all the good things....! Or the bad things, whatever your take. And, Julius Kaggwa on NPR radio.

But, since the topic is selective morality, let me get back to it.

You, of course have heard of Uganda's Gay Porn showing Pastor. If you havent, where have you been hiding? Come out, here is the feed. And, the reactions.

Did I point out that the Honourable minister for morals in Uganda, Minister of Ethics and Integrity, the Honourable James Nsaba-Buturo is a very close friend of the Gay Porn Show pastor? Maybe it did skip my mind. But, I wrote to the press, and had that letter copied to the Minister of Morals. As the 'Concerned Citizen' gug.

But, the Minister of Uganda's Morals is a very interesting guy. These days, he doesnt speak so much about the huge evil immorality of the homosexuals who he wants to forget about human rights, and surrender their right to life and liberty.

I think someone asked him to shut up. But, I may be wrong.

He still speaks about corruption.

Do you know who the Ugandan Public think are the most corrupt politicians? Museveni, Mbabazi, Muhwezi - Top Most Corrupt Politicians? They are effectively the dear President, the Minister of Defence, and the Minister for something. I think one or the other of those is related to the President.

Who defends the President? the Rt, Honourable Nsaba-Buturo.

However, the Minister in charge of instilling Ethics and Integrity, James Nsaba Buturo, dismissed the ACCU's findings as unscientific. "It is dangerous, wrong to make such bold statements about people of high authority basing on people's opinions which may not be informed. It is not a reliable measure in any way. ACCU needs to move to scientific methods of gathering evidence and needs to make wider consultations before making such accusations. They need hard evidence to make such a case. In which corruption case has the President been cited, for example?" Buturo asked.

Has enough been said without bringing the heavy eye of authority on me? It can be scathing. Burning.... but my beef is with the Minister of Ethics whose view of morality is very, err, selective.

But then, he is a politician, not so?

Intellectual Dishonesty. I dont speak English as a first language. Sometimes the words just fail to roll off my tongue.

I was looking for that particular duo, Intellectual dishonesty, and I did fail to get it. It was in relation to some people who vehemently support Ssempa, and his doings... the porn show plus. And, Bahati, who seems to be convinced that the bill he wrote will not kill me. Or, is that the exact translation and what I want to mean by 'intellectual dishonesty'? Telling a lie, for the lie's sake. Dishonouring ones own intelligence, to gain your way.

I have to go and think about that.

Me, when I am dishonest, I try to be a good hypocrite. Of course, I do tell lies....

Be well, and have a lovely day

Here, it is raining cats, dogs, and assorted other livestock. Be good.

PS.

One cannot talk about selective morality without mentioning some of our own pastors. Ugandan pastors, I mean. (Oups, I have mentioned one, havent I?)

Anyway, during the Pastor Wars, 5 pastors ganged up to accuse one of their colleagues of being a homosexual. So, the accusations stood for some time, and their fellow fought that war, and they found themselves on the back burner. According to the police report, these pastors had actually paid money to the men who were accusing the prominent pastor rival.

Are you with me?

Ok. Now, Benny Hinn is reported to be dealing with divorce papers. And, so says the red rug rubbish, sodomy on a trip to Uganda is cited. I hate not to be able to confirm things, but the red rug writes lies for the sake of selling the paper. Anyway, the red rug headline yesterday; 'Benny Hinn Sodomised Top Kampala Pastor.'

Today, one of the articles is that Male and Kyazze, two of the pastors that accused their rivals of sodomy take this as vindication. So, they took the chance to say they know the pastor who was so 'sodomised'

I think, soon is coming another episode in the Pastor Wars. If you want to really know more of those, search Pastor Wars on this blog.

And, yes, the selective morality of Uganda's 'Christian Pastors' is sometimes overwhelming. They do embarass even me, sodomite as I am. What intellectual incompetence! It is breathtaking. But, what have they done wrong?

Be well

Have a great day, chill and all.

Homosexual Teens coming out earlier to more accepting Environment

Josh Delsman, an 18 year old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reluctantly revealed he was a homosexual at age 14 after a friend told middle school officials, who later informed his parents.

"I didn't want to come out," Delsman said. "But I realized I was gay a lot younger than that. I knew when I was 8 or 9, but I just didn't know what to call it."

Delsman, along with two straight classmates, went on to found a Gay Straight Alliance at his high school. GSAs are clubs in schools that promote tolerance and acceptance of all students.

"We were tired of hearing 'that's so gay' and other LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) slurs," Delsman said.

Ritch Savin-Williams, who chairs Cornell University's human development department and wrote the book "The New Gay Teenager," said kids are "coming out" sooner these days.

According to Savin-Williams' book, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal, the average age people used to come out was in their mid-20s, but that has dropped to the mid-teens over the last two decades.

And anecdotally, the median age for high school students to come out is between 15 and 17, according to Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Media's role

Jennings, a 44-year-old former high school teacher who took the organization from a local school-based group to a national one during the 1994-95 school-year, said he believes coming out earlier is directly related to the greater accessibility of information from the Internet, TV and people's peers.

"In my generation, it was very rare to come out in high school. I didn't really know or understand the language for it. They [teens today] have a language to explain what they're feeling that wasn't available to teens in the past," Jennings said.

Part of the reason that young people are coming out sooner may be that as a whole, Generation Nexters -- those aged 16-25 -- are more accepting of homosexuality in general.

Nearly six in 10 people in that age bracket say "homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society," according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center in January. In comparison, the same survey found that only 50 percent of those aged 25 and older felt the same way.

Greater exposure to media images of gay people also has increased homosexuality's awareness and acceptance.

Like Jennings, Jennifer Santiago, a 20 year old who identifies herself as straight, thinks her generation has more exposure to images of LGBT people in the media than ever before, and that for her generation meeting a gay person is not uncommon.

But Santiago thinks many of the images in the media are not positive. One example is MTV's reality program "The Real World."

"On 'The Real World' they always make the one gay person and make it insane. They find the craziest person who is gay and put that person on the show. It's stereotypical. My friends aren't like that," she said.

Some say, however, that the increase in LGBT images across media are encouraging teens to take up a lifestyle they might not have chosen otherwise. Additionally, some socially conservative groups say the teenage years are too chaotic to make decisions about "sexual identity."

"All kids around puberty are confused about who they are," Barbara Swallow of Free Indeed Ministries, a Christian organization that counsels people away from homosexuality, told the Albuquerque Journal.

"Then they're told it's acceptable to be whatever you want to be -- homosexual, bisexual, transgender," she added. "That's not the way God created it."

In an interview with USA Today, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said that "Homosexuality is harmful to society, and young people have no business committing to a sexual identity until they're adults."

On the other hand, experts such as Dr. Jack Drescher of the American Psychiatric Association, who has studied programs that attempt to alter sexuality, say that pretending to be heterosexual when you're not is bad for teens.

"They are not learning social skills, but developing hiding skills," he told the Albuquerque Journal. "In the process, they lose the ability to know who they are."

Emergence of clubs that promote tolerance

Currently more than 3,000 GSAs across the country are registered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a group that works to create safe school environments for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or identification.

Many of the clubs have been founded by students who identify themselves as straight, or "straight allies"; they see the direct impact that bullying and discrimination has on their peers.

"Kids with privilege are saying 'this isn't OK by me anymore.' They witness this everyday. They want to make a difference and this is something that they can do. Washington seems very far away. But they can make a difference in their schools," Jennings said.

Delsman, who says coming out is a life-long process, said he's directly seen the positive effect these clubs can have on school environments and students. There's less bullying and fewer discriminatory comments.

"My friend [who] just came out two weeks ago, he moved down from Albany. He had never met another gay person before," Delsman said. "He came down here and the environment was so much better. It was so amazing because I know that 10 years ago he wouldn't have been able to do that at all."

Erik Stegman, a 24-year-old UCLA law student and current co-chairman of GLSEN's National Leadership Council, said the student-run movement helps build confident leaders.

"I became more confident than ever before. This is who I am. On a personal level, I absolutely think it was a positive experience. I gained a lot. We all have to mature real fast coming out," he said.

He said he would like to "turn the whole country's attitude toward what it means to be GLBT, especially as you're young, change the perception that it's a disadvantage, that it's something to feel sad about, guilty about."

-- By Annie Schleicher

Hungarian politician comes out

Szetey Gabor, a member of Hungary's Socialist Party, has broken convention by becoming the first governing politician in Hungary to come out as gay.

Gabor stepped from the closet Thursday night as he opened the 12th Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Film and Cultural Festival in Budapest.

Gabor said in his speech: "I am the personnel state secretary of the government of the Republic of Hungary. I believe in God, love, freedom and equality. I am Hungarian and European. I am an economist and a personnel leader. I am a partner, a friend, sometimes an opponent. And I am gay."

His announcement came on the same day as junior coalition member the Alliance of Free Democrats announced it will ask for same-sex unions to be legalized.

He has been working as a state secretary at the prime minister's office since last July. His inspirational announcement provoked a terse response from his peers. Tibor Navracsics, parliamentary caucus leader of main right-of-center opposition party Fidesz, said his party considered Gabor's sexuality a private matter.

The 38-year-old politician admitted it took him 28 years to accept his sexuality. It was a topic he was unable to discuss with his now deceased mother.

Gabor hopes his public coming out will make it easier for other Hungarians to do the same. He is the second Hungarian politician to come out publicly after Klara Ungar, a member of the liberal party SZDSZ.

Hungary is one of the more progressive Eastern European countries, but while Budapest has a functioning gay scene, the country still has a long way to go.

Common-law same-sex marriage was approved by the country's parliament by a wide margin in May 1996. This is best described as a halfway house to same-sex marriage. Inheritance, widow's pension and immigrant rights are possible but not automatic.

Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany avoided firm answers when asked by reporters Wednesday whether Socialists supported the introduction of registered life partnerships.

"One of the most delicate social questions is how we adapt to changes," Gyurcsany said.

Hungary is the host country of the forthcoming Mr. Gay Europe contest and the Olympic Games for Transgender in 2007.