For age-structured homosexuality, see Pederasty in the Middle East

Islamic views on homosexuality are as varied as those of most other major religions and have changed throughout history. The relationship between religion and homosexuality varies greatly across time and place, within and between different religions and sects, and regarding different forms of homosexuality and bisexuality. ... Information regarding homosexuality in Norse paganism is scant. ... The issue of religion and sexual orientation has become a highly debated topic, involving religious morality, opinion of homosexuality, and questions of civil rights. ... Among Buddhists there is a wide diversity of opinion about homosexuality, although on the whole Buddhism does not condemn homosexuality. ... Christian leaders have written about homosexual behavior since the first decades of Christianity, and throughout the majority of Christian history most theologians and Christian denominations have viewed homosexual behavior as immoral or sinful. ... Exclusive homosexuality in Confucianism is frowned upon, while non-exclusive has been traditionally accepted. ... Hindu views of homosexuality are diverse, as Hinduism is a heterogeneous religion with no central doctrinal authority. ... The subject of homosexuality in Judaism dates back to the Biblical book of Leviticus. ... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public groups Organization Controversy Scientology views of homosexuality are based on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology. ... Homosexuality in Shinto has a varied past of periods of acceptance and rejection. ... The supreme religious body of Sikhism teaches that homosexuality is unnatural and ungodly. The Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, does not explicitly mention homosexuality. ... It is difficult to determine a single position on homosexuality in Taoism, as the term Taoism is used to describe a number of disparate religious traditions, from organised religious movements such as Quanzhen to Chinese folk religion and even a school of philosophy. ... The Unification Church views heterosexual marriage as Gods ideal (see absolute sex). ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... Homosexuality in Voodoo is religiously acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities. ... Throughout most branches of Wicca, all sexual orientations are considered healthy and positive, provided that individual sexual relationships are healthy and loving. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Shah Abbas I and a page The dedication reads Tempera and gilt; Muhammad Qasim, 1627; Louvre, Paris For a generalized discussion of relations between men and boys see main article: Pederasty The practice of pederasty in the Middle East seems to have begun, according to surviving records, sometime during the...

Pre-Islam Arabia

Before the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, many forms of sexuality were practiced. Though there are few documents related to that period of time, it is understood from the references in the Qur'an that sexuality was not a taboo. ^{[citation needed]} For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... The Arabian Peninsula Emirets towers in United Arab Emirates; the eastern part of Arabian Penisula The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting mainly of desert. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: ;, literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Alcoran) is the central religious text of Islam. ...

Some scholars disagree with these theories and offer the following quotes:

And Lut, when he said to his tribe: "Do you commit an obscenity not perpetrated before you by anyone in all the worlds? You come with lust to men instead of women. You are indeed a depraved tribe." The only answer of his tribe was to say: "Expel them from your city! They are people who keep themselves pure!" So We rescued him and his family—except for his wife. She was one of those who stayed behind. We rained down a rain upon them. See the final fate of the evildoers! ” — Qur'an, 7:80–84

And verily! Your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful. The people of Lout (Lot) (those dwelt in the towns of Sodom in Palestine) belied the Messengers. When their brother Lout (Lot) said to them: "Will you not fear Allah and obey Him? "Verily! I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. "So fear Allah, keep your duty to Him, and obey me. "No reward do I ask of you for it (my Message of Islamic Monotheism), my reward is only from the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). "Do you go in unto the males of the 'Alamin (mankind), and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your wives? Nay, you are a trespassing people!" They said: "If you cease not. O Lout (Lot)! Verily, you will be one of those who are driven out!" He said: "I am, indeed, of those who disapprove with severe anger and fury your (this evil) action (of sodomy). "My Lord! Save me and my family from what they do." So We saved him and his family, all, Except an old woman (his wife) among those who remained behind. Then afterward We destroyed the others. And We rained on them a rain (of torment). And how evil was the rain of those who had been warned. Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily! Your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful. ” — Qur'an 26:159–175

However, Kur'an is not the only source for judgments used in Islam, as hadith is the second main source for said judgments to be extracted from, which on a specific case reported the Prophet saying "Allah curses the one who does the actions (homosexual practices) of the people of Lut." and repeating it three times. ^{[citation needed]} This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Others however claim Islam has always shown a "homosexual predilection". Author Johnathan Margolis quotes a poem by a 12th century poet in Spain, Muhammad ibn Malick^[1]:

Friday/ in the mosque/ my gaze fell upon a slim young man/ beautiful/ as the rising moon./ When he bent forward in prayer/ my only thought was/ oh, to have him/ stretched out/ flat before me,/ butt-up,/ face-down./

Legal status in modern Islamic nations

Homosexuality is a crime and forbidden in most of Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. In other countries, this is not the case, Turkey being an example. Despite the laws, some Muslim nations are widely believed to have a thriving underground homosexual subculture. ^{[citation needed]}

Same-sex intercourse officially carries the death penalty in several Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen.^[2] It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria and the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines, or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not specifically forbidden by law. In Egypt openly gay men have been prosecuted under general public morality laws. (See Cairo 52.) On the other hand, homosexuality, while not legal, is tolerated to some extent in Lebanon, and has been legal in Turkey for decades. The Taliban (Pashto: , also anglicized as Taleban) are an extremist, terrorist, and ethnic fundamentalist Sunni Muslim Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1995 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the United States, Great Britain and the Northern Alliance. ... The term Cairo 52 refers to the fifty-two men who were arrested on May 11, 2001, aboard a floating gay nightclub called the Queen Boat, which was moored on the Nile in Cairo, Egypt. ...

In Saudi Arabia, the maximum punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments—e.g., fines, jail time, and whipping—as alternatives, unless it feels that homosexuals are challenging state authority by engaging in LGBT social movements.^[3] Iran is perhaps the nation to execute the largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts. In Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that it punished with fines and prison sentence. The term whipping has multiple meanings. ... LGBT rights Around the world By country History · Groups · Activists Declaration of Montreal Same-sex relationships Marriage · Adoption Opposition · Discrimination Violence This box:      LGBT social movements share related goals of social acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderism. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... After Islamic Conquest  Modern SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic Afghanistan  Azerbaijan  Bahrain  Iran  Iraq  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan  This box:      The Iranian Revolution (also known as the Islamic Revolution,[1][2][3][4][5][6] Persian: انقلاب اسلامی, Enghelābe Eslāmi) was the revolution that transformed Iran from a monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza...

Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime. Since 1994 the United Nations Human Rights Committee has also ruled that such laws violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, most Muslim nations (except for Turkey, which has been ruled by secular law since 1923 and recently has modernized its laws in order to meet the requirements of entry to the European Union) insist that such laws are necessary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim inhabitants, only Lebanon has an internal effort to legalize homosexuality.^[4] Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a pressure group that promotes human rights. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The Human Rights Committee is a group of 18 experts who meet three times a year to consider the five-yearly reports submitted by United Nations member states on their compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. ... Eleanor Roosevelt with the Spanish version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ... Parties to the ICCPR: members in green, non-members in grey The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a United Nations treaty based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in 1966 and entered into force on 23 March 1976. ...

LGBT Muslim organizations

Some liberal Muslims, such as the members of the Al-Fatiha Foundation, accept and consider homosexuality as natural, either regarding these verses as obsolete in the context of modern society, or pointing out that the Qu'ran speaks out against homosexual lust, and is silent on homosexual love. However, this position remains highly controversial even amongst liberal movements within Islam, and is considered beyond the pale by mainstream Islam.^[5] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... LGBT rights Around the world · By country History · Groups · Activists Same-sex relationships Opposition · Persecution Violence The Al-Fatiha Foundation is an organization devoted to advancing the cause of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

There are also a number of Islamic ex-gay groups. The StraightWay Foundation is a UK based ex-gay organization which works with homosexual Muslims to eliminate their same-sex attractions and convert them to heterosexuality.^[6] They offer a Yahoo! support group^[7] where Muslims can share feelings and advice with others with same-sex attractions. Al-Tawbah is an internet based ex-gay group^[8], and The Straight Struggle is an ex-gay blog for Muslims. The ex-gay or exodus movement claims that homosexuals can become heterosexual or otherwise leave homosexuality behind through counselling, prayer, and other therapies if they choose to do so. ... The StraightWay Foundation is a Muslim ex-gay organization based in the UK. They provide information and advice for Muslims that have same-sex attractions. ... Same-sex attraction is an intense interest in members of the same sex. ... Yahoo! Groups Yahoo! Groups is a service from Yahoo! that provides electronic mailing lists. ...

See also

People

• Afdhere Jama, editor of Huriyah
• Irshad Manji, Canadian lesbian and human rights activist
• Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni
• Malik Ayaz
• Mallam Abdullahi Ibrahim
• Usman Sani
• Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, British gay politician
• Yusuf Kabir
• Historical pederastic couples

Afdhere Jama is a Somali-American writer based in San Francisco. ... Huriyah (Arabic for Freedom) is a queer magazine by and for Muslims launched in January 2002. ... Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Canadian feminist Muslim, author, journalist, and activist. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Iranian youths Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni on the scaffold. ... Mahmud and Ayaz The Sultan is to the right, shaking the hand of the sheykh, with Ayaz standing behind him. ... Usman Rana is a pakistann man from Lagos who was arrested on July 13, 2005 and imprisoned on charges of homosexuality. ... Waheed Alli, Baron Alli (born November 16, 1964) is a Muslim businessman and politician in the United Kingdom. ... Yusuf Kabir is a Nigerian man from Lagos who was arrested on July 13, 2005 and imprisoned on charges of homosexuality. ... Walt Whitman and Bill Duckett. ...

Other

• Homophobia
• Criticism of the Qur'an
• A Jihad for Love, a documentary about devout gay Muslims
• Festival of Muslim Cultures
• Gay Muslims, a documentary
• Ghilman
• Nazar ill'al-murd

A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church; a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ... Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of God (Allah) as recited to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. ... Islam, My Love, a documentary still in progress, is the worlds first documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality. ... The Festival of Muslim Cultures, a national celebration of Muslim cultures, begins in January 2006 and continues into July 2007. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Ghilman (singular ghulam) applies to young male servants in two contexts // In Islamic paradise The ghilman, or wuldan according to the Quran (52:24, 56:17. ... As a practice by some antinomian Sufis, which was seen as deviant by Rumi and Shams [1], the meditation known in Arabic as Nazar illal-murd (Arabic: ) refers to the concept of contemplation of the beardless. ...

Notes

References

• Khaled El-Rouayheb, Before Homosexuality in the Arab–Islamic World, 1500–1800 Chicago, 2005
• Everett K. Rowson, J.W. Wright (eds.), Homoeroticism in Classical Arabic Literature New York, 1997
• Arno Schmitt and Jehoeda Sofer (eds.), Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies Harrington Park Press 1992
• Arno Schmitt and Gianni de Martino, Kleine Schriften zu zwischenmännlicher Sexualität und Erotik in der muslimischen Gesellschaft, Berlin, Gustav-Müller-Str. 10 : A. Schmitt, 1985

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Homosexuality and Islam

• http://www.realaction.tk - Presentation on violations of Gay Rights under Radical Islam
• Homosexuality: What is the real sickness? Illustrative Article from AbdurRahman.org
• Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
• Queer Sexuality in Qur'an and Hadith liberal interpretation
• Intolerant cruelty This special edition of Diabolic Digest explores the question of homosexuality in the Middle East.
• Islam and Homosexuality
• Islam and Homosexuality
• Islamic law: (much) Theory and (just enough) Practice
• Religious Tolerance.org — Religious Groups' Policies on Homosexuality
• Religion Facts — Homosexuality in Islam
• Safra Project — Sexuality, Gender and Islam
• Sodomy in Islamic Jurisprudence (article in German; engl. Summary )

• Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies by Arno Schmitt and Jehoeda Sofer (eds.), Harrington Park Press 1992
• The StraightWay Foundation (UK)
• Bookshop's messages of racist hate, The Observer, February 4, 2007