This was something I wrote earlier last year at the end of my post on Surah Hud which discusses about the people of Prophet Lot, i.e. the people of Sodom. I thought I would give this portion its own post because of what is happening in Singapore with the controversy regarding the lesbians and gay movement.
Regards,
Sid
On Homosexuality:
My first encounter with homosexuality is, typically, in books. But then, I met a friend of a friend who was a homosexual. He was a sweet man. Since then, I have met and known several others who are just as kind and lovely. It therefore troubled me regarding the stand of the various religions, particularly in my own religion, against homosexuality. It also troubled me when I find around me people who are homophobic. To my mind, there is little engagement within the Muslim community regarding this issue...we seem to prefer burying our heads in the sand than to acknowledge that there is an issue to be resolved.
It is quite a coincidence that while I am grappling to put down my thoughts in this blog, I read a statement by Pope Francis regarding homosexuals. Let me quote them here:
Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not.
"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?"
Many years ago, I attended a talk in Darul Arqam in Singapore and the speaker said something similar - that there must be a separation between the act and the person. Based on my memory, he said that the person should not be ostracised but should be befriended and guided while in Islam, it is the act that is forbidden.
While we don't want to acknowledge it, but homosexuality and transgender issues have been there since time immemorial. It is interesting to note that Muslim scholars in the past have tackled the issue as this paper suggested. More than that, this paper discusses the nurture vs nature arguments put for in terms of homosexuality.
http://www.lamppostproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Islam-Homosexuality1.pdf
These are other writings from the Islamic perspective.
http://mohamedghilan.com/2013/05/06/religion-homosexuality-same-sex-marriage/
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/homosexual-wanting-to-embrace-islam-advice-from-ust-suhaib-webb/
I am still grappling with the issue...but for me, one thing is clear. People, whether they are hetero- or homo-sexuals, women or men, disabled or otherwise, which ever religion or race, should be given equal rights in society - that of the basic human rights and should be treated with respect and compassion.
I will end with a quote from the first paper I cited above:
Regards,
Sid
On Homosexuality:
My first encounter with homosexuality is, typically, in books. But then, I met a friend of a friend who was a homosexual. He was a sweet man. Since then, I have met and known several others who are just as kind and lovely. It therefore troubled me regarding the stand of the various religions, particularly in my own religion, against homosexuality. It also troubled me when I find around me people who are homophobic. To my mind, there is little engagement within the Muslim community regarding this issue...we seem to prefer burying our heads in the sand than to acknowledge that there is an issue to be resolved.
It is quite a coincidence that while I am grappling to put down my thoughts in this blog, I read a statement by Pope Francis regarding homosexuals. Let me quote them here:
Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not.
"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?"
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well," Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists.
"It says they should not be marginalised because of this but that they must be integrated into society."
Many years ago, I attended a talk in Darul Arqam in Singapore and the speaker said something similar - that there must be a separation between the act and the person. Based on my memory, he said that the person should not be ostracised but should be befriended and guided while in Islam, it is the act that is forbidden.
While we don't want to acknowledge it, but homosexuality and transgender issues have been there since time immemorial. It is interesting to note that Muslim scholars in the past have tackled the issue as this paper suggested. More than that, this paper discusses the nurture vs nature arguments put for in terms of homosexuality.
http://www.lamppostproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Islam-Homosexuality1.pdf
These are other writings from the Islamic perspective.
http://mohamedghilan.com/2013/05/06/religion-homosexuality-same-sex-marriage/
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/homosexual-wanting-to-embrace-islam-advice-from-ust-suhaib-webb/
I am still grappling with the issue...but for me, one thing is clear. People, whether they are hetero- or homo-sexuals, women or men, disabled or otherwise, which ever religion or race, should be given equal rights in society - that of the basic human rights and should be treated with respect and compassion.
I will end with a quote from the first paper I cited above:
That being so, as a Muslim who has and will continue to encounter other Muslims
struggling with homosexual thoughts and urges, it is important for the Muslim
community to approach this topic with much more empathy and less prejudgment. Our
children are now growing up in a culture where homosexual encounters and public
discourse about gay acceptance is more normative. Though we try our best to insulate
them from what we deem to be corruptive forces, there is no doubt that we won’t be
able to protect them all the time. For that reason, it is important for us to understand
homosexual psychology and the theories surrounding its genesis. It is also important to
know this information, because many of us are expected to pastor to very diverse
populations. Imams, scholars, and jurists alike have and will continue to be visited by
Muslims who seek to become whole and/or to at least figure out ways to understand
their predicament. Just as harshness with alcoholics and drug addicts can alienate and
send them deeper into their addiction, it is important that those who know we have the
capacity for an uncustomary amount of compassion to be available for our brethren,
listen with an empathetic ear, and guard their secrets so they are able to achieve a
sense of fulfillment and fullness in their lives.
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