Will Homosexuality Ever be accepted by the Muslim Community - Dissertation Example

? Will Homosexuality Ever be accepted by the Muslim Community? Table of Contents Introduction 2 2. Sexuality and Muslim Tradition 2 2 Identity Theory 4 3. Homosexuality in Islam 5 3.1. Female Homosexuality 7 4. Acceptance 7 5. Conclusion 8 Bibliography 10 Will Homosexuality Ever be accepted by the Muslim Community? 1. Introduction One of the most difficult aspects of life for communities to accept has been the existence of homosexuality. While there is much evidence to suggest that sexual preference is something that is biologically determined, cultural acceptance has been a long hard road that is still a continuing struggle in most societies. Throughout history there is evidence of prejudices against homosexuality and it has only been in the last half of the 20th century that modern civil rights discussions included gay rights in Western society. Homosexuality appears to be a threat to communities in relationship to procreation, thus the response to those who have sexual preferences that are not based on procreative purposes have been met with punishment, shunning, and a general lack of acceptance in society. Where religious devotion is present there seems to be the least amount of acceptance of homosexual attraction and relationships. The following paper will explore the nature of homosexuality in the Islamic community in the context of acceptance. Homosexuality has been a problem throughout history and while some acceptance has been seen in parts of the world, the Muslim faith is unlikely to find acceptance in the near future. 2. Sexuality and Muslim Tradition Dialmy (2010, p. 160) discusses the nature of Islamic sexual dynamics in terms of distinctions between men and women. Men have a far more expressive capacity in social terms than do women. Women cannot express their sexuality nor have sex with more than one person, their husband. Men, under specific circumstances, can have more than one wife, thus they are permitted multiple partners in the context of polygyny where it is allowed (Kotb, 2004). Neither gender is able to express or have homosexual interactions. This conflict in society has created a dynamic in which sex both is and is not part of the overall discourse on family and appropriate Muslim behaviours. Kotb (2004) writes that sexuality is recognized as one of the five basic instincts. The suppression of human sexual desire is a part of living within the world, the social construct having limited the ability for human need to outweigh societal need. Kotb (2004) writes that “In the Islamic context, it signifies effective and moderate coping with the human concupiscence”. In other words, it is imperative that the wholesome of the intention outweigh the intentions based on desire. Sex is encouraged in Islam as a part of healthy living, but is confined to marriage for both men and women. Kotb (2004) condemns the acts of homosexuality using scripture as a basis for the discourse. Kotb (2004) writes that “Just as a person who has a sexual urge should not satisfy it by committing zina (fornication or adultery), a person who has this perverted thought should not act upon it. In order to maintain the purity of the Muslim society, most Muslim scholars have ruled that the punishment for this act should be the same as for zina”. Punishment for Zina as given by the Qur’an is giving one hundred lashes to a man who has never been married and stoning a man who is married to death. Therefore, the punishment for homosexual behavior would be zina and some interpret the words of the Prophet when he said “Kill the doer and the one to whom it was done” to mean that both partners should be stoned to death if caught having homosexual relations (Kotb 2004). 2.1. Identity Theory Social identity theory defines the ability to create the self through group identification. This theory suggests that people will gravitate towards social groups that have similar identifying features in order to gain self esteem by finding a position in that group and through comparisons of their own group to others in order to elevate their feelings of satisfaction with their position within and in comparison to other groups. The identity is formed through belonging and through being a part of social groups (Tajfel 2010, p. 209). The self is always in search of finding ways in which to grow and elevate self esteem. Without a sense of belonging groups will typically form that have relative deprivation. This means that there is a negative consequence to how someone sees themselves in relationship to how they see others with advantages that exceed their own (Sanderson 2003, p. 338). This brings up the question of how people who have same sex attraction in Islamic communities find their identity within their own cultural space. Jaspal and Cinnirella (2012, p. 214) agree that socio-cultural processes are fundamental in constructing identities within the group and membership in groups provide context for constructing those identities. The Muslim constructs his or her identity based upon their membership in Islamic groups. The core identity is based on teachings and principles of their faith. Those in other faiths throughout the world will typically leave their religious community and seek one that will accommodate their gay or lesbian identity. Muslim is not constructed to accommodate this departure (Jaspel 2010, p. 153). The concept of an identity conflict between sexual identity and religious identity places Muslims who are homosexual in a space of non-acceptance of a part of themselves, leaving them in a deceitful relationship with their community and typically with themselves. p. y see others with advantages that exceed their own (Sandersonbelongingcial groups. The self is always in search of fin 3. Homosexuality in Islam The basis of discrimination of homosexuality in Islam is the story of Lut, which is the story of Lot in the Hebrew traditions. Muslim cultures, just like Christian cultures, use this story as a basis for believing that God has condemned homosexuality Jaspal and Cinnirella 2012, p. 215). Homosexual identity is a threat within most religious cultures because it places sex outside the context of reproduction. This is termed familialism where the basis of social connectivity is based on reproduction and family kinship without consideration of any other lifestyle (Habib 2010, p. 63). In theory, homosexuality is a threat to this social construction so throughout history prejudice has developed against men and women who are homosexual. The story of Lut provides context for the belief that the threat of homosexuality is a concern of God and has been a reason for non-acceptance in monotheistic religions with the same foundational narratives. The study of homosexuality in Muslim cultures has been largely unexplored because of the inability for those who have homosexual attractions to discuss their position in society without the fear of being ostracized or punished. Ouzgaine (2006, p. 202) writes that “only fragmentary evidence allows us insight into the lives of homosexual Muslims. Homosexuality in Islam remains largely unexplored principally because the Qur’an, Ahadith, and Shari’a, as heteronormative sources determining sexual morality, have stifled debate about the topic”. The lives of men and women who are attracted to the same sex and are within Muslim cultures must live in what Ouzgaine (2006, p. 202) calls a “culture of invisibility” and have only recently begun to become visible and speak about their experiences when they are in a safe environment to do so. In 1997 Stephen O. Murray wrote that the only discussion that could occur in some Muslim cultures was based upon the idea of boy-love which had a marginal acceptance in some Islamic cultures such as in Indonesia and the southern Philippines. Most literature that exists on same sex attraction begins with a discourse on how the devil is the source from which homosexuality began and is a burden that some Muslims must bear as a test to their faith. These are writings that Habib (2012, p. 4) studied from writers who were homosexual and had Muslim faith based cultures. The self and the identity of the homosexual men and women in Islam is a tortured space in which silence, restricted discourse, and an inability to explore their alternative sexual desires has left them without a social group within which to find their identity. 3.1. Female Homosexuality One of the problems that men and women face in relationship to their sexual preferences in Muslim culture is that marriage is at the centre of socialization. Habib (2012, p. 3) writes that “it is marriage which dominates the cultural bond between reputation and imputation – there are no other acceptable forms of socializing - at least not visibly”. Women that are in Muslim cultures where they have the most restrictive lifestyles There is a disconnection between the physical acts of homosexuality and the lesbian identity because there is no social framework in which women can express their attraction to other women (Habib 2012, p. 4). The familialism which exists in female experiences within the Muslim culture means that without a traditional family structure, a woman is disenfranchised. The lesbian identity has no place in familialism as it has been structured in Muslim society so a woman who is attracted to woman must also adhere to normative standards of female expression or she is denying her gender in context with tradition. 4. Acceptance Ouzgane (2006) explores the idea of an eventual acceptance of homosexuality in Muslim communities. The ironic conclusion of explorations of homosexuality in Muslim society is that while it is not accepted as a potential public expression in which love develops between same-sex partners, it is accepted as an act of sex as long as there is no public knowledge of the act. Relationships between same-sex partners are not allowed primarily because of the importance of familial continuation. A man who is homosexual cannot pass on his ancestry to a next generation through a homosexual relationship. Therefore, at this time men who are homosexual are still expected to marry and have sex with their wives. Ouzgane (2006) writes that “the Qur’an is clear in stating that men and women are divinely created creatures enjoined for many purposes, among them to provide security, companionship, and to fulfil one another’s sexual needs (Qur’an 30:21; 21:197)”. Esposito (2010, p. 94) discusses the idea of reforms in Islam and suggests that while reform is possible on certain topics, the nature of reform will always be based on “Islamic character and authenticity”. This makes it highly unlikely for Muslim acceptance of homosexuality in the near future. As long as homosexuality is seen as a threat to procreative imperatives that are placed on the family it is unlikely that open homosexual relationships will be accepted within Muslim communities. 5. Conclusion The West has had difficulty in accepting homosexuality into the social context and this has only been accomplished through the creating societies that are primarily secularized. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions primarily do not accept homosexuality because of scriptural references that suggest that God does not approve of homosexual behaviour. This belief, however, comes into conflict with the biological urge that drives homosexuality, making it a natural part of life for those who are attracted to the same sex. It is unlikely, however, that Muslim belief systems can change towards acceptance of homosexuality because the scripture specifically states that it against God’s will. The sense of identity for men and women who are attracted to the same sex comes into conflict with Muslim belief systems. The resolution to this conflict has been to acknowledge that sex between same sex people exists but it must not be discovered and love relationships cannot be formed or acknowledge. Men and women must defy a part of their identity and marry in order to perpetuate human life and the Muslim ancestry. This creates conflicted individuals who never are able to form a sexual identity that includes them in their home community. Muslim culture is based on creating an identity based on Muslim tradition and beliefs. In secularized societies religiosity is only part of the identity and not the core identifying feature. Thus homosexuality has been able to become more widely accepted. The familialism that is the foundation of social construction for Muslim communities reinforces the need for procreative sexual relationships. Because of the strong identification with Islamic traditions that forms the Muslim identity; it is unlikely that the Muslim community will ever fully accept homosexuality as a valid form of sexual identity. Bibliography Dialmy, A. (2010). Sexuality and Islam. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 15, 3, 160-168. Esposito, J. L. (2010). The future of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Habib, S. (2010). Islam and homosexuality. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger / ABC- CLIO. Habib, S. (2012). Female homosexuality in the Middle East: Histories and representations. East Sussex: Routledge. Jaspal, R.,(2010). Identity threat among British Muslim gay men. Psychology, 12, 153-166. Jaspal, R. and Cinnirella, M. (2012) Identity processes, threat and interpersonal relations: accounts from British Muslim gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 59, 2, 215-240. Kotb, H. G. (2004). Sexuality in Islam. [Online] Retrieved from http://www2.hu- berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/kotb2.htm (Accessed 16 March 2013). Murray, S. O. (1997). Islamic homosexualities: Culture, history, and literature. New York: New York Univ. Press. Ouzgane, L. (2006). Islamic masculinities. London: Zed Books. Sanderson, C. A. (2009). Social psychology. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Tajfel, H. (2010). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Yip, A.K.T. (2004). Negotiating space with family and kin in identity construction: The narratives of British non-heterosexual Muslims. Sociological Review, 52, 336–3 Read More