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Islam
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 Islamic
Homosexualities : Culture, History, and Literature by Stephen
O. Murray (Editor), Will
Roscoe (Editor), Eric
Allyn, Louis
Crompton
Less than a third
of this book is about homosexuality in present-day Muslim
countries, but a major purpose of the book is to show that the
repressiveness sponsored by contemporary "Islamicist
fundamentalists" is not the only Muslim approach. Indeed,
historically, accommodations to pederasty and to a few
gender-variant individuals were made, and The Abode of Islam was
far less hostile to same-sex eros and same-sex sex (so long as the
insertees were young, effeminate, and/or non-Muslim) than
Christendom.
This is not to say that homosexuality is part of the religion. As
Roscoe's chapter shows, the area conquered/converted by Muslims
had a history of accommodations of pederasty and
gender-dichotomized homosexuality (the two types have been mixed
in many places with entertainers who have been both young and
effeminate). Murray's longest chapter on "the will not to
know" about what anyone who looked or thought about what's
going on has a wide utility (he specifically links it to Clinton's
"don't ask, don't tell" "policy").
The chapters on literature -- especially those of Jim Wafer --
push perhaps too hard for a homosexual (rather than homoerotic)
readings. The line between "history" and
'anthropology" is blurred, and the contemporary materials are
mostly non-Arab, centering on Pakistan.
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Various Religions in connection to gay people. Homosexuality and religion. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Bible, New Testament, Old testament, Sexuality, Sexual moral, morality, ethic, gay rights, human rights
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Excerpt:
There are five references in the Qur'an which
have been cited as referring to gay and lesbian behavior. Some
obviously deal with effeminate men and "masculine women."
The two main references to homosexual behavior are:
"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." Qur'an 7:80-81
"What! Of all creatures do ye come unto
the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay,
but ye are forward folk." Qur'an 26:165
Both references relate to gay sexual activities;
lesbian practices are not mentioned in the Qur'an.
Lut is referred to as "Lot" in the
Hebrew Scriptures. This passage is an apparent reference to the
activities at Sodom
and Gamorah. It seems to imply that there was no homosexual
behavior before it first appeared in Sodom. This is a uniquely
Islamic concept; it does not appear in Jewish or Christian
beliefs. The passage also links the sin of Sodom (the reason for
its destruction) to homosexuality. That linkage is contradicted
by other verses in the Hebrew Scriptures.
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Resources include Books, links to online
organizations.
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Queer Jihad is the queer Muslim struggle for
acceptance: first, the struggle to accept ourselves as being
exactly the way Allah has created us to be; and secondly, the
struggle for acceptance and tolerance among Muslims in general.
'Jihad' is a misunderstood word: to the educated
Muslim, it denotes the struggle with one's self, one's nafs, one
baser, lower instincts, the struggle to do good, to be good, to
put into practice the beliefs and values we claim to possess. Only
in a secondary, technical sense does it mean 'holy war'. Thus, the
'queer jihad' is our own struggle with sexuality, with accepting
it and dealing with it, and moving on.
Queer Jihad is not a formal organisation: it's
an idea. We have no mosques; we are not a movement; we request no
donations, neither do we accept them. We are not funded by any
government or organisation. We are not 'Jews trying to destroy the
image of Islam' or any other such nonsense that we've been accused
of time and again.
We are interested in the spiritual lives of gay
and lesbian Muslims, and other queer Muslims. We are interested in
encouraging queer people to remain true to Islam, to grapple with
the issues, to come to terms with who they are in whatever manner
and fashion they are capable of doing so.
The issue of Islam and homosexuality is
complicated and there are no easy answers. If we can begin to talk
about ourselves and share our experiences and ways of coping, we
will have made a start in the right direction.
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This is a page for gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgendered Muslims, and for allies. I intend to
put up a list of frequently-asked questions, compiled with the
help of Gay Muslims mailing list members. In the meantime, here
are all of the resources that I know of. Because of my background
and work, I know more about resources for Arabs and transgendered
people, but I will be adding information to be more inclusive.
Please email me if you have any additional suggestions.
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Discussion for Gay and Lesbian Muslims
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We Are Looking for Quality Resources
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