As Salaamu Alaikum! (The peace of God be with you!)
Homosexuality is wrong, a sin, in Islam. Of that there really can be no dispute. See the excellent articles already on-line cited at the end of this article for the citations from the Qur'an. The point of this article is to try to put this into some reasonable perspective.
Sex outside of marriage is forbidden. It does not matter whether it is fornication, adultery, bestiality, pederasty or homosexuality. Many homosexuals claim they were born that way, they can't help being homosexual. The truth is that man has an urge for sexual gratification. As rationalizing (more than rational) beings, people will always try to find a justification for any activity which they find enjoyable. As to the claim by some homosexuals that it is genetic, this has been decisively disproven. Studies have shown that children of homosexuals are no more likely to be homosexual than any other children. If it were hereditary, many more of them would be homosexual. In our society, homosexuality frequently seems to result from a failed male role model, a father who is abusive or grossly negligent. Bestiality and pederasty are certainly natural as well. Every society has men who use children sexually. Everywhere sheep or goats are kept, they are used for sex. So the argument that homosexuality is natural or inborn has little persuasive power for Muslims.
Why do some sins offend us more than others? Why are there such strong feelings about homosexuality? One psychological explanation is that we are threatened by that to which we might succumb. A man who is secure in his masculinity will be less threatened than one who has homosexual impulses himself. This is an interesting idea, especially when applied to a broad spectrum of sins. Why does pederasty offend so? When the victim is four years old, and is seriously injured, this feeling is understandable. But when the victim is sixteen years old, and the lynch party is composed of grown men, one certainly may speculate that they are engaged in exorcising their own demons, expiating their own lust.
Which is worse, the man who has sex with a six year old girl or a six year old boy? If you immediately answer the one with the boy, perhaps you would do well to examine your own proclivities. A six year old child is not a suitable object of sexual desire regardless of gender. Which would you rather stand next to in Juma prayers (congregational prayers on Friday), a homosexual who is in a monogamous (faithful) relationship with another man or a pimp who keeps young women enslaved in prostitution by supplying them with cocaine? Let us not judge the sins of others by our own problems.
Promiscuity is very wrong. AIDS is spread by promiscuity. Many homosexuals are promiscuous. Many are not. Some practice "safe sex" to avoid transmitting this and other diseases, others do not. Teenage girls are frequently made pregnant by older men. Boys don't get pregnant. Which is worse, a man who seduces boys or girls? Too frequently, religious commentators on sexual behavior get stuck with the obvious fact that all sex outside marriage is forbidden and fail to acknowledge different degrees of wrongness. If a boy and a girl are going to engage in sex before marriage, being careful not to transmit disease and not to produce a child they are not prepared to care for certainly diminishes the number of wrongs being committed. "Safe sex" outside of marriage is still wrong, but much less so than "unsafe sex", which can hurt so many more people. So if teenage boys are impelled to have sex, would it be better for them to have sex with each other than to cause girls to conceive unwanted children? God judges these matters, it is not for us to say, but the very question should make us evaluate our attitude towards homosexuality differently. Promiscuous homosexuality is terrible because it kills people by a horrible, debilitating disease. Monogamous homosexuality is wrong, but is it worse than a man and woman living together without marriage? Is it as bad as using a prostitute? Is it worse than abusing drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, or drinking alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, whiskey, etc.? As the prophet Jesus said, "Judge not lest ye be judged."
See the following sites for other Muslim views on this question:
Homosexuality and Islam
http://www.angelfire.com/ak/BaltoMuslims/hom.html
What does Islam say about homosexuality?
http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/marriage/homo1.htm
For other information and viewpoints on Islam and homosexuality,
see the sites indexed by the
Open Directory
These sites include the main sources on Gay Muslims such as "Queer Jihad" and the "Al Fatiha Foundation".
For information on Drug Abuse and Drinking, see "Haram and Khamr" at
http://www.geocities.com/mikailtariq/haram.htm
Return to "ISLAM: a Brief Introduction to the Muslim Faith"
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Mikail Juma Tariq
Gainesville, Florida, June 16, 2002
As Salaamu Alaikum! (The peace of God be with you!)
There is much debate at the present time on same sex marriage. This extends to laws being passed, court cases and initiatives and referendums. For this reason, I would like to present a Muslim view of the question of same sex marriage. First, I must stress that I am not speaking for all Muslims, that Islam is the religion of millions of Americans and we do not all agree on many questions. That given, I believe that I can speak for many Muslims who hold humanitarian views and value toleration. We believe that the Qur’an (Koran) is the Word of God, is true, literally and completely. We believe that the Sunna (collected sayings of the Prophet Muhammed, PBUH) and the Hadith (teachings of the great thinkers of Islam) are guides which must be respected and followed. We believe that the teachings of the prophets before Muhammed, particularly Jesus (Isa) and Moses (Musa), are from God and the Bible is our main source for these teachings.
Since we believe in these Scriptures, we are constrained to follow what we find there in discussing questions like same sex marriage. We must say that homosexuality is a sin in Islam. We can never accept the argument that it is natural, an equally valid way of life compared to heterosexuality. The Qur’an is clear on this point, it is not acceptable. This does not need to mean that we will condemn and ostracize homosexuals. We need to embrace all people as our brothers and sisters, regardless of their failings. No one is perfect. We have drug dealers, pimps, alcoholics, womanizers, child and wife abusers and many other sinners in our Masajid (Mosques). Why should we single out homosexuals for exclusion and rejection? I, for one, would much rather stand next to a monogamous homosexual for Juma (Friday, Sabbath) prayers in Masjid than a drug dealing pimp.
What is the purpose of marriage? Some say it is to form a family for having and raising children. But to say this is the only reason is absurd. People past child bearing age marry and no one objects that this is unnatural. It is to form a family, a couple bound together in a loving, caring relationship who will be responsible for each other and any children they may have. Homosexual couples can and do adopt children and raise them, the evidence so far is they make very good parents, with far fewer problems of child abuse and neglect than with straight men. So same sex marriage can include the raising of children. Would it not be better for such family units to be given the stability and permanence that should come from marriage?
Then what is our attitude towards same sex marriage? It seems to me that it is better to encourage monogamous behavior by allowing same sex marriage than to ban it and encourage promiscuity which can spead disease and cause many other problems. Just as a simple matter of practicality, we should want to encourage people to be faithful, to create stable family units, to live lives which do not endanger others. Since marriage is not a rite performed in a Masjid by an Imam in Islam, but a private ceremony performed in the home with family and friends, the question of whether it should be allowed by the Masjid does not arise. Obviously, if the marriage is between two Muslims, they will pray to God to bless them. While we may believe that homosexuality is a sin, praying and asking for God’s blessing can never be bad. So I must state that I believe that same sex marriage should be permitted and should be made legal. As long as there are people who have homosexual orientation, this needs to be recognized and accommodated. We should encourage people to be monogamous and faithful for many reasons, including helping to keep people healthy and free from disease.
So, while homosexuality is prohibited in Islam, and we as Muslims can never say it is right, legal prohibition of marriage between homosexuals may be a mistake like the prohibition of the sale of alcohol turned out to be. Unless a law has the support of both a majority of the populace and almost all law enforcement personnel, it will have more negative consequences than positive. Legally recognizing same sex marriage is not the same as advocating, promoting or even condoning it. It is recognizing that homosexuality does exist in our society and that society is better off if homosexuals are monogamous and faithful than if they are promiscuous and spread disease.
Mikail Juma Tariq
Salinas, California, November 20, 2005
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Is it OK to be Gay? Why?
I answered a relevant question on the Sodahead discussion forum
http://www.sodahead.com/
today, Sunday, February 22, 2009. Since it is addressed to the general
public and not to Muslims and those interested in Islam only,
it has a different emphasis.
Is it OK to be Gay? Why?
http://www.sodahead.com/question/255782/is-it-ok-to-be-gay-why/
My view is that the question is not if it is okay to be gay but
What should be the response of straight people to other people being gay.
In the first place, there is one's emotional response, what is sometimes called your gut reaction. Mine is pretty bad, I find "flaming" gays offensive, I find public or photographic displays of gay affection unpleasant, I find confrontational gay rights advocates alienating. But I am old and most younger people do not have such negative feelings.
Secondly, there is one's personal experience with gays. I have found them to be conscientious, capable co-workers. I have found them to be law-abiding, non-violent citizens. Macho straight males are the offenders in almost all cases where there is an injured victim. I worked in a county jail for eight years with all types of people with all types of offenses. The gays I saw were almost always arrested for male prostitution. I do not regard the "straight" men who used these gays for oral sex (and paid for it) as victims. The macho straight men were in for many reasons, but they included murder, rape, wife abuse, child abuse and violent robbery. The only man charged with molesting boys I dealt with was a babysitter who repeatedly raped a little girl he was supposedly looking after. When she got old enough to defend herself, he moved on to her two younger brothers until the girl reported him. He in no way considered himself gay, he was just an opportunist child molester. Of the men who preyed on little girls, I particularly remember a big, tough, muscled man who raped a seven year old girl and then tried to kill her three ways. Many of the men I worked with in the jail were drug-dealing pimps who kept young women as sex-slaves by giving them cocaine. Between them and the many men who could not understand why they had been arrested for non-payment of child support, I came to have a pretty dismal image of straight men. If I were asked which I think is the better human being, the average straight man or the average gay man, I would have to say I think the average gay man is better.
Taking the issue of acceptance versus discrimination as the third point, I think each case needs to be looked at separately, on its own merits. I sympathize with Boy Scout groups that do not want gay scoutmasters taking boys camping. But I honestly think the boys are more likely to be molested by someone who is thought to be straight than they are by an openly gay man. My gay friend who is a special education teacher working with kids who are extremely uncooperative and have no interest in learning anything in school is more patient and tolerant than I (a straight male) could ever be. As I have said before, which would you rather have next to you, praying with you, in church, masjid or synagogue, a law-abiding homosexual in a committed monogamous relationship or a straight pimp.
My fourth issue is gay marriage. I say it does not matter whether one approves of gay marriage or not, one still should support legalizing gay marriage. If gays can adopt and raise children, I would prefer that the children be given the security and stability of a family based on marriage. Also, promiscuity (in either gays or straights) spreads disease, including HIV-AIDS. If marriage can help make people more faithful and less promiscuous, then we should encourage gay marriage for public health reasons. Even a small decrease in disease transmission could save millions of dollars in taxes.
So my position is we should recognize gay rights and legalize gay marriage because it will benefit us. Try looking at prohibition (outlawing alcoholic beverages) to see what happens when we try to prohibit large numbers of people from doing what they are going to do anyway. It does not work, it criminalizes large numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens, and it seriously erodes respect for the law. If I were the Creator, I would make people so they would never want to be homosexual, but since people do want to be gay, I will support gay rights and gay marriage out of pragmatic self-interest.
If you are interested, I have written articles on homosexuality and gay marriage from a Muslim viewpoint. They are at http://www.geocities.com/mikailtariq/homo.htm
Reply from another member of Sodahead: I respect your point, Tariq. but homosexuals can change - they can get therapy and change their orientation so they don't have to engage in homosexual behaviour or homosexual relationships. Being gay doesn't mean one has to stay gay. whoever cooked that one up is a liar.
My reply: I agree. Genetics shows that it is not hereditary. There is a tendency to be gay which is partially inherited, but it can be overcome. If you read my paper, I say that. See the research, particularly twin studies, cited by NARTH. National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), formerly National Association for Research and Treatment of Homosexuality, is an American non-profit organization based in Encino, California. NARTH supports the use of conversion therapy to change sexual orientations of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. NARTH provides psychological understanding of the cause, treatment and behavior patterns associated with homosexuality, within the boundaries of a civil public dialogue. http://www.narth.com/ But this is moot in the issue of gay marriage. Those gays who want to marry have no interest in changing. Everyone agrees that change is impossible without the highest levels of commitment and effort. So, my advice is help those who would be helped, otherwise accept people as they are. Live and let live.