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Homosexuality: An Islamic Perspective

Friday, 11 April 2008

The following is a transcript of a short talk given by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips on the issue of homosexuality. The Shaykh deals with some of the arguments that people present to show that homosexuality is not a bad thing. I’ve posted this to clarify why Islam considers homosexuality a crime.

Bilal Philips

The norm in society today, when it comes to sex, is that as long as adults consent they can do what they want. Therefore, child sex is out. And homosexuality is OK. When it was said to them that homosexuality is unnatural. They went around and looked in nature to find examples of some animals that displayed homosexual behavior. They did find some examples. Some male fish acting like the female after mating with the female. This argument is fine for those who think that humans are merely animals. Agreed we have some animal aspects, but we have the ability to make choices and think, which distinguishes us from animals. Another counter argument is the example of the black widow spider, which after mating kills its husband. Praying mantises will do the same. So now, is it OK for a woman to kill her husband after she becomes pregnant? Why not? It’s natural! So this argument really has no sound basis.

Back in the 80’s another argument developed stating that there is a gland, which is smaller in females in comparison to males. In homosexual men, this gland was also found to be smaller is size than in normal men. So they argued that this is biological proof that homosexual males have a different makeup than normal males. So they argued that these people are not homosexual because they learnt about this from society. But because they are naturally made to be like this. So it should not be considered a crime. But we need to see the reality of this study. The study was based on research done on dead adults. Who is to say that the child was born that way? There is no evidence for this. And who is to say that the decrease in the size of this gland was a result of this (homosexual) activity and not the cause? Therefore, this kind of argument again doesn’t hold any water.

In the 90’s a new argument developed saying again that this was genetic. A researcher by the name of Dr. Hamer at the national cancer institute claimed to have discovered concrete evidence for ‘gay genes.’ He was pointing out that the homosexual tendencies were being transferred on to the X chromosome by the mother. His findings were published in the prestigious Journal of Science. This publication transformed his career from a colorless government employee to a dynamic media personality. He wrote his own memoirs and he was also seen on television talk shows. He even went to Colorado to a discussion about the laws that were being introduced called ‘Proposition 2,’ which was an anti-gay proposition. There, he gave expert testimony in favor of the genetic origin of homosexuality so that this law is not implemented.

The reality is that though his study was published in a prestigious journal and it was on the front pages of newspapers all across the west, nobody followed up on what happened afterwards. When the University of Western Ontario tried to repeat his experiments, they could not find any linkage between the X chromosome and sexual orientation. Furthermore, it was pointed out that Hamer’s study lacked a control group, which is a fundamental for scientific research. How could that article have been published in that Science Journal? It is because it sells magazines. So without following the standard procedures, they publish his articles bringing him fame. Also, the Chicago Tribune in 1994, one year after the publication of Dr. Hamer’s findings, reported that a junior researcher in Dr. Hamers lab said that he (Hamer) selectively reported his findings. She was then dismissed, despite being a Ph.D student. Her revelation was not front page news. Therefore, even today you’ll find people saying that homosexuality is genetic. Later Dr. Hamer himself admitted that he is gay. So his study was shot down within in a year. But no one knows about it.

Another thing to know is that AIDS spread because of homosexual acts. This disease started out in gays, to which some people said that this is divine retribution. From an Islamic perspective, we agree with this because Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said that when in society fornication becomes widespread, there will occur among the people illnesses that their forefathers hadn’t heard of. From gays, it spread to heterosexuals. It spread specifically among people engaging in illicit sex. This doesn’t happen in marriages even if they are polygamous.

Another point to note in this is that if we are to accept that God made homosexuals the way they are, then it is inconceivable that he would punish them for an inclination that they have no control over. Even if you bring evidence for this inclination being natural, there is evidence for inclinations to pedophilia and rape. That does not mean that we can run societies simply based on inclinations. We all have a variety of inclinations. When people are intoxicated these inclinations come out even more. However, we do have the ability to say ‘No’ to them. And the punishment that is prescribed in Islam is for not doing this (ie. saying No.) The punishment for homosexuality is no different from the punishment for fornication, which is death. It is not a special kind of punishment, but a punishment for deviant behavior that threatens the family structure in society. Of course, the application of the law requires four witnesses. The punishment isn’t simply meted out if someone acts in a feminine way. Only if a person confesses or if they’re witnessed by four people, while engaging in the act is the punishment given.

We find in Islamic law some principles that discourage this. For instance, Prophet Muhammed (SAWS) ordered that children be encouraged to pray when they reach the age of 7 and by the age of 10 they should be spanked for not praying. Furthermore, he commanded that the children be separated in their beds. Most people think that this applies to separating the sons from the daughters, but from the Islamic perspective, its also the males from the males and the females from the females. Why is this? Obviously, it is for one purpose, to prevent incest as well as homosexual activity. Because children are children, they may have inclinations to experiment. And if they experiment and find something pleasurable then later they may go to school and find somebody who reinforces that. That is where you find the basis for homosexual activities developing. So Islam closes the door to this.

Islam stresses on maintaining the distinction between males and females. Males shouldn’t dress like females and vice versa. It is forbidden. The Prophet said that Allah (SWT) curses those women who dress like men, again not allowing a blurring of this distinction. The fashion industry, which is controlled by homosexuals, has promoted this blurring in the way men and women dress. Therefore, you will now find women wearing three piece suits, looking like men. Men wearing flowery garments that are virtually feminine dresses. So Islam stresses on this distinction also. This is all for maintaining the family structure in society.