The Lot story is interpreted as condemning "rape and inhospitality rather than today's consensual same-sex relationships. [133][verification needed], In Saudi Arabia, the maximum punishment for homosexual acts is public execution by beheading. religious attendance by religious group, Learn More: attendance at religious services, At least once a week, Compare: [183], Although it prohibits homosexuality, Iran is the only[184] Muslim-majority country in the Persian Gulf region that allows transgender people to express themselves by recognizing their self-identified gender and subsidizing reassignment surgery. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. There are more than two billion Muslims worldwide, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, exceeded only by Christianity. Muhammad described the musician as a mukhannath and threatened to banish him if he did not end his unacceptable career. p. xvii. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Read our research on: LGBTQ Attitudes & Experiences| Artificial Intelligence | Affirmative Action, ReligionsGeographyTopics & QuestionsUser Guide. [85] In secular society however, a male's desire to penetrate a desirable youth was seen as understandable, even if unlawful. [39] Such literature tended to use transgressive motifs alluding to what is forbidden, in particular homosexuality and wine. The rules on bathhouse segregation also restricted Muslim women from sharing a bathhouse with non-Muslim women, while Muslim men could share bathhouses with non-Muslim men. Evidence includes the behavior of rulers . In some countries, views were becoming more conservative among younger people. [59][112], According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) seven countries still retain capital punishment for homosexual behavior: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Mauritania, northern Nigeria,[113][114] and the United Arab Emirates. On a merely practical level, we have to keep to the law of the land however it applies to the use of gender-nonconforming pronouns, and we have to try to not offend people, even if we understand that they are wrong. [21], Most Muslim-majority countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have opposed moves to advance LGBT rights at the United Nations, in the General Assembly or the UNHRC. Another scholar argues that "the Qur'an does not address homosexuality or homosexuals explicitly." [13] The Hanafi scholar Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (d. 981 AD/370 AH) argued that the two hadiths on killing homosexuals "are not reliable by any means and no legal punishment can be prescribed based on them". For the next seventy years, until the dismantlement of the first state in 1818, the Wahhabis dominated from Damascus to Baghdad. [117], Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Chad since 1 August 2017 under a new penal code. Doing sex work, trans women are at higher risk of sexual abuse and violence. [5] The Quran terms this lewdness or fahisha (Arabic: , romanized:fia) unprecedented in the history of the world: And remember when Lot scolded the men of his people, saying, Do you commit a shameful deed that no man has ever done before? The organization was an offshoot of an internet listserve that brought together many gay, lesbian and questioning Muslims from various countries.[256]. In Kugle's reading, the Quran holds "a positive assessment of diversity." He calls Iraq the "most dangerous place in the world for sexual minorities. [citation needed] The Trust suggests that the majority of individuals who are homeless due to religious out casting are either Christian or Muslim. [48], As Islam spread, it became unusual for women to worship in mosques because of male fear of immorality between sexes. In supermarkets I only had to be away from [my wife] for five minutes and Saudi men would hiss or whisper obscenities as they walked past." A more radical innovation is the Inclusive Mosque Initiative established in London in 2012, which offers a space for worship without gender segregation and works with women imams such as Naima Khan. [83] Khaled el-Rouayheb (2014) maintains that "much if not most of the extant love poetry of the period [16th to 18th century] is pederastic in tone, portraying an adult male poet's passionate love for a teenage boy". Where do they live? In today's age, one does not need to fit in with regards to their choices, including their gender identity. They "fall into three broad categories: (1) God Is Merciful; (2) That Is Just Who I Am; and (3) It's Not Just Islam. We use cookies on IslamQA to measure visitor stats. gender by religious group, Compare: The women also suggested that authentic or true Islam supports womens rights and equal value, while cultural or traditional forms of Islam deny this. Debates about womens leadership, authority and participation in mosques, then, are clearly here to stay. It is a strongly gender-specific category of relations within a family described in terms of honor, attention, respect/respectability, and modesty. Many young adults who come out to their parents are often forced out of the house to find refuge in a more accepting place. The Christian martyr Pelagius of Crdoba was executed by Andalusian ruler Abd al-Rahman III because the boy refused his advances. unpunished. [13] Homoerotic poetry appears suddenly at the end of the 8th century CE, particularly in Baghdad in the work of Abu Nuwas (756814), who became a master of all the contemporary genres of Arabic poetry. Classical Islamic jurists did not deal with homosexuality as a sexual orientation, since the latter concept is modern and has no equivalent in traditional law, which dealt with it under the technical terms of liwat and zina. Gender-isolated education is conducted through higher-education, due to religious ideas of sex segregation. Women do not share in these opportunities and have a more difficult time finding employment as there are only a small number of locations that permit men and women to mix. Leila Ahmed explained that the harem arose in the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Nur Warsame has been an advocate for LGBTQ Muslims. . Perhaps there is an article that makes the claim in a more complete way than this one, but it was the most in-depth article on the matter I could find. [38] Gender segregation also impacts the participation of women in religion by encouraging women to pray at home and not in the mosque. Prayers where both women and men partake will be led by a male imam. ", Tilo Beckers, "Islam and the Acceptance of Homosexuality," in, Pawar, Yogesh|title=Bangladesh Refuses to Abolish Criminalisation of Same-Sex Ties; in Denial about its 4.5 Million-Strong LGBT Community, Dhaka Shoots Down the United Nations Human Rights Commission Recommendations., 2013. . . "[120] An Egyptian TV host was recently sentenced to a year in prison for interviewing a gay man in January 2019. generational group by religious group, Compare: These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Kutty, who in the past wrote in support of allowing Islamic principles in dispute resolution, also noted that "most Muslims have no problem extending full human rights to thoseeven Muslimswho live together 'in sin'". He, along with other queer Muslims who left the old Al-Fitrah Foundation founded a new organization in 2018 called Al-Ghurbaah Foundation. ISBN 3-518-37394-3. [1][2][3][4] The Quran narrates the story of the "people of Lot" destroyed by the wrath of God because the men engaged in lustful carnal acts between themselves,[5][6][7][8] but modern Western historians have concluded that the Islamic prophet Muhammad never forbade homosexual relationships outright, although he disapproved of them in line with his contemporaries. Looking down with disdain or disgust towards someone who has changed their gender or wants to do so is completely un-Islamic and sinful. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. [86] On the other hand, men adopting the passive role were more subjected to stigma. [13] Where flogging is prescribed, there is a tendency for indulgence and some recommend that the prescribed penalty should not be applied in full, with Ibn Hazm reducing the number of strokes to 10. [30]:194196, In addition to the Qur'an, Kugle refers to the benediction of Imam Al-Ghazali (the 11th-century Muslim theologian) which says "praise be to God, the marvels of whose creation are not subject to the arrows of accident." During March 2019, British Muslim parents began protesting Parkfield Community School, a town where more than a third of the children are Muslim, due to the school's implementation of a No Outsiders sex-education program. [17][18], During Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004-2021), a huge number of Afghan men didn't have any contact with females other than their own family until going to university. [55] There is also a strong viewpoint growing among Muslims arguing against gender segregation. Some also wanted greater influence for women in mosque governance. [214] Livingstone then ignited controversy when he thanked Straightway for the letter.[215]. Segregation in countries by type (in some countries, categories overlap). [91], Homosexuality in the Ottoman Empire was decriminalized in 1858, as part of wider reforms during the Tanzimat. These spaces allow women to exercise religious leadership in women-only contexts including leading womens prayer. Mosques in South and Southeast Asia put men and women in separate rooms, as the divisions were built into them centuries ago. . [20][46] Khomeini's initial fatwa concerned intersex individuals as well, but he later specified that sex reassignment surgery was also permissible in the case of transgender individuals. . Moreover, within Islam, there is a tradition of the elaboration and refinement of extended religious doctrines through scholarship. Ahmed, Leila. [21] In Qatar, Algeria, Uzbekistan, and the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with time in prison or a fine. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. What is a gender identity? In a number of poems the beloved is actually called kudak or efl, i.e., a child, a young lad, or a minor. While not criminalising homosexuality, the country does not recognise same-sex marriage[citation needed]. "[89] Mustafa Akyol writes that "The Ottoman sultans, arguably, were social liberals compared with the contemporary Islamists of Turkey, let alone the Arab World. [11][12], From Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, the Prophet states that: "If a woman comes upon a woman, they are both adulteresses, if a man comes upon a man, then they are both adulterers.". "[279], Marhuq Fatima Khan in a chapter "Queer, American, and Muslim: Cultivating Identities and Communities of Affirmation," says that "Queer Muslims employ a few narratives to enable them to reconcile their religious and sexual identities." You lust after men instead of women! The Pakistan Penal Code of 1860, originally developed under colonial rule, punishes sodomy with a possible prison sentence. Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad's migration along with the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE in order to escape persecution. ("The Force of the Honour"), Suhrkamp: Frankfurt am Main, 1983. The only exception to this rule is the display of Turkey's percentage of world population as 4.7% rather than ~5%."" indicates that the number of Muslims is too small to be reliably estimated. he affects women's get-up. [130], In Iraq, homosexuality is allowed by the government, but terrorist groups often carry out illegal executions of gay people. The Qur'anic verses which address the interaction of men and women in the social context include: Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: this will be most conducive to their purity (and,) verily, Allah is aware of all that they do. [28] Later exegetical literature built on these verses as writers attempted to give their own views as to what went on; and there was general agreement among exegetes that the "lewdness" alluded to by the Quranic passages was attempted sodomy (specifically anal intercourse) between men. One of the leading LGBT reformatory Muslim organization is StraightWay Foundation, which was established in the United Kingdom in 2004 as an organization that provides information and advice for Muslims who struggle with homosexual attraction. (See Cairo 52.) It is out of genuine love and concern for us that the Prophet forbade in the strongest terms mimicking the opposite sex. [22] In May 2016, a group of 51 Muslim majority states blocked 11 gay and transgender organizations from attending the 2016 High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. ), NYU Press New York 1997, Vincenzo Patan, "Homosexuality in the Middle East and North Africa" in: Aldrich, Robert (ed. "[68], In their book Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions, Junaid Jahangir and Hussein Abdullatif argue that interpretations which view the Quranic narrative of the people of Lot and the derived classical notion of liwat as applying to same-sex relationships reflect the sociocultural norms and medical knowledge of societies that produced those interpretations. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language. It was founded in 1998 by Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American, and was registered as a nonprofit organization in the United States. [54], British-born Muslim author Ed Husain argues that rather than keeping sexual desires under check, gender segregation creates "pent-up sexual frustration which expressed itself in the unhealthiest ways," and leads young people to "see the opposite gender only as sex objects. [13] During the course of the Harem racial segregation became common between eunuchs. [29][30]:194195, The sins of the "people of Lut" (Arabic: ) subsequently became proverbial and the Arabic words for the act of anal sex between men such as liwat (Arabic: , romanized:liw) and for a person who performs such acts (Arabic: , romanized:li) both derive from his name, although Lut was not the one demanding sex. [9] Homosexual acts were legally forbidden in traditional Islamic jurisprudence and subject to punishment, including flogging, stoning, and the death penalty,[14] depending on the situation and legal school. [84], El-Rouayheb suggests that even though religious scholars considered sodomy as an abhorrent sin, most of them did not genuinely believe that it was illicit to merely fall in love with a boy or express this love via poetry. Despite the modest dress of his wife who "out of respect for local custom, wore the long black abaya and covered her hair in a black scarf" she was on two occasions "accosted by passing Saudi youths from their cars. belief in God by religious group, Learn More: belief in God, Believe in God; absolutely certain, Compare: Library Response to Allegations Understanding Islam Gender Equality in Islam by Farhan Iqbal, Missionary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Canada In gender equality conversations it is often insinuated that in Islam there is no gender equality. Endnotes. Following is material from two chapters dealing with the present: Rusmir Musi in a chapter "Queer Visions of Islam" said that "Queer Muslims struggle daily to reconcile their sexuality and their faith." but punishment (if any) for lesbianism was not clarified. "[58], Many Muslim scholars have followed a "don't ask, don't tell" policy in regards to homosexuality in Islam, by treating the subject with passivity. [89] Turkey held its 16th Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul on 30 June 2019. [31] Prevention of women candidates is upheld by male-dominated political parties who have rejected women from being represented as their possible recommended candidates. "[15] Some jurists viewed sexual intercourse as possible only for an individual who possesses a phallus;[57] hence those definitions of sexual intercourse that rely on the entry of as little of the corona of the phallus into a partner's orifice. There is little or no gap, however, in Southeast Asia (+4) and sub-Saharan Africa (+1). [26] Though the grounds for execution in Iran are difficult to track, there is evidence that several people were hanged for homosexual behavior in 20052006 and in 2016, mostly in cases of dubious charges of rape. [147], In the Chechen Republic, a part of the Russian Federation, Ramzan Kadyrov has actively discriminated against homosexual individuals and presided over a campaign of arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killing. [168] Several persons who attended the party were detained and eventually six Moroccan men were sentenced to between four and ten months in prison for "homosexuality".[169]. views about government aid to the poor by religious group, Learn More: views about government aid to the poor, Does more good than harm, Compare: [14][19][20] There are laws against homosexual sexual activities in a larger number of Muslim-majority countries, which prescribe the death penalty in a limited number of them. Jessica Stern, executive director of OutRight Action International, has criticized this bigotry, noting: Using a violent attack on men accused of being gay to legitimize islamophobia is dangerous and misleading. [20][46] Because homosexuality is illegal in Iran but gender transition is legal, some gay individuals have been forced to undergo sex reassignment surgery and transition into the opposite sex, regardless of their actual gender identity. CultureWatch", "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law", "Threats to Behead Homosexuals: Shari'ah or Politics? [9] At the same time, "both the Quran and the hadith strongly condemn homosexual activity";[10][5][11][12] with some hadith prescribing the death penalty for those engaged in male homosexual or lesbian intercourse publicly. http://masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/gender.htm. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". belief in existence of standards for right and wrong by religious group, Learn More: belief in absolute standards for right and wrong, Right or wrong depends on the situation, Compare: Faisal Kutty, a professor of Islamic law at Indiana-based Valparaiso University Law School and Toronto-based Osgoode Hall Law School, commented on the contemporary same-sex marriage debate in a 27 March 2014 essay in the Huffington Post. views about human evolution by religious group, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA 3. Werner Schiffauer, "Die Gewalt der Ehre. Is It Sinful To Write a Story That Involves Corrupt Parental Behavior? Zoeff, Katherine (June 1, 2010). was perfectly normal." They are typically governed by male-dominated boards and the main religious leadership role is held by the male imam. I have a lad who is like the beautiful lads of paradise, Jurists of the Hanafi school took up the question seriously, considering, but ultimately rejecting the suggestion that homosexual pleasures were, like wine, forbidden in this world but enjoyed in the afterlife. Rumours spread that this was a gay marriage and more than 600 people took to the streets, condemning the alleged event and protesting against leniency towards homosexuals. [37] Gender segregation also impacts the Saudi education system, as there are more opportunities for men to graduate with a career and find employment. The Qur'an refers to this level as one's "physical stamp" that "determines one's temperamental nature" including one's sexuality. Men too are said to be actively involved in the child rearing and household chores. Sharyn Graham Davies https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1255 Published online: 23 December 2019 Summary The terms LGBT and Islam mentioned together in a sentence rarely evoke positive connotations. These regulations on gender have moved the ceremonies and events of religious minorities, such as funerals and weddings, out of view from the public due to laws against the public mixture of sexes.[35]. My interview study with Muslim women in the UK and Norway found that they were highly appreciative of dedicated mosque spaces for women. Sexual standards in Islam are paradoxical: on the one hand, they allow and actually are an enticement to the exercise of sexuality but, on the other hand, they discriminate between male and female sexuality, between marital and pre- or extramarital sexuality, and between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Exploring new gender identities can lead to a deeper self-understanding, new forms of self-expression, and the sense of euphoria of finding the gender identity and community that resonates most. [186], According to the Albert Kennedy Trust, one in four young homeless people identify as LGBT due to their religious parents disowning them. The sacred texts "allow and actually are an enticement to the exercise of sexuality." Routledge. The objective of the restrictions is to keep such interaction at a modest level. Can I Disobey My Parents and Live Alone as a Young Woman? But the U.S. soldiers have been increasingly troubled that instead of weeding out pedophiles, the U.S. military was arming them against the Taliban and placing them as the police commanders of villagesand doing little when they began abusing children. "[89], In Jordan, where homosexuality is legal, "gay hangouts have been raided or closed on bogus charges, such as serving alcohol illegally. Retrieved 30 October 2019. While the story of their love affair had been censored until recently the result of Western colonialism and changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the Middle East Jasmine explains how Ghazni's subjects saw their relationship as a higher form of love. "Women and Work in Saudi Arabia: How Flexible Are Islamic Margins?". The sultanate currently has a moratorium in effect on death penalty. European chroniclers censured "the indulgent attitudes to gay sex in the Caliphs' courts. [158][160][161][162], The Ottoman Empire (predecessor of Turkey) decriminalized homosexuality in 1858. "[citation needed] Especially, it is "young Muslims" who are "increasingly speaking out in support of gay rights". Discussions with local women at the British Council indicated that her experience was far from unique. The term "gender identity" first appeared in the 1960s. [11] The Abbasid ruler Al-Amin (809813) was said to have required slave women to be dressed in masculine clothing so he could be persuaded to have sex with them, and a broader fashion for ghulamiyyat (boy-like girls) is reflected in literature of the period. The law is also set to impose the same punishment for adultery among heterosexual couples. Not only is the punishment not indicatedit was probably some public reproach or insult of a slight naturebut mere penitence sufficed to escape the punishment". [10], According to Everett K. Rowson, professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, none of the sources state that Muhammad banished more than two mukhannathun, and it is not clear to what extent the action was taken because of their breaking of gender rules in itself or because of the "perceived damage to social institutions from their activities as matchmakers and their corresponding access to women". Islam is the world's second most widely practiced religion. Some of them are listed below: In 2010, an anthology Islam and Homosexuality was published. The Politics of Women's Rights in Iran. educational group by religious group, Compare: AbuUsamah said: Naqi' is a region near Medina and not a Baqi. If they testify, confine the offenders to their homes until they die or Allah ordains a different way for them. [74], During the early period, growth of a beard was considered to be the conventional age when an adolescent lost his homoerotic appeal, as evidenced by poetic protestations that the author still found his lover beautiful despite the growing beard. The shops selling products, the counselling center, the classes etc were all run by women. I.B.Tauris. ), This page was last edited on 3 July 2023, at 07:18. 6 thoughts on " Islam and the Third Gender " Usman shah says: May 28, 2018 at 9:07 pm Thanks for sharing useful information! ", Ibn al-Jawzi (11141200), writing in the 12th century, claimed that Muhammad had cursed "sodomites" in several hadith, and had recommended the death penalty for both the active and passive partners in homosexual acts. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. [56] Where capital punishment is prescribed and a particular method is recommended, the methods range from stoning (Hanbali, Maliki), to the sword (some Hanbalites and Shafi'ites), or leaving it to the court to choose between several methods, including throwing the culprit off a high building (Shi'ite). Currently, the organization's main focus is working with religious leaders (Imams) while serving the needs of the queer Muslim community globally. In most mosques, the genders are separated, and there have been conflicts about where Muslims in the process of gender transition should sit, Qadhi said. [81], According to Daniel Eisenberg, "Homosexuality was a key symbolic issue throughout the Middle Ages in [Islamic] Iberia. If they repent and mend their ways, relieve them. Attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their experiences in the Muslim world have been influenced by its religious, legal, social, political, and cultural history. Several primary conclusions can be drawn from this work: Few gender gaps exist among Muslims regarding the role of Islam in political life, and when gender differences do surface, it is within specific countries and not part of a broader pattern. [27], During the mid 20th century movements in Egypt implemented laws regarding the public sex segregation. ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY As with Christianity and Judaism, Islam's sacred texts have been used to oppress LGBTQ people across the centuries. Because of this threat and their conservative familial backgrounds, many Al-Fatiha members chose anonymity to protect their identity. [62] He acknowledged that while Islamic law iterations prohibit pre- and extra-marital as well as same-sex sexual activity, it does not attempt to "regulate feelings, emotions and urges, but only its translation into action that authorities had declared unlawful". In Saudi Arabia which is known to be among the most gender segregated countries in the world there are occasional signs that gender segregation laws are becoming less strict. Beyond the Hijab Debates: New Conversations on Gender, Race, and Religion. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. There were 1.8 billion Muslims in the world as of 2015 - roughly 24% of the global population - according to a Pew Research Center estimate. Under the current rule of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, arrests of LGBT individuals have risen fivefold, apparently reflecting an effort to appeal to conservatives. . [39], Of the late 19th and early 20th century European Jewish immigration to Palestine, Norman Rose writes that secular "Zionist mores" were "often at odds with Arab convention, threatening the customs and moral assumptions that lent cohesion to a socially conservative, traditional Palestinian society.