I am not haraam
Haraam (Arabic: حَرَام ḥarām) (often haram) is an Arabic term meaning “forbidden”, or “sacred”. In Islam it is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by the word of Allah (God) in the Qur’an or the Hadith Qudsi. Haraam is the highest status of prohibition given to anything that would result in sin when a Muslim commits it. Its antonym is ḥalāl (allowed).
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haraam accessed 21 Nov 2011)
LGBT issues are extremely controversial in Islam. Here I’m going to talk about how I am able to accept myself as a gay Muslim. I’ll probably use the term gay/homosexual/homosexuality and that’s what I’ll be using it for, not as a cover all term for LGBT. Just to say, I’ll be using Scott Siraj al-haqq Kugle’s book a lot in the discussion. I want to be clear, this is a book I am still in the progress of reading, however, my basic arguments which i held before reading his book, i think are more coherently explained by him and backed up with reliable sources. I recommend reading him, whatever your views are. At this point, i’m not going to discuss Hadith (practices of the Prophet Muhammed). Purely, because i haven’t researched them or their respective reliability enough. To clarify, i am no scholar, I am someone trying to find their way.
The majority view amongst Muslims is that homosexuality is forbidden, it’s a deviant behaviour, something different to the norm, something horrible. The word ‘abomination’ is bandied about often too. I can only equate that word to hatred nowadays.
There’s no point me using the “I was born this way” argument here. I don’t even know if that’s something I subscribe to. I don’t know enough about that. I’m still researching lots of different views. But, there is one thing I am certain of. I did not make a choice to be gay. Those of you who think I did, you must think I look forward to potentially losing my family, my home and my community. You must think I want to be part of a group that is discriminated against. Part of a group that is killed in some parts of the world. Be part of a group where my rights are not equal to one of my fellow human beings are ‘straight’.
1. What does Islam actually say about homosexuality?
Scott Siraj al-haqq Kugle in his book “Homosexuality in Islam” writes:
The Quran mentions them [homosexuals] obliquely and does not assess them negatively[…] where the Quran treats same-sex acts, it condemns them only insofar as they are exploitative or violent. (Page 2)
South African Muhsin Hendricks, founder of a support group for LGBT Muslims is quoted as saying:
The message then was to let people know that [homosexuality] is not a pathology, that it is [one’s] nature - you were either born that way or even if you were conditioned to be that way through society, it was when you were too young to have a decision in that. So it is part of your fitra- your nature.
Fitra, or fitrah (Arabic: فطرة / ALA-LC: fiṭrah), is an Arabic word meaning ‘disposition’, ‘nature’, ‘constitution’, or ‘instinct’. In a mysticalcontext, it can connote intuition or insight. It is similar to the Calvinist term “Sensus Divinitatis”.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitra accessed 22 November 2011)
The Quran encourages solidarity with the oppressed and this is an essential component of its message. It is inseparable from the divine charge to act with justice and responsibility. (page 35 of Kugle’s book)
Why don’t you struggle in the way of God and on behalf of those who are oppressed? On behalf of those men, women and youth who say “O Lord! Help us to escape from this town whose people oppress us, give us a guardian appointed by you, and grant us aid from one close to you” (Q 4:75)
Kugle asserts that the Quran needs to be interpreted by its readers, . He quotes Imam Ali:
The Quran is written in straight lines between two covers. It does not speak for itself. It needs proper interpreters, and the interpreters are human beings.
This has led to interpretations of the Quran that are politically biased, support misogyny and patriarchy and are homophobic.
The story of the tribe of Prophet Lot in the Quran (which means the people of Sodom and Gomorrah as per the Torah) has been used by interpreters to condemn same sex relations.
All Muslim interpreters condemn how the men of Lot’s tribe rejected Lot’s authority over them by trying to deprive him of the right to extend hospitality and protection to strangers, to the extent of demanding to use the male strangers in coercive same-sex acts. However, some classical interpreters who were jurists read into the scriptural text the conclusion that Lot was sent primarily to forbid anal sex between men.
And this is the issue. I believe this story was about rape and the practices of the tribe to harm and exploit their guests through forced anal penetration. There is nothing mentioned about having a loving relationship here. It may be purely coincidental that the guests in the town happened to be males. I believe it is about aggressive subjugation through sexual means.
Sexuality-sensitive interpretations view this story as the tribe being punished for rejecting Lot’s ethical guidance and for sexually assaulting his guests.
I’d definitely recommend every person who is interested in this topic, either if you are against homosexuality to read this book. It presents the issue in what is quite a neutral fashion I believe. I know my ‘feelings’ do not have any weight against the word of God, but if I try and explain why I don’t think I am abomination, I hope you won’t just view homosexuality as this disgusting thing, but will actually see something of the people and view me with some dignity and worth.
I did not choose to be gay. I’ve grown to accept that this is me. As I had no hand in the matter, I believe it is part of my fate, destiny, God’s will, my DNA call it what you will. Why would my God, who I believe to be merciful, loving and just create me in such a way purely to brand me an abomination? It makes no sense to me at all. I have my faults, but I think I’m a good person. I want to have a loving relationship with someone. Why would God create me in such a way purely to make me unhappy. This is not something that I have any control over. It’s not something that I can work towards getting myself out of. I’m going to live my life my way. If you want to hate me, please feel free to do so. If you want to ‘tolerate’ me, go ahead. If you can look past my sexuality then that’s even better. I’m gay and I’m a Muslim. Sorry if you have a problem with that. I don’t any more.
