THE GENDER DELUSION: An Insight into LGBT Agenda
Summary
“The Gender Delusion: An Insight into LGBT Agenda” explores the history and political activism of the LGBT movement, deconstructing events like the Stonewall incident as strategic symbols used to shift public perception. From an Islamic perspective, it details the story of the People of Lot to illustrate the prohibition of homosexuality and refutes modern “progressive” interpretations of the Quran. The book also critiques the scientific basis for gender fluidity and the “gay gene,” presenting data on significant health risks, mental health issues, and the impact of media “brainwashing” on children. Ultimately, it calls for Muslims to maintain an “impeccable” character as ambassadors of Islam while helping those struggling with same-sex attractions through compassionate counseling and spiritual grounding.
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Table of Contents
LGBT History and Political Activism 8
Predominant sexual orientations 10
Deciphering LGBT and Queer Politics 11
Who are Lesbians, Gays, Binary, Trans-sexual, Intersex? 12
Deconstructing the Stonewall myth 12
How the Stonewall incident became symbolic for LGBT 16
Problems with Making Unscientific Gender Identity Policies: 19
The Conflict of Interpretation: 31
Eliminating any Further Doubt: 41
Non-consequential Morality: 47
Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Golden Mean: 48
Difference between ‘Deen’ and ‘Mazhab’: 49
Rationality behind Revelation: 50
Conflict between Revelation and Secular Reason: 51
The Concept of Morality in Islam: 53
The Moral Discourse on Homosexuality: 58
Scientific purpose of life: Survival of the Species: 73
Nature vs Nurture: Is homosexuality genetic? 77
Are there really more than 2 genders? 98
Is Transgenderism Logical? 100
Concept of ‘T’ is not in line with that of ‘LGB’ 102
Transgenderism depends on stereotypes 102
Does sex reassignment surgery make people happy? 103
If conversion therapy is bad, why is sex reassignment good? 104
Stating Stats, Talking Facts 106
Health risks of the homosexual lifestyle: 107
Homosexuality and pedophilia: 110
Role of Media in Promoting LGBT 116
Appeal Through Sob Stories: 116
Brainwashing Through Animation: 117
Subliminal Messages to Desensitize Children: 118
Manipulating Society’s Values with Misrepresentation: 119
Structured Plan of Action: 120
If someone develops such feelings, is he/she a sinner? 130
Confessions of an ex-homosexual: 131
PREFACE
The acceptance of homosexuality is becoming the norm nowadays. Not just the Western world but each and every hemisphere, civilization, country, religion is being affected by its rampant normalization. “It’s natural!”, “It’s moral!”, “It’s scientific!” are some common notions that are being vocalized with well-framed arguments.
Most of the LGBT activists say that the whole concept of ‘Gender’ is a social construct and there is scientific evidence of gender fluidity. You can be a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, bird, dog, cat, superman or any other thing based on how you feel like. Moreover, these organizations receive a lot of political and monetary support. They are omnipresent on social media platforms, televisions, radios and other mass communication mediums.
The question arises that what is the need to address this issue? These organizations are creeping down to the lowest levels of the society by maintaining a significant presence in schools, colleges, universities and even offices.
Everyone including the Muslims are getting confused. They don’t know how to deal with this issue, they don’t know how to respond to those beautifully framed claims, they don’t know how to deal with their emotional blackmailing, they don’t know how to refute their scientific arguments. The most heart-wrenching fact is that many Muslims, because of their lack of information on this topic, have started to support the LGBT movement. Some have even joined their organisations and are actively participating in all their activities. Some have gone to the extent of unapologetically declaring that Islam does not prohibit homosexuality and the Quran does not address this issue.
These arguments, claims, political support, media presence and participation of some Muslims have caused so much confusion in a normal person’s mind that now people, though wanting to oppose it, refrain from doing so. In fact, many people have subconsciously accepted it because they don’t have antidotes to tackle this.
Moreover, Muslim individuals, especially students, find it extremely difficult to cope with the environment. Many of them know that Islam prohibits it. They know the Quranic injunctions and the Ahadees regarding this issue but they are still troubled by this topic.
This is because whenever they are questioned about the same, they feel that quoting Islam as an argument would either depict their orthodoxy or it would be unconvincing. They think that there are no modern ways to refute it and sometimes subconsciously think that Islam has become outdated.
This piece has also been rendered because of these constant ideological conflicts and questions. It aims at explaining this issue by taking into account several aspects that everyone should know. This piece is a must read for all those who want to know the reality of the LGBT agenda and who are facing difficulties in their respective institutions.
We hope that this piece helps the Muslims as well as non-Muslims who find it difficult to respond to this issue.
May this be a Sadaqah e Jariah and a beneficial piece of knowledge for the whole Ummah.
LGBT History and Political Activism
Introduction
The present era is witnessing both the deepening and democratization of the public sphere. This is manifest in the visibility of multiple issues, including those which earlier were the prerogative of the private sphere, open for discussion and debate. The long-held conventional view of the heterosexual behaviour is now being negotiated so as to give space to multiple sexuality orientations. The latter do not conform to the gender schema and are also averse to the idea and practice of heterosexuality. Thus, has emerged the LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-BisexualTransgender) and IQ (Intersex and Queer) discourse sometimes clubbed under ‘queer politics’ – which is shaping the politics of desire and, more importantly, re-scripting the rules of engagement regarding family, marriage, and kinship, the three cornerstones of human society.1 Subsequently, there has emerged some sort of democratisation of desire’. In recent times, such discourses have become too visible to be ignored2 as ‘it is obvious that both economic and cultural forces are changing sexual regimes and the relationships between the sex/gender order and other economic and cultural structure’. In the conventional sense, being ‘straight’ involves adhering to the gender schema, in which the man acts like he is male, that is, masculine in his social perspective, and the female acts like she is feminine in her social outlook, and they both tend to get “attracted” to each other. Here the norm of heterosexuality is dominant and is seen to be “natural”.3
Sex, Gender and Sexuality
The notion of LGBT is closely and intricately linked with sex, gender, and sexuality. Thus, here we have three interrelated issues to be dealt with. First, how
to relate sex, gender, and sexuality with each other which gives rise to myriad understandings on desire.I Second, how sexuality, that is, desire transforms into plurality of likings and this desire may not be only towards persons of different sex. Third, how to understand LGBT and what are its constituent elements. As argued by Henrietta L. Moore:
“at the heart of all these discussions has been the notion of difference, the difference of the female from the male, the normative from the non-normative, sexual practices from social classifications, and the difference of race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality as they intersect and mark our physical bodies”
Sex:
Sex, as well understood, is the biological and anatomical identity of an individual. The determination of sex can depend on biological factors. In the first case, ‘when sex cells form, the pairs of sex chromosomes (XX and XY) are separated wherein females carry XX, males XY. The baby will be a girl if it carries an X chromosome. It will be a boy if the fertilising sperm carries a Y chromosome’. Additionally, another method of identifying sex is hormonal, wherein oestrogen is related to female and androgen/testosterone is related to male. Lastly, there is the genital, the visible physical characteristics of individuals’ reproductive organs.
Gender:
Gender, on the other hand, is the social ‘coating’ on the sex. Gender manifests itself as being masculine or feminine. Thus, as has been often documented, it is more like Simone de Beauvoir’s One is not born, but rather becomes, a ‘woman’
I According to Maggie, “desire is an essential need whose social construction is sexuality” (2003: 61), whereas “sexuality is the social process which creates organises, expresses and directs desire” (ibid : 262) 9
or ‘cultural production of gender’ or ‘gender performativity’ as outlined by Judith Butler.II Subsequently, it resonates with the idea of “becoming” gender.
Sexuality:
Sexuality at the very basic level is desire, and desire towards someone else.III Broadly, sexuality means ‘the quality or state of being sexual; the condition of having sex; sexual activity; and expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive. It can also mean ‘capacity for sexual feelings; or a person’s sexual orientation or preference. It can be also understood as ‘the cultural notions of pleasures and social and bodily interchanges ranging from eroticism, desire and affection, to notions relating to health, reproduction, the use of technologies and the exercising of power in society’. The link between these two issues is the term ‘sexual orientation’, which ‘covers sexual desires, feelings, practices and identification.
Predominant sexual orientations
Basically, there are three predominant sexual orientations: (i) towards the opposite sex (heterosexuality), (ii) towards the same sex/gender (homosexuality), and (iii) (bisexuality). The ‘problem’ or disjuncture emerges when people do not observe the two-gender schema or gender-binary based on two-sex binary model. Gender binary can be understood as the idea that there are only two genders – male/female or man/woman – and that a person must be strictly gendered as either/or, that is, ‘a heterosexual paradigm of oppositional duality, which prescribes gender roles and gendered social codes; those who violate these
II Butler argues that “originally intended to dispute the biology-is-destiny formulation, the distinction between sex and gender serves the argument that whatever biological intractability sex appears to have, gender is cultural constructed: hence, gender is neither the causal result of sex nor as seemingly fixed as sex” (1990 :8-9) III Similarly according to John and nair, in terms of theoretical influences in the 20th century, five important moments and the thematisation of sexuality in the West maybe signposted: the work of Sigmund Freud the radical sexual politics of the women’s movements of the 1960 and 1970’s, Jacques Lacan and ‘French’ feminist theory Michel foucault’s histories of sexuality and the more recent designation of sexuality as sexual preference (1998: 2-3).
roles and codes are categorised as transgressive, condemned as obscene, and perceived as appropriate subjects for various forms of persecution and punishment’. It is this gender binary which is questioned when we speak of LGBT politics.
Deciphering LGBT and Queer Politics
The abbreviation LGBT & I stands for ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gendered People and Intersex’, a ‘sexual minority’ that has challenged the hegemonic construction of normative gender and sexuality. It sometimes also has a ‘Q’ at the end which denotes queer signifying that every new initial fixes as an “identity” a form of sexual desire and behaviour. More importantly, ‘the biologically female’ body and the ‘gendered female’ body exist in tension with each other at the intersection of feminist and queer politics. Further, queer is ‘an umbrella term to refer to all LGBTIQ people; a political statement, as well as a sexual orientation, which advocates breaking binary thinking and seeing both sexual orientation and gender identity as potentially fluid’.4 It indicates transgressive desire of all sorts, and enables a questioning of the supposed naturalness of the heterosexual identity and captures and validates the identities and desires of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, but also represents, for many, an understanding of sexuality that goes beyond the categories of “homosexual” and “heterosexual”. Thus, LGBTIQ people include sexual diversity, which refers to the maximum range of the sexuality in terms of orientation and practice. These identities, by their very existence, tend to subvert the heteronormative hegemonic social structure which dictates that there are only two genders based on birth sex: male and female. They emphasise that heterosexuality and heteronormativity no longer stand as the basis of all social relationships and identities.
At another level is the gendered identity based on sexual orientation which transcends the sexual binary system and gives rise to LGBTIQ community.
Who are Lesbians, Gays, Binary, Trans-sexual, Intersex?
“Lesbian” is a woman who is attracted emotionally and/or sexually to people of the same sex/gender, in this case to other women. It is important to note that the woman does not necessarily need to have had sexual experiences with other women in order to identify or be identified as being a lesbian; the attraction can be simply at the platonic level. Similarly, “gay” is a man who is attracted emotionally and/or sexually to people of the same sex/gender, in this case to other men. “Bisexual” refers to those people who are attracted towards both male and female, though there may be a preference for one gender over others. “Transsexual” is someone who changes her/his sex through medical (surgical and/or hormonal) procedures. “Intersex” refers to people who are born with a mixture of both ‘male’ and female hormonal, chromosomal, and/or genital characteristics. In a way, the LGBTIQ community’s counter-heteronormative assertions foreground the ruptures, and implicitly or explicitly challenge the edifice of hetero-normativity.
Deconstructing the Stonewall myth
Although there is a broad agreement amongst people that something seismic happened during the night of 28th June, 1969 at a Gay club in Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, there is little consensus among them as to how to view this event. This confusion was exploited by the LGBT activists who, in order to make their stance stronger, distorted people’s perception to view this incident as a symbol of their strength.
We need to understand beforehand that the terminology which people use shapes how historical events are perceived, from the way they came to happen to why they matter. That’s why, for instance, some Southerners have called the Civil War as ‘the War of Northern Aggression,’ and some Catholic textbooks offer lessons about the ‘Protestant Revolt’ rather than the Protestant Reformation. Disagreements over what to call the Stonewall incident reflect different conceptions of what it was. “There has been a debate about the meaning of Stonewall,” says Columbia University history professor George Chauncey, “from the very beginning.”
At TIME’s request, the Oxford English Dictionary did an analysis of the language that is most commonly used in online news sources to describe Stonewall. Today, the word ‘riots’ is most popular, followed by ‘uprising’ and more distantly by ‘rebellion’. However, this wasn’t always the case.5
Uprising has seen a surge in recent years, and the first mainstream media reports about Stonewall used different language entirely.
The term ‘uprising’ has strategically been used to gain public support and build upon a façade on historical occurrence that the incident was a revolt against the barbaric treatment. Let’s read the facts and understand.
“The police raided the gay bar situated at stonewall inn in Greenwich village. Bar patrons were running it without alcohol license.it had no running water, its patrons and workers were often on drugs, and it had mafia ties. Further, in 1969, the solicitation of homosexuals was illegal in New York. Hence, when police raided the Stonewall Inn and started arresting, LGBT bar patrons pushed back, throwing coins at police, liberating detainees from custody and attempting to light the bar on fire while police were still inside. Parking meters were uprooted, stones were thrown and several nights of protests, involving thousands of people, followed.”6
Through perusal of facts, it is obvious that patrons of bar were not holding alcohol license and homosexuality was illegal in New York in 1969. The police were acting legally in furtherance of statute that criminalized homosexuality (the justification for illegality is given below). Further, the LGBT activists acted so aggressively, that police were compelled to take refuge in Bar. Riots also followed for several days.
Justification for why homosexuality is required to be illegal.
Some people might say that this was a historical milestone as LGBT community revolted against such harassment done in accordance with barbaric law. But, in light of arguments concerning homosexual acts given in the following sections of this work; namely ‘The Moral Discourse’, ‘The Scientific Perspective’ and ‘Stating Stats, Talking Facts’, the position becomes quite obvious that imposing a ban on homosexuality was quite justified.
As we have shown in the aforementioned sections, homosexuality in itself is not biological or natural, rather it is completely abnormal and has several hazards when executed. These hazards not only include personal injury but a huge danger to public health at large when analyzed at a macro level. The ramifications include breakdown of family institution, cause of plethora of diseases and epidemics7 (apart from HIV it is a cause of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a collection of more than seventy types of viruses that can cause warts, or papillomas, on various parts of the body. More than twenty types of HPV are incurable STDs that can infect the genital tract of both men and women8.), cause of various psychological illnesses and mental health problems (Research shows that there is a greater risk for suicide amongst them9), etc.
Considering these aspects, it coherently follows, that no sane individual would endorse making a community of individuals who are engage in an act having plethora of ramifications. Further, state is supposed to illegalize anything which is responsible for damage to public health at large and is likely the primary cause of spread of epidemics and lethal diseases.
To substantiate this claim, keeping in mind, the Indian Jurisprudence, let’s have a look at section 269 and 270 of IPC which are defined as –
- Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life:10 Whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine, or both.
The offence here is termed as non-compoundable and cognizable with a punishment of imprisonment upto 6 months. Further, this section penalizes a negligent conduct likely to damage public health.
- Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life:11 Whoever malignantly does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
The offence here is termed as non-compoundable and cognizable with a punishment of imprisonment upto 2 years. Further, this section penalizes an intentional conduct likely to damage public health.
These sections criminalize acts done negligently or deliberately causing damage to public health. However, homosexuality causes devastating societal impairment of a much higher degree as proved through researches mentioned in scientific perspective section and hence requires stringent measures for more effective abatement.
As a result, section 377 of the IPC was justified when it came to preventing unnatural sexual intercourse from wreaking havoc on a large scale.
Section 377 reads as:
“Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall be liable to fine.
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.
However, this section has been repealed in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India.12
How the Stonewall incident became symbolic for LGBT.13
First and foremost, in order to comprehend LGBT politics accurately, we need to understand the role of activists and LGBT supporters in distorting public perception concerning Stonewall event. The sociological research elucidates the modus operandi of making an event worthy of commemoration. It would be pertinent to understand, how commemorability and mnemonic capacity facilitate the initiation of such endeavour.
Further, we shall be analyzing how resonance and potential institutionalization contribute to commemorative success.
Commemorability
There are several forces acting behind, in order to enhance the commemorability of an event. Firstly, the event must be considered as worthy of commemoration by the general populace. Generally, events which are dramatic, politically relevant (especially those suiting the political agenda) are more likely to be considered commemorable. The events which cause disruption, large public participation also have greater probability to be considered as newsworthy. All this goes down to capacity of media, activists to distort public perception. Even, an event containing iniquitous violence and unjustified killing can be made acceptable and justifiable through concerted efforts and tactics used by propagandists. Furthermore, an event that is somewhat relatable with existing genres is more likely be recognized by people. According to Irwin Zarecka, pure success stories are not as compelling as ‘mixed narratives’.14 Stonewall incident was the one which suited the political position of LGBT as it contained a tinge of uprising or so-called revolt for their right to infringe others’ right to freedom of living healthy lives (both spiritually and biologically).
Mnemonic Capacity
Mnemonic capacity refers to persuading the general populace that “my stance is true regardless of what you think”. This is done by engaging entrepreneurs, funding the activism, taking the assistance of media, conducting the workshops. Hence, in particular this is a process of mobilization. LGBT activists try to justify that “there is nothing wrong in exploring your sexuality, you can choose it just like you choose your favourite web series or movie show. Adopt it as your identity which shall be irrevocable afterwards”. The core force behind the success of this mobilization was mnemonic capacity coupled with organizational capacity. Unfortunately, prominent political figures contributed largely to mobilise this movement. As a consequence, several LGBT organizations came together to work in an organized manner to spread this agenda across the globe.
We reiterate that commemorability and mnemonic capacity primarily serve to initiate the commemoration of an event.
Resonance
When an event possesses commemorability and mnemonic capacity, then there comes a need for running a commemorative vehicle. A commemorative vehicle involves a justification for commemoration and includes a plan for how, when, and by whom an event should be commemorated. Justification included the rights of homosexuals to commit homosexual act and cause anthropological disorder. However, this justification undergoes the process of sugarcoating done by LGBT activists, therefore, it seems to be apparently attractive and appealing. The success of a commemorative vehicle depends on the response people give regarding such commemoration. Further, the response of people depends on several other factors. Firstly, if commemorative form is familiar to people, then there are increased chances of its acceptance. Around 60 years ago, homosexuality was not something familiar to general people. However, it was made familiar by adding elements of standing for rights, naturality, freedom, discrimination, etc. If these elements wouldn’t have been there, the act would still arouse disgust amongst them. LGBT activists, very cleverly merged these ideas in order to gain general acceptance of audience. Secondly, introducing a symbolic purpose in order to remember a past incident. First factor acts as a precursor to the second one. Once an event gains familiarity, it seems relatable and then for consistent reminiscence of that event, a symbolic purpose in an arena with available symbolic, physical, or temporal space (e.g., a free weekend for another parade, ground for another monument) is introduced. Ultimately, a new arena builds on existing memories. This modus operandi has been smartly followed by LGBT activists to consistently remind everyone of what happened in Stonewall, while indoctrinating their own narrative.
Commemorative form and potential for institutionalization
It needs to be highlighted that even highly resonant commemorative vehicles fail without facilitation of institutionalization. To achieve a permanent reminiscent effect, a monument or other long-lasting element needs to be introduced. We can clearly observe that it is precisely what has been done to remember Stonewall incident. “In 1999 the U.S. National park service placed the Stonewall Inn on the National Register of Historic places, and in 2016 Pres. Barack Obama designated the site of the Stonewall uprising a national monument. The 7.7 acre (3.1-hectare) monument included the Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks.”15 Along with this, certain specific month such as June (Being symbolic of pride month) was also included. This institutionalization was indeed the consequence of mnemonic capacity (persuading power). Using this capacity, activists and LGBT organizations were successful in distorting the facts and indoctrinating their own narrative. They asserted their authority with the help of politicians and prominent institutions to persuade people, and made them remember the incident in a particular way (especially, the way they wanted them to remember it, suiting their agenda).
The last two methods were primarily used by LGBT activists for ultimate causation of commemorative success.
Problems with Making Unscientific Gender Identity Policies:
As discussed in the forthcoming sections, arguments given to show that homosexuality is not a mental disorder are illogical and can’t really prove anything systematically; neither is it genetic, and it presents huge dangers for the society if practiced even by a small group of population.
But making policies to support these actions and accommodate LGBT behaviour in society takes it to a whole different level. If something is considered illegal by the law, some people may do it in private and the others consider it to be wrong. The activities are restricted, and action may be taken against those who indulge in it. But when the law recognises an act as legal, it gives people the power to take it out in public, be open about it, and even spread it among their fellow countrymen.
One such Act is The Equality Act of USA. It contains following points:
This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.16
The Equality Act has transformed civil rights law from a shield meant to protect racial minorities from discrimination into a sword that requires adherence to subjective views on sexual orientation and gender identity. Because they contradict basic science, these policies and acts endanger a large number of people. Laws like this one violate individuals’ rights by denying them equal opportunity, as described above, and even deprive people of their privacy by free gender mixing (which goes to the extent of gender neutral bathrooms and much more).
Conclusion
Conclusively, it can be said that there is a long comprehensive process behind the history of LGBT activism and its success in creating blind followers. Careful analysis of these elements helps us understand why and how it is spreading throughout the globe. Further, how the narrative of commemoration of Stonewall inn as a symbol of uprising and revolt has impacted a layman’s thought process regarding LGBT is evident by mere observation of the world around us.
The Islamic Perspective
In this section, we will be explaining what the actual Islamic position is regarding homosexuality and the rulings concerning such people. Though, Islam takes a very objective stance on this issue, many people in order to comply with the Western standards have tweaked the Quranic injunctions and given their own fallacious interpretations of explicit verses strictly prohibiting this act.
This sycophancy of some people has caused confusion in the minds of the people especially the young Muslims who have to face this issue time and again in their schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. The constant pressure to accept this aberration forces them to find such deviant interpretations of the Quran in order to survive in their institution and seek validation from their peers.
واِنْ تطُِعْ ا كْث ر منْ فىِ الّْ رْ ضِ يضُِلوُّْ ك عنْ سبيِْ لِ اللِّٰ اِۗنْ يتَبَعِوُْ ن الَِّ الظَنَ واِنْ هُ مْ الَِّ يخْرُصُوْ ن
And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging. (Al-An’am : 116)17
In the explanation of this verse, Maulana Maududi writes that one need not follow the way of life of the majority, for the majority tend to follow their conjectures and fancies rather than sound knowledge. Their beliefs, their ideas and concepts, their philosophies of life, the guiding principles of their conduct, their laws – all these are founded on conjecture. On the contrary, the way of life which pleases Allah, was revealed by Him and hence is based on true knowledge rather than conjecture. Instead of trying to discover the way of life of the majority, a seeker after truth should, therefore, persevere in the way prescribed by Allah, even if he finds himself to be a solitary traveller.18
Expounding the same concept, Imam Ibn Kathir in his tafsir, quotes the following verse:
وَمَآ أكَْثرَُ ٱلناَّسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بمُِؤْمِنيِنَ
And most of the people, although you strive [for it], are not believers. (Yusuf : 103)19
He further explains that they are misguided, yet they have doubts about their way, and they rely on wishful thinking and delusions.20
The reader is probably wondering what the purpose of quoting the above verses is. The motive behind quoting and explaining the above verses is that there have always been few torchbearers of the truth who have strived in Allah’s way. These Quranic injunctions put forward the concept of inferiority complex. Many a times, we are bombarded with non-Islamic concepts due to which we tend to deviate from the truth and follow what the majority is asking us to follow. Indeed, there are very few people who confidently tackle these situations and try to understand Allah’s commandments in a logical manner.
We will now be diving into the Islamic injunctions regarding this issue. A detailed analysis of these injunctions shall be given.
People of Lot:
The land inhabited by the people of Lot, which lies between Iran and Palestine, is known as Trans Jordan. According to the Bible, its capital town was Sodom, which is situated either somewhere near the Dead Sea, or presently lies submerged under it. Apart from Sodom, according to the Talmud, there were four
other major cities, and the land lying between these cities was dotted with such greenery and orchards that the whole area looked like one big garden enchanting any onlooker. However, the whole nation was destroyed and today we can find no trace of it. So much so that it is difficult to even locate the main cities which they inhabited. If anything remains as a reminder of this nation it is the Dead Sea which is also called the Sea of Lot.IV The Prophet Lot who was a nephew of the Prophet Abraham, accompanied his uncle as he moved away from Iraq. Lot sojourned to Syria, Palestine and Egypt for a while and gained practical experience of preaching his message. Later, Allah bestowed Prophethood upon him and assigned to him the mission of reforming his misguided people.21
This devastated piece of land lies on the route from the Hijaz to Syria and Iraq to Egypt. The caravans that passed by this region witness traces of the devastation. In fact, some of these traces can still be observed even today. The area referred to is situated to the east and south of the Dead Sea. As to its southern part, geographers are of the view that it is characterized by a desolation for which there is no parallel on earth.22
Moreover, the Quran has also highlighted this point:
وَلَقَد ترََّكْناَ مِنْهَآ ءَايةًًَۢ بَيِنةًَ لِقَوْمٍ يعَْقِلوُ نَ
And We have left a vestige of it in that city as a Clear Sign for a people who use their reason. (Al’Ankabut : 35)[1]
IV The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of earth. The lake’s extreme salinity excludes all forms of life except bacteria. Fish carried in by the Jordan or by smaller streams when in flood die quickly. Apart from the vegetation along the rivers, plant life along the shores is discontinuous and consists mainly of halophytes (plants that grow in salty or alkaline soil). Because of its location on the contested Jordanian-Israeli frontier, navigation on the Dead Sea is negligible. Its shores are nearly deserted, and
“A Clear Sign” here refers to the Dead Sea which, owing to its association with
Lot, is also called the Sea of Lot. Time and again the Quran impressed on the Makkan unbelievers that a Sign of the chastisement that had visited those wicked people could still be seen. This was observable both in the morning and night along the highway in the course of people’s commercial journeys to Syria. The relevant Quranic verses are as follows: “The place (where the rain of stones occurred) lies along a known route” (Al Hijr : 76), and “You pass by their desolate habitations in the morning and at night” (Al Saffat : 137-138). It is now almost universally recognised that what is presently the southern part of the Dead Sea became so transformed as a result of a terrible earthquake, which caused the landmass to cave in. It was in this part that the capital of the Prophet Lot’s people, Sodom was located. One can still find ruins of some submerged towns in the sea.24
The Quran refers elsewhere to the many evil deeds of the people of Lot. Here the Quran confines itself to mentioning the most ignominious of crimes which invited Allah’s scourge upon them. The hideous act, for which the people of Lot earned notoriety, has been committed by people in all times. The Greek philosophers glorified it as a moral virtue.25
What does the Quran say?
وَلوُطًا إِذْ قاَلَ لِقَوْمِهۦِٓ أتَأَتْوُنَ ٱلْفـَٰحِشَة َ مَا سَبَقكَُم بهَِا مِنْ أحََدٍ مِنَ ٱلْعـَٰلمَِينَ
And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, “Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds [i.e., peoples]? (Al-A’raf : 80)26
What we can understand by the above verse is that Allah deliberately sent Lot to the people of Sodom in order to rectify their affairs. Allah opened the door of repentance and mercy for them by sending a Prophet, especially to warn them of the gravity of the sin that they committed.
When referring to Zina (adultery), the Quran has said: (Surely, it is a shameful act [17:32]). Here, the word ‘fahishah’ (shameful act) has been mentioned without ‘Alif Lam’, while in the present verse, by saying ‘Al-fahishah’ (the shameful act), it has been made definite by the addition of ‘Alif Lam’. Thus, the hint given is that this unnatural evil act is, as if, the combination of all indecencies, and far grave a crime as compared to Zina.27
Then, it was said that this shameful act has never been committed by anyone in all the worlds before they did it. Amru Ibn Dinar said that the act was unknown in the world before these people. Neither had the worst of human being had ever thought on those lines before the people of Sodom. The Umayyad Khalifah, Abd al-Malik said: ‘Had this event relating to the people of Lot not been mentioned in the Qur’an, I would have never suspected that a human being could do something like that.28 From this, we can say that though homosexuality might have existed before that but it was not as rampant as in the case of Sodom. It would have had an obscure presence and would not have been the norm of the society. But in Sodom, almost all the people were practising homosexuality, publicly in broad day light. That’s the reason Allah specifically sent a Prophet to guide them towards a moral way of life and condemn whatever they were doing.
Defining the Act:
إِنكَُّمْ لَتأَتْوُنَ ٱلرِجَا لَ شَهْوَةً مِن دوُنِ ٱلنِسَا ءِٓ ۚ بلَْ أنَتمُْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفوُ نَ
Indeed, you approach men lustfully in place of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds. (Al-A’raf : 81)29
In this verse, the act of homosexuality has been conspicuously mentioned without leaving any scope of doubt for a different interpretation. It has been mentioned because of the obvious fact that this form of sexual intercourse is patently unnatural.
They made males a means for the gratification of their sexual desires. Not only did they commit shameful acts, they did so publicly. The same approach against them features in another verse, whereby: “We sent Lot, and recall when he told his people, ‘Do you commit shameless acts with your eyes open?’.” (Al Naml: 54)30
Allah has created distinctions between the sexes of all living beings for the purpose of reproduction. As far as the human species is concerned, their creation into two sexes is related to another end as well, that the two should come together in order to bring into existence a family and establish human civilization. In view of this not only were human beings divided into two sexes, but each sex was made attractive to the other. The physical structure and psychological make-up of each sex was shaped in keeping with the purpose of forging bonds of mutual cordiality between the members of the two sexes.
Now, the crime of the person who commits homosexuality in flagrant opposition to this scheme of things, is not limited to that act alone. In fact, he commits along with it a number of other crimes. First, he wages war against his own nature, against his inherent psychological disposition. This causes a major disorder which leads to highly negative effects on the lives of both the parties involved. These effects are physical, psychological as well as moral.31
Moreover, if we have a look at the verse in a grammatical sense, the usage of ‘Inna’ in the beginning of the verse and ‘La’ after ‘Kum’ represent the seriousness of the sin. The ‘La’ is known as ‘Laam E Taqeed’ which is used for emphasizing and stressing on a particular point.
At the end of this verse, it was said: Nay, you are a people who cross all bounds.
In other words, their real disease was that they would go beyond the limits set by Allah for everything – in their case, it would be the very limit of humanity they would be hopping over. The same thing happened about sexual desire when they crossed the limits appointed by Allah only to reach for a taste of the counternatural.32 Moreover, the Quran has mentioned this act of homosexuality clearly in other verses as well: “And [mention] Lot, when he said to his people, ‘Indeed, you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds. Indeed, you approach men and obstruct the road and commit in your meetings [every] evil’.” (Al-‘Ankabut : 28-29)33
أتَأَتْوُنَ ٱلذكُّْرَانَ مِنَ ٱلْعـَٰلمَِينَ
What, of all creation will you go to (fornicate with) the males, (Ash-Shu’ara :
165)34
This opens to two interpretations: 1. Out of all creatures, they chose males to satisfy their sexual desires although the world was full of females. 2. They were the only ones who went to men for that purpose; no other nation did so. Even animals did not engage in such a thing with their same gender.35
وَتذَرَُونَ مَا خَلقََ لكَُمْ رَبكُُّم مِنْ أزَْوَٰجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أنَتمُْ قَوْمٌ عَادوُنَ
And leaving aside those whom Allah has created for you as your mates. Nay, you are a people that has transgressed all limits.” (Ash-Shu’ara : 166)36
This, too, has two possible meanings: 1. They left their wives whom Allah had created for them and, unnatural though it was, they went to men to satisfy their sexual desires. 2. Even when they had recourse to their wives to satisfy their sexual urges, they did not follow the natural way. In other words, they indulged in anal sex even with their wives.37
Response of the People:
وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهۦِٓ إلََِّّٓ أنَ قاَلوُٓا۟ أخَْرِجُوهُم مِن قرَْيَتكُِمْ ۖ إِنهَُّمْ أنُاَسٌ يَتطََهَّرُو نَ
But the answer of his people was only that they said, “Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure.” (Al-A’raf : 82)38
It is evident from this verse that the people of Lot were not only shameless and corrupt, but were also a people who had sunk in moral depravity to such a degree that even the presence of a few righteous persons had become intolerable to them. Their moral degradation left them with no patience for anyone who sought to bring about any moral reform. Even the slightest element of purity found in their society was too much for them, and they simply wished to have their society purged of it.39
This reply shows that his people could not find a suitable rejoinder to what he had said. But they were still adamant and started saying among themselves that these people seem to be self-righteous claiming a lot of purity for themselves.40 A similar situation exists even today. The ones who oppose this abhorrent act are ridiculed and are looked upon as unprogressively.
قاَلوُا۟ لَئِن لمَّْ تنَتهَِ يـَٰلوُطُ لَتكَُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُخْرَجِينَ
They said, “If you do not desist, O Lot, you will surely be of those evicted.” (Ash-
Shu’ara : 167)41
The people knew that whosoever opened his mouth in the past against them, or protested against their misdeeds was banished. They simply asked Lot to bear in mind for if he did something similar, he too would meet the same fate.
فمََا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْ مِهۦِٓ إلّا أنَ قاَلوُا۟ ٱئتِْناَ بعَِذاَبِ ٱ للَِّّ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
And the answer of his people was not but that they said, “Bring us the punishment of Allah, if you should be of the truthful.” (Al-‘Ankabut : 29)42
This verse clearly represents the arrogance of the people. Not just their arrogance, but they also challenged Allah’s omnipotence and doubted the prophethood of Lot.
In this regard, Imam Ibn Kathir writes that this is indicative of their disbelief, scornful attitude and stubbornness.43 Therefore, we can see how moral degradation can cause someone to overlook each and every aspect of life, truth, morality and society. One does not at all considers the benefit of the other and this disrupts the whole fabric of the society.
The Punishment:
قاَلوُا۟ يـَٰلوُطُ إِناَّ رُسُلُ رَبِ كَ لَن يَصِلوُٓا۟ إلَِيْكَ ۖ فأَسَْرِ بأِهَْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ ٱليَّْلِ وَلََّ يلَْتفَِتْ مِنكُمْ أحََدٌ إلََِّّ ٱمْرَأتَكََ ۖ إِنهَّ ۥُ مُصِيبهَُا مَآ أصََابهَُمْ ۚ إِنَّ مَوْعِدهَُمُ ٱلصُّبْ حُ ۚ ألََيْسَ ٱلصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ
They [the angels] said, “O Lot, indeed we are messengers of your Lord; [therefore], they will never reach you. So set out with your family during a portion of the night and let not any among you look back – except your wife; indeed, she will be struck by that which strikes them. Indeed, their appointment is [for] the morning. Is not the morning near?” (Hud : 81)44
This warning implied in directing Lot and his household to depart at their earliest was loud and clear. They were told not to tarry behind in the region which had been marked for total destruction. Moreover, with respect to the wife of Lot, this verse clarifies that the purpose of relating it to underscore the fact that family connections with, and the intercession of, people of high spiritual standing can be of no avail in rescuing a people from the punishment they invite upon themselves by their evil deeds.45
The wives of Noah and Lot are mentioned in Surah Al Tahrim in these words:
“These two women were in the houses of Our pious servants, but they acted treacherously towards them [66:10]. That is, they did not have faith and instead of standing by their husbands, they supported their iniquitous nations. Hence when Lot was ordered to depart with his family, he was told not to take his wife along.46
فَلمََّا جَاءَٓ أمَْرُنَا جَعلَْناَ عَـٰلِيهََا سَافلِهََا وَأمَْطَرْناَ عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِن سِجِيلٍ مَّنضُودًٍۢ مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِكَ ۖ وَمَا هِىَ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بِبعَِيدٍ
So, when Our command came, we made the highest part [of the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones of layered hard clay, [which were] Marked from your Lord. And it [i.e., Allah’s punishment] is not from the wrongdoers [very] far. (Hud : 82-83)47
This scourge probably took the form of a severe earthquake combined with volcanic eruptions. The earthquake turned their dwellings upside down and by means of a volcanic eruption they were subjected to a severe rain of stones. The expression ‘stones of baked clay’ perhaps refers to the stones formed by the underground heat and lava in volcanic regions. The signs of this volcanic eruption can be noticed almost everywhere in the region south and east of the Dead Sea even today. The phrase ‘Marked from your Lord’ implies that each stone had been earmarked for a specific act of destruction. Therefore, the moral derived from this incident is that those who engage in acts of transgression should not delude themselves into believing that they are safe from Allah’s punishment. For, if the people of Prophet Lot could be overtaken by a severe chastisement, so can they. For none can overwhelm Allah or frustrate His plan.48
The Conflict of Interpretation:
From the above discussion, it is quite clear that Allah has condemned the act of homosexuality. But some people have raised the question of interpretation and have given deviant views regarding the verses concerned above. Moreover, some verses related to the same incident were not discussed above as we thought fit to address them under this heading.
Many Muslims, in order to comply with the immoral standards of the West have started to change the interpretation of the Quran to Islamically validate this social evil. Though these interpretations are easily refutable, they tend to influence the young minds who are not well versed with the Islamic viewpoint on homosexuality. Their inferiority complex and the fear of being labelled as incompetent always haunts them. Moreover, many brainwashed Muslims deliberately want to change these Islamic injunctions because the LGBT agenda demands it. They want to show that Islam is not at all oppressive and it gives acceptance to everyone by complying with the liberal standards (changing Islam itself in the process). But what they fail to realise is that Islam really does not want to oppress anyone and wants to give acceptance to everyone, rather more so, in its original and true form (as understood by most traditional scholars). But in the garb of inclusivity, Islam never compromises on its tenets and never condones something that is harmful for the social and moral fabric of the world.
If people start interpreting the Quran like this, then Quran instead of being a book of rules and laws, will become a customizable book of poetry open to infinite subjectivity. Therefore, the interpretation of the Quran has to done carefully taking into consideration all the rules of interpretation. Just like one would not expect a commoner to start interpreting the laws of a country, similarly no random person can just wake up in the morning and say, “Ok! Today is a good day to interpret the Quran.”
No one has ever stopped anyone from understanding the Quran but it should be understood under the guidance of scholars who are well versed with the rules and context.
Now we will discuss some pro LGBT interpretations of the Quran and detailed explanations of the same will be given.
While searching for this topic, I came across an article on a website named muslimgirl.com. Here is an excerpt from the article:
“Muslims for Progressive Values talks a little bit more about sexual diversity in Islam, stating that there is no actual condemnation of homosexuality in the Quran. The Quran is a book that is open to interpretation and although there is no mention of same sex marriage, there is also no indication of it being haram or unnatural.
“Surat al-Nur (Qur’an 24:31-24:33) specifically mentions “men who are not in need of women.” These “men who are not in need of women” might have been gay or asexual, but by definition they were not heterosexual men. They are not judged or condemned anywhere in the Qur’an.”49
This verse of Surah al Nur is many a times exploited baselessly by these so-called Islamic activists.
The expression غيْرِ اوُلِى الإربةِ مِن الرِ جالِ means ‘the male attendants in their service who are free of sexual interest’. These words indicate that a Muslim woman may display her adornments to other males other than her mahram only when two conditions are fulfilled. First, that such a person should be in a state of subservience and subordination to her, and second that he should be free of sexual desire either owing to his advanced age, physical infirmity, imbecility, utter destitution, or owing to his subordinate status which renders him unable even to think of any sexual relations with the wife, daughter, sister or mother of the master of the household.
Let us see how different scholars have interpreted these words:
- Abd Allah ibn Abbas regards these words to signify imbeciles who have no interest in women.
- Qatadah considers these words to mean a destitute who remains inalienably attached to someone because of his need for daily bread.
- Mujahid considers these words to denote an idiot who is concerned with bread rather than women.
- Shabi believes these words to mean a person who is subordinate to and dependant on the head of a family, and who lacks the courage even to look at women.
Much more illuminating than all this is the following incident which took place in the time of the Prophet. This has been narrated on the authority of Aisha and Umm Salamah. There was a eunuch in Madina who was considered to belong to the category of ‘ghayr uli al irbah min al rijal’ (men free of sexual interest) by the Prophet’s wives and other women and who, therefore, had free access to their houses. Once while the Prophet was visiting his wife Umm Salamah, he overheard the eunuch talking to Abd Allah that if Taif was conquered he should make a point of getting hold of Badiyah, the daughter of Ghaylan al Thaqafi. He then started to praise her beauty vividly and describe her bodily attractions. He even graphically described the beauty of those parts of the body which are not normally visible. When the Prophet heard him saying all this, he interrupted him:
‘O enemy of Allah! You have watched her so closely.’ Then he ordered all women to observe hijab with the eunuch and also forbade him to enter peoples’ houses. Additionally, he banished him from Madina, and also forbade other eunuchs from entering the inner apartments. He did so because women, under the impression that they were eunuchs, and hence free from sexual desire, tended to relax their attitude towards them. This enabled many eunuchs to observe the women of household very closely and to inform others about their charms.
We thus learn that in order for someone to be considered as belonging to the category of ‘ghayr uli al irbah min al rijal’, it is not enough for him to be physically incapable of the sexual act. What needs to be fully ensured is that such a person is altogether free of sexual desire, of every vestige of the same, and that he is truly not at all interested in women. For if there is even an iota of sexual desire in him, he is liable to cause much mischief.50
Highlighting the same point Mufti Muhammad Shafi writes that those men referred to here, do not have any lust or inclination towards women, nor are they interested in the beauty and charm of women, which they could describe before others.51
From the above discussion, it is clear that the Quran does not mention the phrase
‘ghayr uli al irbah min al rijal’ in the sense of gayism. Rather it is related to people who do not possess any kind of sexual desires.
Another common verse highlighted by these reformists is:
حُرِمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أمَُّهَـٰتكُُمْ وَبَناَتكُُمْ وَأخََوَٰتكُُمْ وَعَمَّـٰتكُُمْ وَخَـٰلـَٰتكُُمْ وَبَناَتُ ٱلْْخَِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْْخُْ تِ وَأمَُّهَـٰتكُُمُ ٱلـَّٰتِىٓ أرَْضَعْنكَُمْ وَ أخََوَٰتكُُم مِنَ ٱلرَّضَـٰعةَِ وَأمَُّهَـٰتُ نِسَائٓكُِمْ وَرَبـَٰئِٓ بكُُمُ ٱلـَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِن نسَِائٓكُِمُ ٱلـَّٰتِى دخََلْتمُ بهِِنَّ فإَنِ لمَّْ تكَُونوُا۟ دخََلْتمُ بهِِنَّ فَلََ جُناَحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلـَٰئِٓلُ أبَْناَئٓكُِمُ ٱلذَِّينَ مِنْ أصَْلَـٰبكُِمْ وَأنَ تجَْمَعوُا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلْْخُْتيَْنِ إلَِّا مَاقَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّه كَانَ غَفوُرًا
رَّحِيمًا
Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father’s sisters, your mother’s sisters, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives’ mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful. (An-Nisa : 23)
This verse clarifies the permissions and prohibitions related to marriage in Islam. In the days of Jahiliya, many people used to get into marital relationships with the prohibitions mentioned above. Therefore, in order to avoid any confusion and set clear permissions for marriage, this verse was revealed. Many people have raised a question that if this verse really prohibits marriage with some specific relations, then why is it that it does not mention prohibition of marriage with the same sex. This claim is just like looking at a constructed building and saying that it does not have a foundation because one cannot see the foundation.
Allah has laid the whole foundation of the prohibition of homosexuality and same sex marriages by expounding the story of Prophet Lot. There was no need to mention the prohibition of same sex marriages separately as it is against the nature of human beings and generally against the nature of an Islamic marriage.
The Islamic canonical law is so sensitive and strict in this respect that it does not even allow a man to look at the private parts of another man, or a woman to look at the private parts of another woman. Hazrat Abu Sayeed Khudri reports that the Prophet of Allah said in this regard:
“Neither a man should look at the genitals of another man, nor a woman should look at the genitals of another woman. Neither a man should lie with another man covered with just a single sheet of cloth, nor a woman should lie with another woman covered with a single sheet of cloth.” (Abu Daud – authenticated by Sheikh Al Albani)
Explaining the above saying, Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehelvi writes:
“The reason for prohibition on looking at the private parts is that it excites the lecherous desires. Sometimes, lecherous desires crop up between women and women and so also between men and men. The reason for prohibiting a man lying naked with another man and a woman lying naked with another woman covered just by a single sheet of cloth is that there would be a greater possibility of excitement of lecherous feelings and desires and it is feared that it might lead to lesbianism and homosexuality.”52
Allah knows that man can cross all limits of morality and Allah says in the Quran:
وَلََّ تتَبَّعِوُا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنهَّ ۥُ لكَُمْ عَدوٌُّ مُّبِي ن إِنمََّا يأَمُْرُكُم بٱِلسُّوٓءِ وَ ٱلْفَحْشَاءِٓ وَأنَ تقَوُلوُا۟ عَلَى ٱللَِّّ مَا لََّ تعَْلمَُون
And do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy. He only orders you to evil and immorality and to say about Allah what you do not know. (Al-Baqarah : 168-169)53
Allah has time and again reminded mankind in the Quran that Satan is an open enemy. Moreover, any custom, ritual, tradition, practice not recommended by the authentic teachings of Islam is a result of the whispers of Satan. Similarly, the above saying of the Prophet takes these intricacies into account and represent a sense of wisdom that men and women can be deceived by Satan at any time. Therefore, in order to avoid the impetus that may lead to unlawful sexual intercourse, the Prophet has clearly prohibited men to sleep naked with men and women to sleep naked with women.
One more thing is that if the Prophet has prohibited even lying naked with the same sex, then there is no question of same sex marriages and intercourse.
Allah has also mentioned Satan’s words in the Quran:
وَلَْضُِلنَّهَُّمْ وَلَْمَُنِ يَنهَُّمْ وَلـَأَمُرَنهَُّمْ فلََيبُتَ كُِنَّ ءَاذاَنَ ٱلْْنَْعـَٰ مِ وَلـَأَمُرَنهَُّمْ فلََيغَُي رُِنَّ خَلْقَ
ٱللَِّّ ۚ وَمَن يَتخَِّذِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ وَلِيًۭ ا مِن دوُنِ ٱللَِّّ فقََدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًۭاً مُّبِينًۭاً يعَِدهُُمْ وَيمَُنِ يهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يعَِدهُُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰ نُ إِلََّّ غُرُورًا
And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss. He [i.e., Satan] promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion. (An-Nisa : 119-120)54
Alteration of Allah’s creation, which is characterized as Satanic, consists in pursuing a thing not for the purpose for which it was created by Allah. In other words, all acts performed in violation either of one’s true nature or of the intrinsic nature of other things are the result of the misleading promptings of Satan.55 These include homosexuality, lesbianism, celibacy, sterilization etc. The LGBT movement is the perfect example of this verse as Satan is influencing people to change their nature and involve themselves into unnatural acts.
Moreover, satanic operations are based on making attractive promises and raising high hopes. Whenever Satan wants to mislead men, whether individually or collectively, he tries to inspire them with utopian expectations. In some he inspires expectations of ecstatic pleasure and outstanding success in their individual lives. He inspires others with prospects for achieving national glory. To still others he promises a well-being of mankind. He makes people feel confident that they can arrive at the ultimate truth without aid of revealed knowledge. He deludes others into believing that Allah neither exists nor that there is any life after death. He comforts others with the belief that even if there is an after-life, they will be able to escape punishment through the intercession of certain persons. In short, Satan extends to different groups of people different promises and expectations with a view to seduce them.56
This explanation of the above verse by Maulana Maududi is the essence of the message that the Quran entails. The high hopes, utopian expectations, ecstatic pleasure and outstanding success can be related to this issue particularly. Anyone who is a proponent of the LGBT movement is bound to achieve success in this world as he will be assisted by the governments, media and other institutions of the world.
The above discussion clarifies that the perception of getting attracted sexually towards the same sex was not completely absent. In fact, not only homosexuality but other unnatural inclinations such as incest and bestiality have also been addressed by Islam.
One of the most foolish interpretation that our beloved modernists have put forward is related to the 81st verse of Surah Al Araf as discussed above:
إِنكَُّمْ لَتأَتْوُنَ ٱل رِجَا لَ شَهْوَةً مِن دوُنِ ٱلنِ سَاءِٓ ۚ بلَْ أنَتمُْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفوُ نَ
Indeed, you approach men lustfully in place of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds. (Al-A’raf : 81)57
This verse has been discussed under the heading ‘Defining the Act’ and it very clearly defines the exact act of homosexuality. No wonder why this has been a problem for the modernists. So, in order to bring this verse in conformance with their agenda, they have given the most foolish interpretation that any one on the planet can think about.
What have they done?
They say that this verse is not in the context of homosexuality, rather it is in the context of either rape or anal intercourse. They have completely failed to comprehend the intricacies of the Arabic language.
First of all, we will have a look at all the renowned translations dealing with this verse of the Quran:
- Indeed, you approach men lustfully in place of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds. – Saheeh International
- You come to men lustfully instead of women. No, you are a people who cross the limits. – Mufti Taqi Usmani
- You approach men lustfully in place of women. You are a people who exceed all bounds. – Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi
- You lustfully go towards men, instead of women! In fact, you have transgressed the limits. – Ahmed Raza Khan
- Verily, you practice your lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds. – Safi Ur Rehman Al Mubarakpuri
- You lust after men rather than women! You transgress all bounds! – Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
- Lo! ye come with lust unto men instead of women. Nay, but ye are wanton folk. – Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall
All the scholars have translated this verse in a similar manner. The expression إنِكَُّ مْ means ‘indeed you’ or ‘verily you’. The expression لتَأَتْوُ نَ means ‘you approach’.
The expression ٱل رِجَالَ means ‘the men’. The expression شَهْوَة ً means ‘with lust’ or
‘lustfully’. The expression دوُْنِ مِنْ means ‘instead of’, ‘in place of’, ‘rather than’ or ‘besides’. The expression ٱلن سَِاءِۚٓ means ‘the women’.
Clearly any sane person would translate this verse as mentioned above. But some people have translated the term لَتأَتْوُنَ as ‘rape’ which actually means ‘to approach’. But fortunately, they were not able to remove any portion of the verse especially ‘instead of’. I would like to translate their interpretation of the verse:
Indeed, you rape men lustfully instead of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds. – Any random modernist
What do they mean? Is it allowed to rape women in Islam? So, to decriminalize homosexuality with the help of the Quran, these people have legalized the rape of women. No one can answer these questions because their interpretation of the Quran does not make sense at all.
Some people say that it is in the context of anal intercourse. Let’s translate this one:
Indeed, you have anal intercourse with men lustfully instead of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds. – Any random modernist
Their interpretation contradicts the etiquettes of sexual intercourse as prescribed by the Quran. If this interpretation was correct, then anal intercourse with women would have been permitted. But as it is unnatural, Allah has clearly prohibited it.
لكَُّ مْ حَرْ ثٌ نسَِاۤؤُكُمْ
Your women are tillage for you to cultivate. (Al Baqarah : 223)58
Here the woman has been compared with a soil, while the husband has been compared with a cultivator. This is to indicate that the sexual intercourse has not been allowed for satisfying the sexual lust only, but also to make it a valid source for having children. By using this expression, the Quran has given a subtle indication to the prohibition of carnal intercourse, even with one’s wife, because it can never be a productive act, and there is no question of ‘cultivation’ therein. It indicates that the ultimate place of penetration is a ‘soil’ which stands for the female vagina which is productive like a soil.59
Moreover, there are several Prophetic traditions conspicuously prohibiting the same:
“Cursed is the one who approaches his wife in her rectum.”60
“Do not approach your women in their rectums. Allah does not refrain from telling the righteousness.”61
“The Glorified Allah will not look at a man with an eye of mercy who has intercourse with a man or a woman through the anus.”62
Therefore, this interpretation of the verse is also illogical and self- contradictory.
Eliminating any Further Doubt:
قاَلَ يـَٰقَوْمِ هَـٰؤُٓلََّٓءِ بَناَتِى هُنَّ أطَْهَرُ لكَُمْ
Lot said: ‘My people! Here are my daughters; they are purer for you. (Hud : 78)63 It is possible that Lot used the word ‘daughters’ to refer to the totality of females in his nation as such. For a messenger is indeed like a father to his people, and all the females of that nation are to him like his own daughters. It is also possible that when Lot used the word ‘daughters’, he meant his own daughters. Whatever is the correct interpretation, one should not misunderstand the statement and think it an invitation for Lot’s people to indulge in illegitimate sex. For the very next part of his remark, viz. ‘they are purer for you’, excludes all justification for such a misunderstanding. The whole thrust of Lot’s statement was that if they wished to satisfy their sexual urge, they should do so in the natural and legitimate manner as laid down by Allah. Lot wished to underscore the fact that the natural and legitimate means of sexual satisfaction were readily available as there was no dearth of women in their society.64
قاَلوُا۟ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا لَناَ فِى بَناَتِكَ مِنْ حَ قٍ وَإِنكََّ لَتعَْلَمُ مَا نرُِي دُ
They said: ‘Surely you already know that we have nothing to do with your daughters. You also know well what we want.’ (Hud : 79)65
This Quranic statement vividly portrays the moral degradation and perversity of those people. They had brazenly deviated from the natural way of satisfying their sexual desires and had adopted instead an altogether perverse and filthy way. What was even more heinous was that their interest had become confined only to those perverse forms of sexual gratification which had come into vogue in their society. This perversity had reached such a point where they felt no shame in stating that they were not interested at all in what was universally held to be the natural and legitimate way of sexual satisfaction. This is the lowest conceivable depth of moral degeneration and perversity. Such a case is very different from that of a person who might commit sin in a moment of weakness when he is overwhelmed by his passions, but has not ceased to distinguish good from evil. For it is quite possible for such a person to mend his ways.
But even if he does not mend his ways, he may, at the most, be considered a man who has lapsed into evil ways. But a person who becomes so thoroughly perverse that his interest is confined only to what is forbidden and sinful, and who believes that all that is right and permissible is simply not meant for him, is altogether a different situation. Such a person is not only wicked, but has sunk so low that he cannot be truly considered a human being.66
This verse eliminates any doubt regarding the issue whether Lot’s story deals with homosexuality, rape or any other thing. His people clearly said that they didn’t have anything to do with women and they only wanted men to satisfy their sexual desires unnaturally.
The Islamic Marriage:
In Islam, marriage is not just about satisfying sexual desires but it is also for the procreation of the human race. Not just the Islamic marriage but any marriage for that matter.
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلذَِّى خَلقََ ٱلْْزَْوَٰجَ كُلهََّا مِمَّا تنًُۢبِتُ ٱلْْرَْضُ وَمِنْ أنَفسُِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لََّ
يَعْلمَُونَ
Exalted is He who created all pairs – from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know. (Ya-Sin : 36)67
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلْْرَْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لكَُم مِنْ أنَفسُِكُمْ أزَْوَٰجًا وَمِنَ ٱلْْنَْعـَٰمِ أزَْوَٰجًا ۖ يذَْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثلِْهۦِ شَىْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (Ash-Shuraa : 11)68
نِسَاؤُٓكُمْ حَرْثٌ لكَُّمْ فأَتْوُا۟ حَرْثكَُمْ أنَىَّٰ شِئتْمُْ ۖ وَقدَِ مُوا۟ لِْنَفسُِكُمْ ۚ وَ ٱتقَّوُ ا۟ ٱ للََّّ وَ ٱعْلمَُوٓ ا۟ أنَكَُّم مُّلَـٰقوُهُ ۗ وَبَ شِرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِي نَ
Your wives are a place of cultivation [i.e., sowing of seed] for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth [righteousness] for yourselves. And fear Allah and know that you will meet Him. And give good tidings to the believers. (Al-Baqarah [2] : 223)
All these verses specify that the purpose of pairing or marriage is procreation of the human race. Moreover, Allah has created men and women for each other so that they may express their affection, mercy and love through this imperative institution of marriage in a natural way. The concept of homosexuality crosses all the limits of morality, ethics and nature and fails to comply with the established laws of nature.
The concept of same sex marriages is totally averse not only to Islam but any sane person. At the end of the day, there is no purpose of such a marriage except for perversion. Moreover, it is harmful for the society in several other ways which shall be discussed further.
The purpose of this section was to clarify that Islam leaves no loophole to justify the immoral act of homosexuality. Though in their failed attempts, many people have tried to condone it because of political pressure and inferiority complexes but Alhamdulillah there are still people who can read and interpret the Quran in an intellectual manner and can convey its core message to the masses.
The Moral Discourse
Meaning of Morality:
Morality is one of the most imperative social institutions. Religion and morality are identified as the most effective guides of human behavior. They formulate rules of conduct. Morality prescribes good behavior and prohibits undesirable behavior. Moral values are an important aspect of our normative pattern. Concepts like justice, honesty, fairness, righteousness, conscientiousness, freedom, mercy etc. are moral concepts. They affect the way the society behaves and can induce social and moral change.69
The word morality is derived from the Latin word ‘moralitas’ which means manner, character, behavior. It is often equated with moral code and is also referred to as those rules of behavior which are accepted by the society at large.70 Gisbert has pointed out, “the moral good is essentially different from the utilitarian or sectional good.” If a man is a good football player, it is meant that he is good at playing football. But when we say that the man is good in a moral sense, we mean that he is leading moral life and exhibits qualities such as trustworthiness, humility, honesty, loyalty etc. This goodness is not sectional but rather integral.71
Types of Morality:
Morality can be classified into several types:
Objective Morality:
It is the belief that morality is a definite set of rules of moral conduct defining what is good and what is bad. It considers the fact that most of the people unanimously exhibit certain human values and ethics. Like the sense of justice, honesty, loyalty, charity etc. are qualities that are classified as good. On the other hand, theft, lying, rape, murder etc. are bad. This innate attitude towards certain values leads moral theorists to the conclusion that morality is objective. It may also be derived from a particular cultural practice, religion, societal norms etc.
Subjective Morality:
Moral theorists who believe in this type of morality generally are of the idea that morality is derived from the human mind and all people may have different conception of right and wrong. People have varying responses to homosexuality, adultery, consensual sex before marriage etc. For some they might be good and for some they might be bad. Based on this variation some moralists have concluded that morality is dependent on how the individual mind conceives a particular thing. The major criticism of this type of morality is that everyone might have a varying perspective, and this would not lead to a conclusive moral code for the humanity.
Consequential Morality:
Some moralists are of the view that the good or bad in any act depends on whether the consequences are good or bad. If the consequences are good, an act is moral and if the consequences are bad, then the act is immoral. This approach has its own merits and demerits as the legalization of adultery for instance, may be viewed as freedom but it may also lead to sexual anarchy and debilitation of the institution of family and marriage which is quite observable in many countries. But with the same instance might be reverse engineered to reach to the conclusion that adultery should be prohibited. Consequentialist views may in some situations require one person to harm another in order to help others, if the overall good produced is greater than the overall harm.
Non-consequential Morality:
This view was assertively propagated by Immanuel Kant who believed that the actions should be classified as moral or immoral instead of the consequences. If one person steals from another, a consequentialist would judge the action based on whether it caused good or bad consequences while a non-consequentialist or deontologist would judge it based on whether it broke a moral rule against stealing.72
Classical Moral Theories:
Platonism:
It holds that evil is due to lack of knowledge. If a man knows what is right, he will not do what is bad. Plato answers the criticism of subjectivists by saying that the discovery of the nature of things is an intellectual task, hence, to discover what a good life is, one must be trained in disciplines like math, philosophy etc. It is through such training that men would develop the capacity to know the nature of the good life. There might be untrained men, but they could follow the trained ones. Plato takes an objective approach to say that there one and only one good life for all men to lead because goodness is not dependent on man’s desires.73
Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Golden Mean:
This is an empirical approach to ethical problems in which Aristotle, instead of trying to discover the nature of good life for all men by reflection, he examined the behaviors of various people in everyday life. He noticed that happiness is what is perceived to be good. Being happy, according to Aristotle, is like being wellfed. But the demerit of this theory is that how will one calculate the level of being well-fed. He said that the mean should be considered in this case. Like, one dollar might be less, and 2 dollars might be more so 1.5 dollars is the answer. Though it is not the exact measure, and this theory fails when we try to find the mean of keeping promises or telling the truth.74
Hedonism:
It is the doctrine that pleasure is the only good. Epicurus was the proponent of this theory who also realized that too much pleasure might lead to pain. For example, too much drinking will damage the liver. He distinguished between the pleasures followed by pain and the ones that are not followed by pain. But the concept of pain is open to subjectivity. Hedonism, though theoretically attractive, may be seen to violate our ordinary feelings about what constitutes behavior. The objection is that pleasure cannot be the sole object which men should strive for.75
Utilitarianism:
Bentham and Stuart Mill attempted to lay down a principle for determining the rightness and wrongness of an act and called it the Principle of Utility. According to this principle, an action is right as far as it tends to produce the greatest happiness or pleasure. It is based on consequential morality and the consequences determine what is right and what is wrong. Many philosophers rejected this idea on the ground that consideration while assessing the moral worth of our actions must be given to the motive from which it is done.76
Kantian Moral Philosophy:
Kant believes in moral basis of religion, and he even used ethical arguments to establish the existence of God. Since men who are not virtuous are happier in this world, there must be another world for virtuous men to be rewarded and this leads him to the conclusion that there is God and an eternal life. In the quest to determine the nature of morality, Kant distinguished between acts done from ‘inclination’ and acts done from ‘a sense of duty or obligation’. An obligation supersedes the inclination and differentiates between what one ought to do and what one wants to do. According to Kant, man acts morally only when he suppresses his desires and fulfills his duty. 77
Difference between ‘Deen’ and ‘Mazhab’:
In the Quran, Islam is referred to as a Deen which means ‘a way of life’. Though used interchangeably, both these words have different meanings. Many mainstream scholars also fail to recognize this intricate difference. In the words of Dr. Israr Ahmed, one of the renowned students of the Quran, ‘Mazhab’ means religion which comprises of some rituals, beliefs and some worship. But the word
‘Deen’ means a whole system, a way of life which even comprises of the economic system, political system, legal system, financial system etc.
Apart from this Deen, there is a Shariah, the detailed code of conduct comprising ways and modes of worship, standards of morals, life, and laws that allow and proscribe, that judge between right and wrong. Such a law has also gone amendments from time to time. This process of amendment ended with the advent of Muhammad, the last Prophet, who brough with him the final code that was applicable for all mankind for all times to come.78 Allah says in the Quran
“If We ever abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten, We replace it with a better or similar one. Do you not know that Allah is Most Capable of everything?79
Rationality behind Revelation:
The Quran is the latest and the complete edition of Divine Guidance and this is the only book of God which has not been distorted as He Himself undertook its safety. The wisdom in selecting the Arabic language seems to be that this is the most scientific language and due to the Quran, its standard form is still the same as it used to be thirteen centuries ago. In this connection, Browne, in his book, ‘A Literary History of Persia’, points out, “The reason the Revelation in Arabic was the selection choice for perfect expressions and forms.”80
Moreover, if compared to other scriptures, Quran has not been corrupted over the years unlike other religious scriptures. It has been preserved in its original form as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad. One thing that should be noticed is that the commandments of the Quran have been practically implemented and revered by many. In the words of Edmund Burke: “It is most copious on marriage and divorce, most precise in rules of inheritance, and if compared to Christianity, possesses far greater vitality and responsibility instead of being arbitrary and despotic. It has true democratic characteristic in form and substance.”81
During his earliest days, man is guided by his instincts. He at once starts suckling his mother. Then he seeks guidance from his senses. Up till that stage, he is in no way different from animals. After this stage, reason comes when he differentiates himself from animals. While utilizing this capacity of reasoning, he understands and compares things and ideas. He makes discoveries and gives new applications to the already existing knowledge, but his findings cannot claim finality. As Good and Hatt mention in their book, ‘Methods in Social Research’, “hundred percent probability is impossible”. There always remain the domains of doubt, and man cannot lead the life of doubt. He wants to know with certainty, his origin, his goal and his purpose. Mujaddid Alif Thani writes in his ‘Maktubaat’, “The object is that the people should have such surety and satisfaction regarding their beliefs that nobody may be able to create doubts into that and simple reasoning has got very weak foundations.”82
The discovery of such a sure and satisfactory basis is not within competence of mankind. Here, the blessing of God comes to help. Thus, God is the one who revealed to the Prophets and thus changed this state of dissatisfaction.83 As Allah says in the Quran:
“And He found you lost and guided [you].”84
Arnold Toynbee, while emphasizing the need of religion, has said, “Religion was indispensable for human beings and without it, the existence of man was not possible. Religion was essential for solving most complicated problems of the individuals and the society. In modern scientific advancements, religion has still to play a better and important role for the preservation of the personality of man.”85
In this context Iqbal says, “humanity needs three things today: a spiritual interpretation of the universe, spiritual emancipation of the individual and basic principles of universal import directing the evolution of human society in spiritual basis. Believe me, Europe today is the greatest hindrance in the way of man’s ethical advancement. The Muslim, on the other hand is in possession of these ultimate ideas based on revelation.”86
Conflict between Revelation and Secular Reason:
Revelation is not opposed to reason. It rather appeals to reason. God has praised people who possess intelligence and reason. This is possible if arguments are advanced in an intelligent manner and on sound reasoning.87 During the Iranian revolution, many the secularly educated intelligentsia who had become alienated from Islam and thereby from their society and the masses of the Iranian nation, were drawn again to Islam as the pivotal point of both personal existence and national destiny by the eloquence, range and originality of Shariati’s thought.”88
Imam Shafii in Al-Risala has used the word Ijtehad synonymously with the word
‘reason’. That is why in the context of conflict with Revelation, the phrase ‘secular reason’ has been employed. This position has been used without an unbalanced view throughout the Muslim History. Many traditions have been misinterpreted and misrepresented. Al Ghazali debunked such an approach and teachings in his book, ‘Incoherence of the Philosophers’. 89
In this regard Mufti Taqi Usmani writes that Islam has provided us with specific and elaborate precepts with divine wisdom so that they were to be observed up to the end of time. There are injunctions which the Quran and traditions have themselves left to be decided by the time are alterable. They can be changed, and are being changed, according to the circumstances. They are flexible enough to accept changes in varying circumstances but there are certain rules which must be observed when applying to new problems.90 This is what Ghazali appealed to as formerly stated.
Shah Rafi’al Din Dehlawi says, “This is ‘reason’ which is called the great argument of God and Ali has remarked about it that people in the Hell will repent neither for not having said their prayers, nor for non-observance of the fasts, but they will utterly regret for being devoid of reason.91 Allah says in the Quran:
And they will lament, “If only we had listened and reasoned, we would not be among the residents of the Blaze!”92
Though the methodology of science and religion is almost same, we don’t have a problem while accepting the principles of science while those of religion are believed after complete mental satisfaction. Objective validation is used in both and considering both are varying fields of knowledge, one should not be discarded. Paul and Hatt said, “Science itself rests upon a series of postulates which are fundamentally unproved or unprovable.”
Similarly, when one is satisfied about the truth of the claim of the Prophet that he is blessed with divine revelation, one is expected not to judge the details of religion based on the grammar of some other subject, but on the basis of the Revelation.
After all, Maulana Rumi said, “I tested the far-sighted mind. Then I surrendered myself.”93
The Concept of Morality in Islam:
The focal point of Islamic Morality which has not been addressed by any other ideology is the concept of a Day of Judgement. A day when everyone will be brought to account for their good and bad deeds. This concept not only affects an individual but also the State. In Islam, sovereignty rests with Allah and man is only an executor of the law of Allah or a vicegerent as Allah says in the Quran:
Just think when your Lord said to the angels: “Lo! I am about to place a vicegerent on earth”94
Not just this, but the concepts of heaven and hell if understood from a philosophical perspective play a self-executory role which even induces the people at the top of the food chain to act morally. Thus, unlike some ideologies, there is never a power vacuum in the society. From an individual to a ruler, all the people in a society and the society as a whole are ruled by a superior power.
Ibn Khaldun in his Muqaddamah, has touched upon the question of morality based on belief in the Unity of God and the benevolence and wisdom of His creation. He starts off with the most crucial assumption which is missing in all the secular approaches to morality which is the limitation of man’s knowledge and the utter inability to comprehend anything excepting a very tiny part of His creation. God’s creation says Ibn Khaldun, extends beyond the creation of man. Therefore, he urges everyone to be skeptical about the comprehensiveness of his perception and the result thereof. Instead of embarking upon any conjecture or speculation as to what is good or evil and following the results of such speculations, he should have his firm faith in God. Having postulated the relationship between man, his Creator and the Prophet, he proceeds to make it clear that this does not do away with the important role that belongs to the intellect and intellectual perception in the matter of religion or morality but what he seeks to bring home is the limitation of the intellectual perception. He further says, “the intellect should not be used to weigh such matters, the oneness of God, the other world, the truth of philosophy or anything else that lies beyond his intellect. It is possible that the ascending sequence of causes reaches the point where it transcends the realm of human perception and existence. The intellect here would become lost, confused and cut off in the wilderness of conjecture.”95
Many other intellectuals have agreed upon the proposition of Ibn Khaldun and other Muslim philosophers. Ali Shariati writes that man is a moral being. It is here that the very significant question of value arises. Value consists of the link that exists between man and any phenomenon, behavior, act, or condition where a motive higher than that of utility is at issue, it might be called a sacred tie, as it is bound up by reverence and worship to the extent that people feel it justifiable to devote or sacrifice their very lives to this tie. Moreover, this is likewise worth considering: there is no question of a natural, rational, or scientific justification here, and, this sentiment, as the most sublime existential manifestation of the human species, is acknowledged in all religions and cultures throughout history as constituting the greatest of resources, the grandest of glories, the most precious of emotions and the most miraculous of events.96
C.F. Andrews has said, “One of the greatest blessings which Islam has brought to East and West alike has been the emphasis which at a critical period in human history, it placed upon Divine Unity. Islam has been both to Europe and India, in their hour of aberration from the sovereign truth of God’s Unity, an invaluable corrective deterrent. Indeed, without the final emphasis on this truth, which Islam gave from its central position, facing India and facing Europe, it is doubtful whether this idea of God as one could have obtained that established place in human thought which is uncontested in the intellectual world today.”97
The enforcement of the sense of unity and brotherhood has been the chief aim of
Islam. The Prophet says, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, he neither wrongs him, nor leaves him helpless, nor humiliates him.”98
“It is forbidden for a Muslim to take the life, honour and property of another Muslim.”99
“In mutual compassion, love and kindness, you will find the faithful like a body, if one of its parts feels pain, the whole body responds with wakefulness and fever.”100
Islam is not just a bunch of sayings or a divine book, rather it focuses on the implementation of the rules and regulations, protection of the rights and performance of the duties. The Prophet said, “Allah does not accept faith if it is not expressed in action and does not accept action if it does not conform to faith.”101
Islam focuses on noble qualities like charity, patience, unity, justice etc. through various Quranic verses and Ahadeeth. Further, it aims to imbibe all the characteristics in an individual which would lead to the formation of a better society. Today, we see how unjust the society is. People who were meant to safeguard the rights of individuals are the ones who exploit them. Allah says in the Quran:
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So, follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.”102
Justice in Islam is conceived as a sacred trust, a duty imposed upon man to be discharged in all sincerity. The Caliph Abu Bakar said, “By Allah, to me the powerful among you will be weak, and the weak among you powerful until I have taken for them their right.”103
The Caliph Umar is reported to have said, “No one will be allowed by me to treat unjustly or to encroach upon their rights. Should anyone do so, I will punish him severely so that he returns to others their rights.”104
Another major principle in Islam is ‘Taqwa’ which means ‘fear of God’, and this is an inherent quality of each Muslim. It was because of this that common people were able to directly confront the Caliphs and the governors of their time. It was because of this that so many people without any pressure, used to confess their own crimes which had not even been proved. They preferred to be punished in this world but not in the Hereafter. It was this fear of perpetual accountability that prevented man from committing sins even behind closed doors.
Another main aspect of the Islamic system is Moral Education. According to Plato, moral education is character training which a person receives in a good city, but this is a vague definition. In Islam, moral education aims to develop the character of a human being who avoids evils and takes pleasure in righteous deeds. This process is also known as ‘Tazkiya E Nafs’, which means ‘purification of the soul’. Purification from all the evil traits and possession of noble traits. In the words of Iqbal, it awakens in man the higher consciousness of his manifold relations with God and the Universe. The character training received by the believer, under the instructions contained in the Quran, is exemplary as was the character of the Prophet.105
Fitrah:
In the context of Islamic view of human personality, the concept of ‘fitrah’ signifies the primordial state of innocence in which man has been created by Allah. In this natural and original state of being, man comes to this world free from all perversions from within. Hence, he is conscious of his creator and is naturally infused with a deep-seated inner urge to live in accord with Allah’s commands within his capacity and thus submit to live here in conformity to Divine Pleasure in a wholehearted conscious servitude. There is in man a deep- rooted craving to seek the proximity of Allah, to adore Him and to submit to His supreme Will. This godly trait of human Fitrah gives rise to an inner impulse in man to submit unconditionally to the higher purposes of life beyond his immediate worldly worries and biological urges. When man fails to acknowledge his real Lord, he invents other false images of deities and objects of veneration. Man, either designates any some physical fetish or any tangible or abstract entity as his own deity or sometimes even gravitates to self- worship.106
The Prophet said:
“Every new baby is born in his natural state, Fitrah. Then his parents disorient him to Judaism, Christianity or Magian faith.107
Despite this inherent God-consciousness and resultant pious tendency of the human nature, man has been granted freedom of action in this world. This is because vicegerency entails responsibility and there can be no responsibility without a requisite competence, freedom of will and choice of action. Therefore, the program of spiritual reform and moral training given to all members of mankind through revealed guidance and the Prophet’s exemplary teachings enables the faithful to discipline their animalistic urges and subordinate them to spiritual endeavors. Injunctions of Islam regulate the conduct of its followers and these injunctions seek to capitalize the natural potential of human self to give an Islamic orientation to its inherent tendencies. Similarly, love or lust for heterosexual mating is ingrained in human psyche and physique. This urge has been reformed by laying down elaborate rules for establishing matrimonial relations involving a series of rights and obligations among the spouses.
In sum, a constructive concept of healthy human Fitrah as a basic postulate pervades all injunctions of Islam that regulate human conduct. It connotes a condition of perfect balancing of all natural tendencies of the universal human temperament.108
The Moral Discourse on Homosexuality:
According to the liberal perspective, homosexuality can be justified based on two major principles. One is the Harm Principle i.e., it does not harm others or the society and the second is the Consent Principle i.e., if two people consent to do a particular thing, the society does not have the right to interfere in their matter.
To be framed simply, if someone consents to do something without supposedly harming the society, then that act is justified. Ok, so let’s apply these principles on other acts as well.
Drugs and Alcohol:
A man wants to consume drugs or alcohol. Obviously, he consents to its consumption and is not harming the society at large. So, should the consumption of drugs or alcohol be justified? The answer in your mind is ‘NO’, because at the end of the day, these intoxicants are harmful and even if the harm is not discernible at the first instance, it does not mean that there are no consequences. A drug addict may begin stealing in order to purchase narcotics. He might start peddling drugs to the neighbourhood kids. A drug addict may be unconcerned about his family.
In France, a committee was appointed to investigate the alcoholic drinking. According to its report, 23% men and 43% women use water for drinking, and contrary to this, 82% of men and 60% of women drink liquor. The committee has submitted that the deaths by over-drinking have increased twelve times within the period of last ten year. The President of International Board of Alcohol Prevention, Dr. Robert Pears, has written that 50-75% sexual crimes which take place, are owing to intemperance.109
Even Islam has explicitly prohibited the consumption of such intoxicants:
يـَٰأٓيَهَُّا ٱلذَِّينَ ءَامَنوُٓا۟ إِنمََّا ٱلْخَمْرُ وَ ٱلْمَيْسِ رُ وَ ٱلْْنَصَابُ وَ ٱلْْزَْلـَٰ مُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ف ٱَجْتنَبِوُه ُ لعَلَكَُّمْ تفُْلِحُو نَ
O you who believe! Wine, gambling, altars and divining arrows are filth, made up by Satan. Therefore, refrain from it, so that you may be successful. (Al-
Ma’idah: 90)110
Ibn Umar related that Rasulullah said: “Everything that causes intoxication is a form of wine, and every form of wine is forbidden. Whoever drinks wine in this world and dies, without having repented of it, will not be given anything pleasant to drink in the next world.”111
Umme Salamah related that Rasulullah forbade every intoxicant and everything which causes languidness.112
These Ahadith show that narcotics of all kinds are ‘khamr’ and are therefore forbidden. They damage our brain, which is what distinguishes us from the animals. Alcohol kills countless people each year and is simply another habitforming drug.113
There can be n number of reasons to oppose these intoxicants but because of these two principles, many countries have legalized at least alcohol and it is being sold blatantly in broad daylight. Even drugs are quite ubiquitous in the West, though not legally sold, there is not much effort to bust drug rackets as they are backed by political motives. No wonder why drugs are so common in their households.
Incest:
Incest is the act of having sexual relationships with one’s blood relatives. For example, a brother with his sister. This sounds disgusting right? But wait, are you hurting the sentiments of people who ‘feel’ this way? You are so insensitive towards their needs and desires. You ‘INCESTOPHOBE’!
Whenever someone is asked about homosexual relationships, the answer that we get is that it is their choice, and they are not harming the society. But when the same concept is applied to incest, they say, “but it is about family relations”. They basically say that just because it is within the family, it should be immoral. But there are so many countries where incestuous relationships are totally legal not inviting any punishment. When asked this question, one person responded that homosexuality was a matter of subjective morality and incest was a matter of objective morality. When cross questioned about the source of the derivation of this differentiation, he was totally blank. Moreover, if it is subjective according to one, then his subjective interpretation requires him to respect the objectivity that another may find in the same thing.
Another reason given by them is that there is a chance that the children born out of incestuous relationships will be deformed. But should this factor be considered while answering the question at hand. In the case of homosexuality, there is no question of children from the very beginning. Moreover, here we are talking about what people consent to do rather than what they should do. Maybe an incestuous couple does not want to have children, or they can resort to birth control measures. This argument is also put forward to justify homosexuality. So, this contention also fails.
But let’s come back to the same question. Can incest be labelled as immoral according to subjectivists or according to the Consent and the Harm Principles?
The simple answer is ‘no’ because people getting involved in such a relationship are also consenting and furthermore, they are not harming the society in any manner. In fact, based on naturality, incest is still more natural than homosexuality as it does not totally defeat the purpose of reproduction. But still, it is immoral for many people.
The human nature is uniform and such acts are generally opposed by people from all civilizations. Paul Bureau writes, “Let it be enough to say that immorality between near relatives, even sometimes between father and daughter and between brother and sister are not very uncommon in certain popular quarters of our great towns.”114
Even in cultured societies, it is not uncommon to find girls, seven years old or so, involved in clandestine love affairs with boys of their own age group with whom sometimes they have sex relation also. Dr. Edith Hooker relates the case of a seven-year-old daughter of a respectable family who had her first sex experience with her own elder brother and some of his friends.115
Now if we say that 50 years from now if there are incest rights unions and political pressure groups, then maybe incest will also become normalized, and people will get desensitized towards such relationships. Schools will introduce curriculums that will expound this idea in the most beautiful and sugarcoated ways. A month will be designated to celebrate incest rights. A multi coloured flag will be designed to symbolize the movement. And yes, of course, conservative and backward people like us will be labelled as ‘INCESTOPHOBES’.
In many discussions on this topic, whenever this analogy is represented, the hedonistic mind at last, must resort to the conclusion that even incest will become legal and moral once the public demands its legality and acceptance. No one will be able to do anything about it. Now, that’s what subjective morality does to human nature. Moreover, in order to justify homosexuality, if one claims to accept even incest, then it just shows that how fragile one’s moral consciousness is.
Necrophilia:
When a person is sexually attracted to dead bodies and satisfies his sexual urges with a dead body, it is called necrophilia. What? Dead Bodies? Yes, dead bodies. But why are you so astonished? At the end of the day, it is their choice, and they are not harming the society in any manner. Who are you to judge them? Love is love. Love has no bounds even if it is a dead body. You are so toxic, you ‘NECROPHOBE’!
Necrophilia, on the other hand, may sound repulsive, but it is allowed in some parts of the world. There have been many cases where people have dug out corpses from graves and have satisfied their sexual desires with them. But again, can this be immoral according to the moral standards set by the subjectivists or the LGBT activists? No. The person who is doing such an act is not harming the society in any manner whatsoever. Moreover, he is not even violating someone’s consent as a dead body cannot consent. For him, it is equivalent to having sex with a doll.
This abominable act does not appeal to one’s nature but there are many who don’t even hesitate to commit such an act which invites immense moral disgust. But you don’t have the right to comment on anyone’s sexual behavior.
Bestiality:
Bestiality is the act of having sexual relations with animals. In this case, humans are attracted sexually attracted towards animals and satisfy their sexual urges with them. There have been various cases of men having sex with domestic cattle and women having sex with dogs and horses.
Sounds disgusting? How dare you challenge someone’s feeling you ‘BESTOPHOBE’! You do not have the right to question someone’s sexual orientation if it does not harm society and does not violate the consent of the individual involved.
The consent and the harm principles are on the way to rescue this disgusting fantasy. Professor Peter Singer, the renowned Australian Philosopher at Princeton University believes that the taboo on bestiality is an anomaly, a prohibition that will crumble like all others. This guy was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for “EMINENT SERVICE to philosophy and bioethics.” The award is equivalent to knighthood in Britain.
In defending consensual sex between humans and animals, Singer is concerned only with whether the sexual contact is “mutually satisfying.” What it means for an animal to give consent to sex with a human is unclear. Wag your tail three times for yes, Tommy?
There are countries where bestiality is legal. Not just legal, but there are even legislations in some countries to regulate it. In many countries like Germany and
Mexico, there are bestiality brothels, and it is considered a ‘lifestyle choice’. Moreover, Hungary is known for producing animal porn.
A man named Douglas Spink in Washington used to run an animal brothel. When being interviewed, he said, “Anyone who can really generate some sort of putative revulsion over the idea of two social mammals engaging in intimate relations is displaying a deeply problematic misunderstanding of what it is to be a social mammal. It’s a manufactured taboo.”116 So here we go. We have a beautifully and emotionally framed justification to defend bestial relationships.
There is no serious ‘harm’ of this act, it’s just that the person is exposed to various sexually transmitted diseases, penile cancer etc. but that is not harming the whole society supposedly.
Pedophilia:
Pedophilia disorder or pedophilic disorder, is in conventional usage, a psychosexual disorder, generally affecting adults, characterized by sexual interest in prepubescent children or attempts to engage in sexual acts with prepubescent children.117
The above argument of “mutual satisfaction” is employed by many pedophiles. They argue that their disposition is natural and many of the prepubescent children consent to sexual acts with them. Just like prepubescent children have the right to discover their sexuality without falling for the established ‘gender constructs’, they should also have the right to engage themselves in sexual relationships with adults. As mentioned earlier, prepubescent children in many countries have involved themselves in sexual relationships.
Judge Ben Lindsey, writes in his book, ‘The Revolt of Modern Youth’ that sex overwhelms the American children before their minds and their powers of restraint and judgment are mature enough to cope with it.118
A Baltimore physician reports that within a year or so, more than a thousand cases of fornication with girls under 12 were prosecuted.119
Moreover, when it comes to masturbation and sensual pleasure, most of the psychologists and child counsellors deem it healthy for the same prepubescent child to experience the same.
We are not at all justifying pedophilia, but the aim of representing these examples is to expose that how these people shift their premises according to their own whims and fancies. They are so deeply affected by this concept of ‘fluidity’, that even their own framework, their premises, their arguments, their moral discourse, their scientific discourse, their religious discourse and any other thing is now fluid for them.
Now what would one say? UNIFORMITY is a “SOCIAL CONSTRUCT”.
Adultery:
A person who is involved in an extra marital sexual relationship is said to be adulterous. This form of sexual anarchy is most common in the Western world as it is not difficult to find people cheating on their partners.
Moreover, in highly developed countries, the rate of adultery is much higher. In Finland, it is a ‘parallel relationship’. This has led to a significant increase in divorce rates as well. It has jeopardized the institutions of family and marriage leading to an imbalance in the society at a grass root level. That’s the reason it is a major sin in Islam and the Quran not just forbids it but orders us to avoid every trigger that might lead us towards zina:
وَلََّ تقَْرَبوُا۟ ٱل زِنَ ىٰٓ ۖ إنِ ۥهَُّ كَانَ فـَٰحِشَةً وَسَاءَٓ سَبيِ لًَ
Do not even go close to fornication. It is indeed a shameful act, and an evil way to follow. (Al-Isra: 32)120
Ibn Masud related that a man once enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! What is the greatest sin in Allah’s sight?” And he replied: “Believing that Allah has partners.” “What next?” The man asked, and he replied: “Killing a child for fear of poverty.” “What next?” He asked again, and the Prophet answered: “Committing adultery with a neighbour’s wife.”121
Now an adulterous person might argue that he is not harming the society in any manner and he has also obtained the consent of his extra marital partner. Therefore, no one should have any problem with his choice and his feelings towards his partner. One might argue that such relationships are against the sanctity of the previous relationship. But how does it matter? That person wants to maximize his pleasure and he wants to have an extra marital relationship. He is ‘naturally’ attracted towards some other woman. Who are you to judge?
Recent scientific research claims that people’s inclinations or disinclinations to commit infidelity are biologically hardwired. Given this, we could say that the tendency to be unfaithful constitutes a portion of people’s inherent, immutable sexual orientation.122
Furthermore, if that person is dedicating enough time to his family, wife and children. He is providing for them and is aware of his responsibilities, then how does it matter if he is having another affair? Everyone should be empathetic towards his sexual and emotional needs.
But a sane person would say that even if he wants to have an extra marital affair, he needs to have control over his desires to maintain a healthy and uncompromising relationship with his family. Such an affair would have a negative impact on his marriage and on his children.
But whatever be the case, as soon as we apply all those subjective concepts to this disposition, you are left with no reason to refute it. In fact, you can be termed as an ‘ADULTEROPHOBE’.
Pornography:
The internet, as we know, is flooded with filthy pornographic content and the youth is exposed to it. Not just the youth but anyone who has a device, and an internet connection is exposed to porn. Moreover, random links and cookies also try their best to expose young minds to this filth.
Pornography has become so common that even the law is unable to curb it for the reformation of the society. In July 1957, the Supreme Court of America has given the judgement that the constitution does not permit porn at all. Criticizing this judgement, a pornographic writer wrote that in pornography-loving America, law cannot stop pornography. It has become popular because the people of America like it. Hence any law against it, would be a mockery. The Americans are facing various problems and are most afraid of the topic of sex, but they also seek satisfaction from it. It is wrong to conclude that punishment can put an end to nudity and pornography.123
The biggest problem with porn addiction is that there are no observable symptoms, and it is cheap unlike drugs and alcohol. A porn addict develops unnatural and abominable fetishes which rewires the brain in a very dangerous manner. According to neurochemistry, you are what you consume and the more you consume a particular thing, that thing becomes a part of your life and the brain forms pathways and synaptic connections, which once formed, are very difficult to alter.
Porn, as traditionally known is not just limited to filthy videos but it is available in the form of written content, filthy magazines, soft porn in movies, web series and advertisements. Written content is much more harmful than videographic content because the brain perceives a particular scenario in its own personal context which might jeopardize interpersonal relations.
Not just that, but there have been several instances where people have raped their own mothers and sisters because of the influence of porn. People have also gone to the extent of raping and murdering several women. One prominent case is the Ted Bundy Case in which Theodore Robert Cowell, a young man and a lawyer, raped and killed more than 36 young girls. Though many factors contributed to his psychopathic behavior, one of the more prominent factors was porn. He was also a necrophile and used to sexually assault the bodies of the girls after killing them.124 This is a very horrifying case study if one reads it in its entirety. The lesson that we must derive from such cases is that porn is not a harmless recreational activity. In fact, it is the more disastrous activity one can indulge in.
Some porn categories desensitize people towards their own blood relatives and desensitize them towards the other’s consent. In fact, the data reveals that lesbian and incest are the most prominent categories. Now, this is the point. Porn has been blatantly promoting unnatural sexual relations and the consumers of porn have become gradually desensitized towards that. The porn industry promotes incestuous relationships, LGBT relationships, bestial intercourse, adultery etc. The young minds have been altered in a very neuroscientific manner.
All the so-called developed countries like America, Netherlands, UK, Germany,
France, Canada, Australia and Japan are the top hosts of these sites with America accounting for around 60% of the total websites.125 Some statistics from one the most popular research carried out on this subject are:
- 28,258 users are watching porn every second.
- $3,075.64 is spent on porn every second on the internet.
- 88% of scenes in porn films contain acts of physical aggression, and 49% of scenes contain verbal aggression.
- 79% of porn performers have used marijuana, and 50% have used ecstasy.
- 1 in 5 mobile searches are for pornography.
- 90% of teens and 96% of young adults are either encouraging, accepting, or neutral when they talk about porn with their friends.
- Just 55% of adults (25 or older) believe that porn is wrong.
- Teens and young adults (13-24) believe not recycling is worse than viewing porn.
- A 2018 study revealed that nearly 27% of teens receive sexts and around 15% are sending them.
- 51% of male students and 32% of female students first viewed porn before their teenage years.
- The first exposure to porn among men is 12 years old, on an average.
- 56% divorce cases involved one part having an obsessive interest in porn.126
Moreover, 30% of internet content is porn. One can get abundant access to pornographic content on the dark web. Dark web even contains child pornography. It is worthy to note that only 10% of the total content is available on the surface web, the rest of the content is available on the dark work and the deep web. Almost 20% of the mobile searches account for porn.127
Someone might wonder that why are we discussing this issue here? The problem is that the youth is exposed to pornographic content and porn is one of the biggest industries in the world. It promotes LGBT relations without any censorship or restriction.
Porn also has a lot of physical and mental disadvantages as discussed above. It affects a person’s brain pattern, mental health, triggers depression, affects natural sexual intercourse etc. People also develop unrealistic sexual expectations from their lawful partner and engage in filthy things like oral intercourse, anal intercourse, sadism etc. Studies show that young men are less satisfied with “conventional” sex because pornography has completely distorted their expectations for what sexual fulfilment consists of. Their brains have been rewired due to the influence of the online stimulus.128
Though it is harmful, can we say that a person should refrain from it? At the end of the day, it is his choice, and he is not harming anyone. He does not have to obtain anyone’s consent in this case. Therefore, it is moral, and you are a ‘PORNOPHOBE’. You seriously need to see a psychologist and seek help. You are literally trying to prey on someone’s freedom.
Conclusion
We looked at other philosophies and approaches to morality in the beginning and if we closely monitor them, we reach to the conclusion that we cannot reach to a conclusion. The relativism of these theories is incapable of being compiled into a universal code. Morality has no definition, for example, a person who is appalled by the concept of incestuous relationships should not have a problem with the one who does not have a problem with the same and same can be applied to other acts such as homosexuality, bestiality, pedophilia etc. Ali Shariati writes, “As for his
(man’s) life, he can also live in any sort of life he pleases, but he does not know how because he does not know why.129
The radicals who were among the most outstanding exponents and intellectuals of the new humanism of 18th century claimed in a manifesto that they published in 1800: “Set aside God as the basis of morals and replace Him with Conscience.” They held that man is a being that in and of himself possesses a moral conscience, which in their view springs from his original and essential character, and which his human nature requires. This philosophy had such unfortunate consequences that it was officially discontinued and disappeared from the schools. As Isoulet has said, “this method caused a moral turpitude to appear in France, it threatened to ruin all the efforts made since the time of Socrates to arise God above the ethical infrastructure.130 Existentialism also speaks of humanity as a separately spun cord loose in the world, a being having no determinative character or quality owed to God or nature, but capable of choice and constructing its own reality.131
Even the Muslim World has experienced some very abominable instances in the past like unjust attitude of the people in power, oppression of certain classes, disunity etc. but this was all due to the deviation from Islamic teachings and the lack of implementation of the ideology in various fields.
The discussion on the issue of LGBT clearly proves that according to subjective morality, it becomes impossible to derive any standard of right and wrong. Moreover, one can act upon his desires if he is not harming the society and there is consent. The whole moral fabric of the society is subject to change just because someone feels someway. The whole idea of what one ‘wants to do’ and what one
‘ought to do’ is nothing more than a social construct. A kleptomaniacV may just
V A person who has an uncontrollable urge to steal.
71
argue that his disposition is natural, but just because stealing harms the society, he may be termed as a criminal.
Who defines ‘HARM’? The perception of harm according to the subjectivists is more or less material in nature. Stealing money = harm, killing = harm but is debilitating the family structure of the society = harm? No! That’s a far-fetched thing. This is where we need to look at consequentialism. Not just the act itself, but also its remote consequences have to be considered while deciding something.
The utilitarian concept of ‘greatest happiness of the greatest number of people’ is often viewed with the hedonistic concept of ‘pleasure maximization’. The term
‘happiness’ should also entail the moral and social good of the people and not just mere satisfaction of dopaminergic urges.
The moral standards of the world right now have stooped so much that people say homosexuality is found in animals, so humans should also. But if you insist, let’s think about normalizing not wearing clothes, rape, killing etc.
The application of these principles on all the other acts also clarifies that how one thing is not accepted by the Fitrah but there are no premises to refute them based on this undefined set of ideas.
Well, this is what happens when you don’t have a stable frame of reference or premise. You keep hopping from one thing to another and in the process of justifying one, you refute your previous contention and that’s what makes our job easy. Alhamdulillah! Would like to end this section with a quote of Allama Iqbal:
“People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought becomes a
method of converting men into animals.”
The Scientific Perspective
When people try to persuade others that homosexuality should be embraced by everybody, the first argument they use is that homosexuality is natural, that it is built into a person from birth. By making this argument, they are essentially saying, ‘You can’t say anything against homosexuality since it is supported by science.’
But the reality is something else. It has nothing to do with science. However, if they really want to play the science card, science is completely opposed to this phenomenon. Let us go over their ‘scientific’ arguments one by one.
Scientific purpose of life: Survival of the Species:
If we’re dealing with science, we should consider what science has to say about the purpose of any sort of life. Then we may proceed to find out whether a specific function or behaviour of a particular organism is in line with the purpose or not.
Let’s take a look at some of the renowned authors talking about this subject. The great Stephen Jay Gould for example, without equal as a writer of science, wrote in his Ever Since Darwin essays, “Natural selection dictates that organisms act in their own self-interest. They know nothing of such abstract concepts as ‘for the good of the species’. They ‘struggle’ continuously to increase the representation of their genes at the expense of their fellows. And that, for all its baldness, is all there is to it; we have discovered no higher principle in nature.”
Another great thinker, E. O. Wilson, in On Human Nature, wrote in the opening pages; “The reflective person knows that his life is in some incomprehensible manner guided through a biological ontogeny, a more or less fixed order of life stages. He senses that with all the drive, wit, love, pride, anger, hope and anxiety that characterise the species he will in the end be sure only of helping to perpetuate the same cycle.”
There it is; life is about life.
Steve Davis writes in his article, The Purpose of Life: “The constituent parts of a cell or organism act in such a way as to protect and nurture the entity to which they belong. They cooperate to protect the life of the entity, and further, to extend that life by reproduction. This holds true even when considering the life of a community. Social contracts for example, are conscious and deliberate attempts to achieve social stability (homeostasis) through an equitable distribution and consumption of resources (metabolism) within the community. Social groups also reproduce, as we see for example, with the spread of human groups across the globe… The ‘purpose’ of life is life. To elaborate, the purpose of life is to produce further life.”
He further adds, “The process at work is the universal tendency of all life to produce, protect, and nurture life. Differences between life forms do not seem to affect this tendency. We humans for example, like to keep pets and nurture plants not just because we enjoy doing so – we feel a need to have other life forms nearby and to interact with them. But this impulse is not restricted to humans. Instances of animals adopting the young of other species are well documented. These behaviours exist because organisms in their natural state feel a need to contribute to the greater good…
At this point some readers will be objecting that this view is incorrect because they feel no such need. But this is not an issue of ideology or philosophy or sentimentalism. We are dealing with an issue of basic biology. Whether you work for a business, own a business, or live alone on a mountain-top, you contribute to the greater good. This is a biological necessity. Committed individualists can be as contemptuous of this as they like, but every time a lone bear squats in the woods it is contributing to the cycle of life. Every time you break wind, you are speaking on behalf of the countless micro-organisms that call your gut home. You are an eco-system within a system. Accordingly, the sense of individuality you hold so dear is no more than an evolutionary adaptation that works at one level of the chain of systems – it has no universal or enduring substance. Of course, questions remain as to why this should be so. Why is it that the tendency to produce life and to nurture life is universal? Why is the concept of ‘the greater good’ central to life?
Those questions will no doubt occupy the minds of the philosophers of science for a considerable period yet.”132
In yet another article, The Meaning of Life, Caleb A. Scharf writes, “Behind the curtains of Darwinian selection is the simple fact that what we see of organisms merely reflects properties that combine to enable those organisms to propagate themselves (meaning their genetic material) into the future with a finite probability. If these properties were not the way they are the propagation might or might not fail. There can be, and often is, enormous attrition within generations or across generations. This is, literally, a numbers game.”133
In the article, published on Khan Academy, titled Life and Purpose: A Biologist
Reflects on the Qualities that Define Life, Ursula Goodenough writes,
“…can we come up with a single characteristic that distinguishes life from nonlife? Is there one towering difference between a mountain and a whale? After all, both are made of molecules. Both engage in chemistry. Both change through time.
For me, the most interesting single generalization is that organisms are purposive whereas nonlife is not. Organisms are about something, for something: muscles are for movement; eyes are for seeing. Organisms have goals. The short-term goal is to self-generate and self-maintain in a given environmental context. The longterm goal is to pass genome copies on to offspring, a goal that succeeds only if self-generation and self-maintenance succeed. Mountains are splendid, to be sure, but in the end they aren’t goal directed. They just are.
Taking this perspective, one could say that when life showed up on Earth, something completely new showed up: the emergence of purpose.”134
These excerpts clearly tell us that the scientific purpose of life is protecting oneself and then securing the future of species by passing its genome to its offspring.
Now, as we all know, the LGBT community does not comply with this purpose of life, and is therefore a threat to humanity (according to science). It is also established above that if an organism does not reflect the properties to ‘propagate themselves (meaning their genetic material) into the future’, the propagation might fail. What this means is that humanity might not be able to reach 10 or 50 thousand years from now just because our personal preference to fulfil a certain desire. If humans who existed before us had acted in this way, the species could not have progressed, and we would most likely not be living now. That would have bene some really selfish thinking.
You may agree with all of this, but still say, “There will always be other humans to fulfil the said purpose. Everyone may not be directly involved with it.” Well, then it would be the same case as commuters driving past a wrecked car on the road, despite seeing an injured person, thinking someone else would help him.
Nature vs Nurture: Is homosexuality genetic?
The first argument that many LGBT supporters frequently make is that homosexuality is a genetic trait that is passed down from parents, and thus it cannot be changed by treating the person as a psychological patient. They argue that because homosexuality is embedded in a person’s genetic material, it is a biological trait rather than a psychological one. Many people make it their strongest point in advocating for the acceptance of this behaviour.
However, many people are unaware of how genes influence a person’s behaviour. Scientists have long abandoned the search for a single gene responsible for determining sexual orientation (or for that matter most of the behaviours). Because that is not how genes function. The research now primarily focuses on determining if there is any component in the genetic material that plays an important role in, but does not determine, non-heterosexual behaviour. People believe that there must be a gene that causes a person to be gay, and that this is a proven scientific fact. But it isn’t. Here are three things to remember regarding the same:
1. Genetics only plays a small role in determining sexual orientation.
The largest study on the genetic basis of sexuality to date has discovered five spots on the human genome linked to same-sex sexual behaviour — but none of the markers are reliable enough to predict someone’s sexuality.
The findings, which are based on the genomes of nearly 500,000 people and were published on August 29 in Science, back up the findings of earlier, smaller studies and confirm the suspicions of many scientists: while sexual preferences have a genetic component, no single gene has a large effect on sexual behaviours. “There is no ‘gay gene'”, says Andrea Ganna, a geneticist at MIT and Harvard’s Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
To avoid misinterpretation of their findings, the study’s researchers collaborated with LGBT advocacy groups and science-communication specialists on the best way to communicate their findings in the research paper and to the general public. This point also demonstrates that this research was not conducted by people who considered homosexuality to be a bad practise, so the results are not based on any preconceived objective.
Their efforts included the creation of a website that uses sensitive, jargon-free language to explain the results and their limitations to the public.
This study demonstrated just how difficult it is to establish a link between homosexuality and genetics. Based on their findings, the researchers estimated that genetic factors may account for only 8 to 25% of all non-heterosexual behaviour. They only discovered five possible DNA markers (markers, not genes!), and those five markers could explain less than 1% of all non-heterosexual behaviour. And even this study is yet to be replicated.
Interestingly, they found that gay male attraction was associated to a gene linked to male baldness. Now, as we all know, neither every gay man is bald, nor is every bald man a gay. Genes aren’t as clear cut as many think.
Genes don’t play any significant role in determining if a person is gay or not. Even the study concluded that a person’s childhood environment and social interactions are primarily responsible for this type of attraction. Therefore, even if there are genetic components to sexual orientation, they are certainly not the only influences.
2. Genetics cannot predict whether a person is gay or straight.
A person’s genetic material may contain components that determine sexual orientation. However, even when all markers are present, genetics cannot predict who a person will be attracted to. In other words, predisposition is not equal to predetermination. What it implies is that a person might be born with a certain predisposition, but that predisposition does not predetermine their life experiences or their behaviour.
3. Sexuality is not who you are, it’s how you are.
Sexual orientation is an existential reality that involves issues such as behaviour, actions, feelings, desires, and passions. Conversations about sexuality, on the other hand, frequently shift from the existential to the ontological realm. “Here’s who I am attracted to” becomes “This is who I really am.” Ontology is concerned with the concepts of essence, personhood, existence, and being. Because sexual orientation is not required for survival, it cannot be ontological.
We recognise that attraction is universal and beyond our control, but that doesn’t justify acting on it. Yes, attraction is unavoidable, but acting on it is. Furthermore, as everyone is made in the image of God, regardless of their feelings or desires, each individual has all the value and dignity that entails.
Through this section, we have shown that homosexuality is not a biological, but rather a psychological trait of the human mind. But you may still question, what if even it is psychological, it is not a wrong practice. After all, even an interest in football or tourism or any other thing is psychological, but it doesn’t mean it is a bad thing. To talk on whether this practice is acceptable or not for the society
(from a scientific perspective), we’ll have to look at a few other arguments made by scientific bodies across the world in the upcoming sections.
Deconstructing scientific arguments about homosexuality being a normal variant of human sexuality:
The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have suggested for many years now that there is significant empirical evidence supporting the claim that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation as opposed to a mental disorder.
To clear this doubt, we have taken help of a paper titled “Homosexuality and scientific evidence: On suspect anecdotes, antiquated data, and broad generalizations”, by Robert L. Kinney.135
The following points have been taken from the mentioned paper to categorically and logically appeal to the conscience of the reader that homosexuality is indeed a mental disorder:
This paper summarizes and analyses the purported scientific evidence and explains that much (if not all) of the evidence is irrelevant and does not support the homosexuality-is-not-a-mental-disorder claim. As a result of their deficiencies and arbitrariness, the credibility those two groups that are typically deemed authoritative and trustworthy is called into question.
Lay summary:
At one time, homosexuality was considered to be mentally disordered. Since the 1970s, however, major medical associations in the U.S. have labelled homosexuality as a normal counterpart of heterosexuality. Those medical associations have proposed that their homosexuality-is-normal claim is based on “scientific evidence.” This article critically reviews that “scientific evidence” and finds that much of their literature does not support the claim that homosexuality is normal. This article suggests that instead of supporting their claim with scientific evidence, those major medical associations arbitrarily label homosexuality as normal.
The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American
Psychiatric Association:
We will begin by describing the APA and the American Psychiatric Association, and we will then present their stances on the topic of homosexuality.
The APA claims to be the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA is the world’s largest association of psychologists, with nearly 130,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as its members. Their mission “is to advance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives”136
The American Psychiatric Association (which also uses the acronym APA) is the world’s largest psychiatric organization. It is a medical specialty society representing growing membership of more than 35,000 psychiatrists. Its member physicians work together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for all persons with mental disorders, including intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders. APA is the voice and conscience of modern psychiatry. The American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which is ‘the handbook used by health care professionals in the United States and much of the world as
the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders.’137
(We are informing readers about the history of these two organisations and how they operate so that readers can understand their significance and give credence to their claims. The reader should be aware that if these organisations adopt a specific stance on any topic or publish any work, it is treated as the final word and is used as a ‘psychological fact’ by the general public.)
The stances of the APA and the American Psychiatric Association on homosexuality are discussed in at least two important documents. Both documents provide citations of ‘evidence’ supporting the claim that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. We will refer to the scientific evidence cited in the documents, and we will follow with an analysis of that literature put forth as scientific evidence.
(Note: It should be noted that the “task force” that produced the second document was chaired by Judith M. Glassgold, Psy.D., who is a lesbian psychologist. She sits on the board of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy and is past president of the APA’s Gay and Lesbian Division 44. Some other members of the task force also identified as LGBT themselves.138 So, prior to assessing their discussions, the reader should note that those involved with this APA task force are not speaking or writing from neutral standpoints.
The two Associations’ Stance on Homosexuality:
The APA writes:
Same-sex sexual attractions, behaviour, and orientations per se are normal and positive variants of human sexuality — in other words, they do not indicate either mental or developmental disorders.
They explain that by “normal” they mean “both the absence of a mental disorder and the presence of a positive and healthy outcome of human development”. The authors writing for the APA believe that the previous claim “has a significant empirical foundation”.139
The Brief of Amici Curiae for both the APA and the American Psychiatric Association uses similar language:
Decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream mental health organizations in this country to the conclusion that homosexuality is a normal form of human sexuality.140
Hence, the basic stance of the APA and the American Psychiatric Association is that homosexuality is not a mental disorder but is rather a normal form of human sexuality, and they propose that their stance is based on significant scientific evidence.
Sigmund Freud (The Failed ‘Conversion’):
Both documents proceed by providing historical reviews of homosexuality and psychoanalysis. One document begins with Sigmund Freud, who suggested that homosexuality was “nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, it cannot be classified as an illness, but a variation of sexual function”.141 They note that Freud attempted to change one woman’s sexual orientation, but after failing to do so, “Freud concluded that attempts to change homosexual sexual orientation were likely to be unsuccessful”.
It goes without saying that a letter written in 1935 is outdated—or antiquated, depending on one’s choice of words. Freud’s conclusion that changing a homosexually inclined person’s sexual orientation is “likely impossible” after one try should qualify as a “suspect anecdote.” Hence, Freud’s literature is deficient; it cannot support the proposition that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation. (It is noteworthy that Freud also suggested that homosexuality is a “variation of the sexual function produced by a certain arrest of sexual development”.142 The omission of that line from Freud’s work is misleading.) Alfred Kinsey (Prevalence in Society and Continuum of Behaviours):
The APA Task Force document proceeds by citing two books written by Alfred Kinsey in 1948 and 1953 (Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male and Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female):
At the same time that the pathologizing views of homosexuality in American psychiatry and psychology were being codified, countervailing evidence was accumulating that this stigmatizing view was ill founded. The publication of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female demonstrated that homosexuality was more common than previously assumed, thus suggesting that such behaviors were part of a continuum of sexual behaviors and orientations.143
Implied in that statement is a “normality” of the sexual behaviours, specifically homosexuality, on the continuum; for a study to be cited as “countervailing evidence” of the claim that homosexuality is abnormal, the study must suggest that homosexuality is normal. In other words, the APA is suggesting the following based from Kinsey’s books:
- In human beings, homosexuality has been demonstrated to be more common than previously assumed;
- Therefore, there is a normal variation (or a normal “continuum”) of sexual attractions to different genders.
Kinsey’s argument (that is adopted by the APA) is equally as deficient as Freud’s. A “continuum” is a “continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct” (New Oxford American Dictionary 2010, continuum). An example of a
“continuum” is temperature readings — “hot” and “cold” are very different from each other, but 100 °F and 99 °F are difficult to distinguish. Kinsey explains his theory of continuums in nature:
The world is not to be divided into sheep and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white. It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories. Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separated pigeon-holes. The living world is a continuum in every one of its aspects. The sooner we learn this concerning human sexual behaviour the sooner we shall reach a sound understanding of the realities of sex. (Kinsey and Pomeroy 1948)
With regards to homosexuality, Kinsey (and the APA authors) concludes that because some people experience sexual attraction to the same gender, then it automatically follows that there is a normal continuum of sexual attractions. It does not take a PhD to identify the deficiency in the argument. The normality of a behaviour is not determined simply by observing a behaviour in society. This is the case in all of medicine.
It may be easier to understand problems with the argument by using examples of observed human desires for specific actions. Some human beings desire to remove healthy body parts; others desire to cut themselves with razor blades, while others desire to harm themselves in other ways. These people are not necessarily suicidal; instead, they desire to remove their healthy limbs, or they desire to inflict harm on themselves without causing death. These are two different conditions—one is known as “body integrity identity disorder,” “xenomelia,” or “apotemnophilia”; and the other is known as “non-suicidal selfinjury,” “self-mutilation,” or “self-harm.”
Xenomelia is “the desire of a healthy individual to have a fully functional limb amputated”.144 It has been noted that “most subjects with xenomelia are male,” that “the majority desire leg amputation” although a “considerable minority of persons with xenomelia desire a bilateral amputation”.145 One study of 13 males noted that all their participants with xenomelia “longed for a leg amputation”. Studies have reported that the condition has an onset in early childhood and that it may even be present since birth. In other words, some individuals may be born with the desire to remove or a “longing for” the removal of a healthy limb. It has also been reported in a study of 54 individuals with the condition that 64.8 percent had a university degree. One study suggested that the removal of healthy limbs results “in impressive improvement of quality of life” for individuals with the condition.146
To summarize, then, there is a mental condition in which people “desire” and “long for” the removal of their healthy limbs. This desire to remove healthy limbs may be inborn, or in other words, people may be born with the desire to remove their healthy limbs. This “desire” and “longing” is the same thing as an
“inclination” or “tendency.” The “desire” or “longing” is different from the action of having body parts removed, but both the inclination, desire, and longing as well as the action of removal are considered disordered. The removal of healthy limbs is a disordered action, and the desire for the removal of healthy limbs is a disordered desire or a disordered inclination. The disordered desire comes in the form of a thought, as is the case of most (if not all) desires. In many cases, the disorder is present since childhood. Finally, individuals who act on the inclination to have a limb removed feel better after the limb is removed. In other words, those who act on their disordered desire and perform the disordered action of removing a healthy limb experience an improved “quality of life,” or they feel pleasure after performing the disordered action. (The reader should notice here a parallel between the disordered-nature of xenomelia and the disordered-nature of homosexuality.)
The second example that we mentioned previously is “self-harm” or “self-injury.” E. David Klonsky noted that:
Self-injury is defined as the intentional destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially sanctioned. Common forms of self-injury include cutting, burning, scratching, and interfering with wound healing. Other forms include carving words or symbols into one’s skin, banging body parts, and needle-sticking.147
Klonsky and Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp write that:
Some may use self-injury as a means for generating excitement or exhilaration in a manner similar to skydiving or bungee jumping. For example, reasons given by some self-injurers include “to experience a high,” “I thought it would be fun,” and “for excitement.” When performed for this reason, self-injury may occur around friends or peers.148
Similarly, Klonsky notes that:
The prevalence of self-injury is high and probably increasing among adolescents and young adults … it has become apparent that self-injury occurs even in nonclinical and high-functioning populations such as secondary school students, college students, and active-duty military personnel … The increasing prevalence of self-injury suggests that clinicians are more likely than ever to encounter the behaviour in their clinical practice.149
The American Psychiatric Association notes that in non-suicidal self-injury, the injury is “often preceded by an urge and is experienced as pleasurable, even though the individual realizes that he or she is harming himself or herself”.150
To summarize, then, non-suicidal self-injury is a disordered action that is preceded by a disordered desire (or “urge”) to harm oneself. Those who injure themselves do so for “pleasure.” Some patients with the disorder are “highfunctioning” in that they can live, work, and act in society while at the same time they still have a mental disorder. Finally, the “prevalence of self-injury is high and probably increasing among adolescents and young adults”.
Now, back to the original purpose for providing the examples of body integrity identity disorder and self-injury. The APA claims that Alfred Kinsey’s studies of homosexuality in men and women were “countervailing evidence” to the idea that homosexuality is a pathology. They based that claim from Kinsey’s studies which
“demonstrated that homosexuality was more common than previously assumed, thus suggesting that such behaviours were part of a continuum of sexual behaviours and orientations”. Again, an abbreviated version of Kinsey’s argument looks like this:
- In human beings, homosexuality has been demonstrated to be more common than previously assumed.
- Therefore, there is a normal variation (or a normal “continuum”) of sexual attractions.
By replacing homosexuality with the examples of body integrity identity disorder and self-harm/self-mutilation in Alfred Kinsey’s and the APA’s argument (that is, if we follow the logic of Kinsey and the APA) the argument would be as follows:
- In human beings, it has been observed that some people are attracted to and desire to cut themselves and remove their healthy body parts.
- The attractions to cut oneself and remove one’s healthy body parts have been demonstrated to be more common than previously assumed.
- Therefore, there is a normal variation of attractions to self-harm; there is a continuum of normal variations of orientation to harm oneself.
Hence, we can see how illogical and deficient Kinsey’s and the APA’s argument is; the observation that a behaviour is more common than previously assumed does not automatically lead to the conclusion that there is a normal continuum of behaviours. One would have to conclude that every human behaviour observed is simply one normal behaviour on the “continuum” of human behaviours; if the desire to harm oneself or the desire to remove a healthy limb is shown to be more common than previously assumed, then (according to their logic) such behaviours would be part of a normal continuum of self-harm behaviours and orientations.
On one end of Kinsey’s spectrum would be those who desire to kill themselves, while on the other end of the spectrum there would be those who desire health and normal functioning of their body. Somewhere between, according to Kinsey’s logic, would be those who desire to cut their arms, and next to them would be those who desire to remove their arms completely. This brings up the question — why are all behaviours not considered to be normal variants of human behaviour? Kinsey’s continuum argument, when it is followed to its logical conclusion, entirely does away with any need for psychology or psychiatry; Kinsey wrote that “The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects”. If that were the case then there would be no such thing as a mental disorder (or physical disorder for that matter), and there would be no need for those groups that diagnose and treat mental disorders. The desire to be a serial killer would be, according to Kinsey’s logic, simply a normal variant on the continuum of human desire. Hence, the APA’s claim that Kinsey’s study is “countervailing evidence” against the claim that homosexuality is a pathology is deficient and erroneous. The literature does not support their conclusion, and the conclusion itself is absurd. (Additionally, it should be noted that along with illogical arguments, much of Kinsey’s research has been discredited.151 Kinsey suggested that 10 percent of the U.S. male population “are gay or bisexual,” but recent estimates suggest that 3.9 percent of the U.S. male population have sex with men,152 and overall, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1.6 percent of Americans claim to be gay or lesbian, while 0.7 percent claim to be bisexual.153)
Evelyn Hooker and Others on “Adjustment”:
The APA task force continues with its claims that homosexuality is not a mental disorder by writing:
Psychologist Evelyn Hooker’s research put the idea of homosexuality as mental disorder to a scientific test. She studied a nonclinical sample of homosexual men and compared them with a matched sample of heterosexual men. Hooker found, among other things, that based on three projective measures (the Thematic Apperception Test, the Make-a-Picture Story test, and the Rorschach), the homosexual men were comparable to their matched heterosexual peers on ratings of adjustment. Strikingly, the experts who examined the Rorschach protocols could not distinguish the protocols of the homosexual cohort from the heterosexual cohort, a glaring inconsistency with the then-dominant understanding of homosexuality and projective assessment techniques.154
So, in 1957 Evelyn Hooker compared men who claimed to be homosexual with men who claimed to be heterosexual. She tested the men by using three different psychological tests known as “the Thematic Apperception Test,” “the Make-aPicture-Story test,” and “the “Rorschach test.” She concluded that “homosexuality as a clinical entity does not exist”.155 A thorough analysis and criticism of Hooker’s study is beyond the scope of this paper, but a few points should be made.
The most important aspect of a research study is the endpoints measured in the study and whether those measurements support the stated conclusion. Another important aspect of a study is whether measurements are properly defined. In Hooker’s study, the endpoint measured was the “adjustment” of homosexuals and heterosexuals, and Hooker claimed that the adjustment measured for homosexuals and heterosexuals was similar; she does not, however, outright define that term “adjustment.”
The study compared the “adaptation” and ability to function in society in homosexuals and heterosexuals and used the comparison to support the conclusion that homosexuality is not a disorder. It should be noted here that
“adaptation” has been used interchangeably with “adjustment”. Hence, the APA again implies that because homosexual men and women were “essentially similar” to men and women in adjustment and social functioning, it necessarily follows that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. She supported her conclusion that homosexuality is not a pathology with data showing that homosexuals and heterosexuals were similar in “adjustment.” We can sum up the arguments as follows:
- There are no measurable differences in psychological adjustment between homosexually inclined people and heterosexuals.
- Therefore, homosexuality is not a mental disorder.
Adjustment in Psychology:
A person’s “adjustment” is determined (at least in part) by measuring depression, self-esteem, “relationship discord”, “sexual discord,” distress, and anxiety. Presumably then, a person who is not depressed or distressed, has high or normal self-esteem, can maintain relationships, and does not show signs of “sexual discord” would be considered to be “well-adjusted.” Gonsiorek (an APA author) claims that because homosexuals are similar to heterosexuals in measures of depression, self-esteem, relationship discord, and sexual discord, it automatically follows that homosexuality is not a disorder, as he notes: “The general conclusion is clear: These studies overwhelmingly suggest that homosexuality per se is not related to psychopathology or psychological adjustment”.156 Here is a simplified version of Gonsiorek’s argument:
- There are no measurable differences in depression, self-esteem, relationship discord, or sexual discord between homosexually inclined people and heterosexuals.
- Therefore, homosexuality is not a psychological disorder.
Like Evelyn Hooker’s conclusion, Gonsiorek’s conclusion does not necessarily follow from the data that he believes supports it. One could likely discover many mental disorders that do not lead a person to become depressed or distressed or have low self-esteem; in other words, “adjustment” is not a proper endpoint to determine the psychological normalcy of every thought process and the behaviours associated with those thought processes; that is, not all psychological disorders result in “maladjustment.” This idea is mentioned in The Encyclopaedia of Positive Psychology. It notes that measuring self-esteem and happiness to determine one’s adjustment is problematic.
Homosexually inclined people, those with delusional disorder, pedophiles, selfinjurers, plastic eaters, and anorexics can all function in society (again, at least for a certain time period) and may not always show signs of “maladjustment.” Psychological adjustment, then, is irrelevant to some mental disorders; that is, research studies that look at measures of “adjustment” as an endpoint are inadequate to determine the normalcy of psychological thought processes and their associated behaviours. Hence, the outdated studies that used psychological adjustment as their endpoints are deficient; they are not sufficient to prove that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. It follows, then, that the APA’s and the American Psychiatric Association’s claim that homosexuality is not a mental disorder is not supported by the evidence they cite. The evidence they cite is irrelevant to their conclusion. It is an absurd conclusion arrived at from an irrelevant premise. (In addition to the conclusion not following from the premise, Gonsiorek’s claim that there is no difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals in measures of depression and self-esteem also happens to be false in itself. Homosexually inclined people have been shown to be at higher risk of major depression, anxiety, and suicidality than heterosexuals;157 those statistics are often used to conclude that discrimination harms homosexuals, but it is another conclusion that does not necessarily follow from the premise. Common sense informs the inquirer that depression, anxiety, and other negative emotional effects may result in conflict any time someone is told that their behaviour or habit is abnormal or unhealthy. In other words, one cannot necessarily conclude that the depression etc. results from stigma. That has to be scientifically demonstrated. It may be that both are true: the depression, etc. are pathological and individuals who are homosexual are not seen as normal, which in turn adds to the individual’s distress.)
Conclusion:
The American Psychiatric Association and the APA provide the aforementioned studies as the scientific evidence that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation. The APA noted that homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social and vocational capabilities. Further, the APA urges all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientations. Unfortunately, fatally flawed reasoning has served as the basis for “rigorous” and “scientific evidence” supporting the claim that homosexuality is not a mental disorder but is rather a normal variant of human sexual orientation.
One cannot conclude (with Alfred Kinsey) that a human behaviour is normal simply because it is more common than previously assumed, otherwise, all human behaviours, including serial killing, would have to be considered normal. One cannot conclude (with C.S. Ford and Frank A. Beach) that there is “nothing unnatural” about a behaviour simply because it is observed in both humans and animals, otherwise, cannibalism would have to be considered as natural. Most importantly, one cannot conclude (with Evelyn Hooker, John C. Gonsiorek, the APA, the American Psychiatric Association, and others) that a mental condition is not disordered because it does not result in “maladjustment,” distress, or impairment in social functioning, otherwise, many mental disorders would have to be labelled erroneously as normal. The conclusions arrived at in the cited literature are not supported by the premises proposed to be scientific fact; the faulty works cannot be considered credible sources.
This section shows that the arguments for homosexuality not being a mental disorder presented by the top two associations of psychology and psychiatry are greatly flawed. There are major inconsistencies in logic as well as arbitrary applications of certain principles by those upheld as “authoritative” in identifying and diagnosing mental disorders. The present summary and analysis in this section of the literature put forth as “rigorous” and “significant” empirical evidence uncovers major deficiencies irrelevant, outdated, and absurd literature and calls into question the credibility of the APA and the American Psychiatric Association’s discussion and identification of sexual disorders. Indeed, suspect anecdotes and antiquated data have been used in the debates surrounding homosexuality, but the evidence shows that even the authoritative sources on mental disorders are guilty of those charges.
The Wrong Type of Sex:
Homosexuality is always presented as just another orientation of human sexuality which anyone can pick just like picking any topping of pizza. But even if you think about it for just longer than a second, you realise there are a lot of other things which come together with it. Things which shouldn’t even be considered in a normal relationship. And when media doesn’t have any hesitation promoting such filth, then we can’t hold back on having to address this issue here directly, i.e., anal intercourse (AI).
AI is well-connected with homosexuality and hence it becomes essential to discuss this topic. Although it has been desensitized enough already, it doesn’t change the fact that it is gruesome, unhealthy, unsafe and very dangerous. Here are five negative side effects to having AI.158
It can create tears in your butthole:
The reason anal sex aficionados are so adamant about using lube isn’t just because it makes it feel better, but because it also helps limit anal tearing. Your anal canal is really absorbent, and unlike a vagina, your butt is not selflubricating, so you absolutely need to use lube when you’re having anal sex to avoid tearing, which can increase risk for STI transmission, sex educator Emma McGowan previously wrote for Bustle. While anal tearing may not seem like that big of a deal (although uncomfortable), and all STIs are treatable, having cuts in your butthole is a recipe for all sorts of bacteria that can easily make their way into the bloodstream. Harvard Health notes that while some tears can be superficial, others can be deeper, harder to heal, and more likely to get infected.
Anal sex carries the highest risk of STIs:
According to the CDC, anal sex is the riskiest type of sex that people can have. One of the major dangers of anal sex is how easily it can be to contract and transmit HIV when having it. Because the anus doesn’t naturally produce lubrication and the skin in this area is very thin, anal tears are basically welcome mats for HIV, HPV, and other STIs. It’s one of the potential side effects of bottoming. A review of data from the National Survey of Family Growth in 2016 found that in women who had anal sex recently — within the past three months — rectal chlamydia and gonorrhoea were almost as common as UTIs. But these illnesses were often missed because a lot of sexual health checks for women only involve the front, not the back door.
Anal sex is linked to anal cancer:
One of the STIs anal sex puts people at risk of is human papilloma virus (HPV), which is linked with oral, cervical, and anal cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. Not all kinds of HPV are linked to cancer (and you can be vaccinated against those that are), and many strains are asymptomatic, but experts advise that HPV and its associated illnesses are one of the risks of anal sex. “Even though [HPV] usually goes away on its own, in some cases it does cause cancer,” Jill McDevitt, Ph.D., Cal Exotics resident sexologist and sexuality educator, tells Bustle. HPV is considered the main cause of anal cancer. The CDC estimates that every year in the U.S., around 4,700 cases of HPV-associated anal cancers are diagnosed in women and 2,300 in men. A 2020 study published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that anal cancers have been rising in the past 15 years, in part because of higher HPV rates.
Infections, generally, are more prevalent with anal sex:
Let’s not beat around the bush: The anus is a direct path to the bowels. Bowels are, of course, home to faeces. Faeces is a waste product that’s bursting at the seams with bacteria and other not so fun stuff. Once you subtract the STI part of the equation, it’s time to think of the infections that come with E.coli, the bacteria that live in the bowels. Spreading E.coli to mouths or other orifices carries risks; for one, E.coli is one of the main causes of a urinary tract infection in women after anal sex, according to a 2015 study in African Journal of Reproductive Health. This also means that going from anal sex to vaginal sex, without properly washing in between, may increase the risk of a partner with a vagina getting a UTI, as well as other possible unpleasant infections.
There’s the potential for a messy situation:
Newton’s third law of motion states, “What comes up, must come down.” This applies to both gravity and faeces coming out of your butt after anal. This situation extends far past the possibility of anal sex with a side of faeces. A 2016 study published in Journal of Gastroenterology found that anal sex may lead to faecal incontinence. While the research found that both men and women can experience faecal incontinence because of anal sex, it’s men who deal with it more. For people who have any sort of gastrointestinal (GI) problems, then the dangers of anal sex become even more complicated. “Something else to note as far as the negative side of anal sex is for folks who have GI issues, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Crohn’s Disease,” McDevitt says. “It can already be a painful area of the body, and anecdotally, many people who have GI problems struggle with anal sex.”
It is easily seen from the points mentioned here that AI is no ordinary way of fulfilling one’s pleasures. And the logic is quite simple, body parts which are meant to function a certain way should be used in that manner. Clearly your backside is not meant for sexual fulfilment, nor is it designed to undertake this task without being damaged or being harmed. It’s Physics actually.
This is one aspect which is very easy to point out logically but is still overlooked most of the times (thanks to media). There are other such fallacies in this concept which will be pointed out in the following sections.
Are there really more than 2 genders?
You’re in a conversation and someone says, “Some people are born not male or female, but are intersex. This proves there are more than two genders.” What would you say?
Some people are born with a reproductive system that does not match what is typically considered male or female. Does that mean they represent a sex or gender other than male and female? No. And here are two reasons why.
- The intersex condition is a disorder of sexual development, not a new gender:
It’s true that some reproductive systems don’t neatly develop along male or female lines, but it only demonstrates that our bodies are imperfect. Some people are born without limbs, others are born blind, some are born with extra chromosomes, while others are born with missing chromosomes.
Disorders of sexual development are not evidence of a new sex category, any more than the disorders of the cardiac or respiratory system are evidence of a new kind of heart or lungs. A baby born with ambiguous genitalia is not evidence of a new sex within the human species. This brings us to the second point.
- The intersex condition does not change anything about who we are as a species:
Disorders of sexual development do not create a new chromosome, a new hormone, or a new type of genitalia. These disorders do not replace the need for male or female, nor do they offer a different way to reproduce. They are simply evidence that sometimes our bodies do not develop or function as designed. THE INTERSEX CONDITION IS REAL, and like every physical challenge or variation from the ideal, those who face it are worthy of our dignity and respect as human beings. But the existence of intersex people should not lead us to conclusions that are not supported by facts.
So next time someone tells you that because some people are intersex, this proves there are more than two genders, remember these two things.
Is sex assigned at birth?
You may have heard LGBT supporters mention how sometimes a child’s sex is incorrectly assigned at birth, and the child may have to undergo surgery later in life to change their sex because they are uncomfortable with their current body. However, the statement that sex is assigned at birth is incorrect in and of itself.
And here are three reasons why.
- Sex is acknowledged, not assigned, at birth.
Saying that a child’s sex is assigned at birth implies that the doctor or nurse has the power or decision to lock the child into one of the two sexes for the rest of his/her life. However, any doctor will tell you that she does not choose the sex based on personal preference or by chance. Rather, she bases her conclusion on the visible organs of the body. By observing what is apparent, the sex of the child is recognised in the same way that the child’s weight, height, or blood group are recognised. A child’s name, on the other hand, is assigned by his or her parents at birth, which the child may change later in life, as it is not a part of his biological identity.
- Sex is determined by our reproductive system.
In 99 percent of cases, a child is born with XX or XY chromosomes, which determine a child’s physical features, reproductive systems, and secondary sex characteristics. Because humans have only two types of reproductive systems, a child’s gender can be determined simply by observation. Reproductive systems are important for reproduction, yet they are only one of many distinctions between the sexes. Men and women differ in how their brains work, how they solve issues, which diseases they are more prone to contracting, and so on.
- Disorders cannot create new categories of sex.
A person may have heart or lung disorders, but this does not suggest that the person has a new sort of organ altogether. We just call it a body organ abnormality. The same holds true with intersex. Disorders of Sexual Development (DSDs) are a category of congenital diseases marked by aberrant development of internal and external genital organs. They do not, however, produce any new chromosomes, sex hormones, or genitalia. The simple reason is that our bodies do not always perform as they should, which is evident from each and every person as it is.
Neither science nor logic support the concept that a person’s sex is assigned at birth; rather, they can be easily used to debunk this myth.
Is Transgenderism Logical?
Is our gender identity determined by our choices? Can we only find out a person’s gender by asking them? We are told that biological sex and gender identity are unrelated. Furthermore, some people are born into the wrong body. While gender dysphoria is a real condition, the logic used to justify a personal preference for gender identity as the foundation of reality is hard to accept. Here are three reasons why.
- Feelings don’t determine reality anywhere else, they shouldn’t gender either.
Our emotions are not allowed to dictate aspects of our lives such as our height, weight, age, or species. These are objective facts. So, how can we allow someone to choose their gender? Other mental disorders in which a person imagines things that make him uncomfortable, as mentioned earlier in this section, also exist. Anorexia, an emotional disorder characterised by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat, is one such example. Despite the fact that we know the person has a normal body, the person insists that he or she is overweight and needs to cut back on food intake. It would be cruel to confirm such a thought and then see them starve. The same is true for gender dysphoria. We should be compassionate toward such a person and show them that they are beautiful just the way they are. They don’t have to change their gender identity based on a passing thought. They may be a feminine male or a masculine female, and that’s OK.
- If gender is a social construct, you can’t be born into the wrong body.
According to LGBT logic, there is no objective male and female. Gender is a social construct. This statement contradicts the argument that someone is born into the wrong body. There is no wrong if there is no right. Consider an exam in which students are told that there are no correct answers, but only incorrect ones; this is bound to cause confusion. Similarly, if there is no clear male/female distinction, how can one possibly have the wrong body?
- If there’s no clear definition of a man or a woman, it’s not possible to feel like a woman.
We are told to accept and treat a transgender person’s feelings as reality. The problem is that a man cannot feel like a woman because there is nothing unique about being a woman. You may now see headlines like ‘Men can give birth’ and ‘Women can be father’,’ demonstrating that anyone can be anything.
We want to be kind to everyone and recognise that other people’s experiences may differ from ours. However, good intentions aside, the logic of transgenderism is fundamentally flawed.
Concept of ‘T’ is not in line with that of ‘LGB’
The term LGBT is always used to refer to a single movement, and those who identify with it are referred to as a community. However, members of that ‘community’ don’t share common logic. As previously stated, if gender is only a social construct, we cannot define a man or a woman (T logic). This means that people can no longer claim to be attracted to a specific gender (LGB logic), because we can’t tell anyone’s gender simply by looking at them.
For many years, LGBs campaigned for the recognition of their desires towards the same gender, only for the Ts to say, “Wait a minute, gender is invisible, it has nothing to do with your biological body!”
The claims of the LGB and the T communities are mutually exclusive. They can’t both be correct at the same time, but they can both be wrong. Who we are sexually attracted to, or how masculine or feminine we feel, does not form the basis of our fundamental identity.
Transgenderism depends on stereotypes
The LGBT community claims that we must accept transgenderism in order to break down rigid gender stereotypes. However, rather than eliminating stereotypes, transgenderism theory depends on rigid stereotypes of what it means to be a man or a woman. Parents are advised to keep an eye out for gender stereotypical behaviour in their children, such as clothing, games, hairstyles, and toys preferences. Gender stereotypes are used in this manner to diagnose transgenderism. Consider this: if you told a boy to participate in rough outdoor sports or a girl to play with dolls, you would be labelled a sexist. On the other hand, if you favour your children to ‘change their gender’ based on their opposite gender behaviour, you will be lauded as affirming!
Even when someone transitions, they express these typical sex stereotypes. For example, when a biological man transitions to a woman, he would keep long hair, wear women clothes, put on excessive makeup, and might even display a little cleavage. We can all agree that some gender stereotypes are arbitrary, and even harmful, but transgender theory does not eliminate these stereotypes; rather, it is itself based on them.
Does sex reassignment surgery make people happy?
Sex reassignment surgery is defined as a treatment for gender dysphoria which changes the physical appearance and function of a person’s genitals to bring them into alignment with their gender identity. It is frequently justified on the grounds that if transgender people are denied this surgery, they will commit suicide due to depression. LGBT activists simply want everyone to be happy. We, too, want everyone to live healthy, happy lives. So we’re on the same wavelength here. But does sex reassignment surgery really makes people happy? Consider the following three points:
1. The evidence suggests sex reassignment surgery doesn’t make people happy.
There is no long-term study to show that such surgery improves quality of life in the long run. Some studies show that while people are happy with their new looks in the short term, it does not improve their lives in the long run. Furthermore, most patients should continue to receive psychotherapy as they adjust to their new bodies and lifestyles.
A Swedish research of 324 transsexuals discovered that after receiving sex reassignment surgery, the patients were at a higher risk of mortality, suicide attempts, and psychological issues. Another study discovered that people were 19 times more likely to attempt suicide than the average person. This is extremely tragic.
- Gender dysphoria is real, but it may be a symptom and not a cause.
There is no single cause of gender dysphoria in any individual. Given the evidence that sex reassignment surgery does not actually make people happier in the long run, but rather worsens their situation, we can conclude that the real issue lies elsewhere. These experimental surgeries may alleviate symptoms, but they do not address the underlying cause of the pain.
- 80 percent of children with gender dysphoria will outgrow it.
This is something that researchers on both sides of the debate agree on. The surge of testosterone or oestrogen in a child’s body during puberty may cause it to disappear. If gender dysphoria is real, and surgery increases the risk of suicide attempts and other serious complications, why put children in danger of selfharm? The answer is: we shouldn’t.
We want people to live happy lives wherein they realise they are beautiful and perfectly fine just the way they are. However, surgery does not help achieve this goal. Rather, it has a devastating effect on the physical and psychological aspects of a person who is already suffering.
If conversion therapy is bad, why is sex reassignment good?
Conversion therapy is the use of any of various methods (such as aversive stimulation or religious counselling) in an attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or to change a person’s gender identity to correspond to the sex the person has or was identified as having at birth. It is now widely dismissed as having no scientific foundation and being both ineffective and harmful. However, this is not the case, as many institutions around the world are successfully treating people suffering from this mental disorder (i.e. where it is still legal to do so). In many countries, therapists are not permitted to assist a person in identifying with his or her original sex. If caught, they will face professional repercussions, including having their licence revoked. This means that any doctor’s only option is to ‘treat’ the child, who has thoughts of being the opposite gender, by giving him puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, surgery to remove healthy body parts, and permanently sterilising him. This is referred to as gender affirmation, and it is legal in the vast majority of countries.
But isn’t the terminology used for both of these procedures interesting? Helping a child identify with the body they were born with is called ‘conversion therapy’. Giving a child artificial hormones and plastic surgery is referred to as ‘gender affirmation.’ If that appears to be backwards to you, that’s because it is.
Stating Stats, Talking Facts
Background:
Despite the impression given by the media, the actual number of homosexuals is quite small. Essentially all surveys show the number of homosexuals to be only 1-3% of the population. The number of homosexuals living in ‘common law partnerships’ is even less, only 0.5% of all couples. This contrasts with 70% of all households with a married couple. The pressure for introducing same-sex marriages comes from a very small section of society.
According to Statistics Canada, 1.3% of men and 0.7% of women considered themselves to be homosexual.159
Recent studies in many different countries show that the prevalence of homosexuality is less than 3% of the population:
- In a US study, the prevalence of homosexuality was estimated to be 2.1% of men and 1.5% of women.160
- Another US study estimated the prevalence of the adult lesbian population to be 1.87%.161
- In a recent British survey, 2.8% of men were classified as homosexuals.162
- In a recent Dutch study 2.8% of men and 1.4% women had had same-sex partners.163
- In a New Zealand study, 2.8% of young adults were classified as homosexual or bisexual.164
In 2001, there were just over 8.3 million families in Canada, of which nearly 6 million (70%) were married couples and 1.1 million common-law couples. The 2001 Census was the first to provide data on same-sex partnerships. A total of 34,200 couples (or 0.5% of all couples) identified themselves as same-sex common-law couples.165
Health risks of the homosexual lifestyle:
The media portrays the homosexual lifestyle and relationships as happy, healthy and stable. However, the homosexual lifestyle is associated with a large number of very serious physical and emotional health consequences. Many ‘committed’ homosexual relationships only last a few years. This raises doubts as to whether children raised in same-sex households are being raised in a protective environment.
1) There are very high rates of sexual promiscuity among the homosexual population with short duration of even ‘committed’ relationships.
- A study of homosexual men shows that more than 75% of homosexual men admitted to having sex with more than 100 different males in their lifetime: approximately 15% claimed to have had 100-249 sex partners, 17% claimed 250-499, 15% claimed 500-999 and 28% claimed more than 1,000 lifetime sexual partners.166
- Promiscuity among lesbian women is less extreme, but is still higher than among heterosexual women. Many ‘lesbian’ women also have sex with men. Lesbian women were more than 4 times as likely to have had more than 50 lifetime male partners than heterosexual women.167
- Far higher rates of promiscuity are observed even within ‘committed’ gay relationships than in heterosexual marriage: In Holland, male homosexual relationships last, on average, 1.5 years, and gay men have an average of eight partners a year outside of their supposedly “committed” rerelationship.168
2) Among homosexuals, highly risky sexual practices such as anal sex are very common.
- The majority of homosexual men (60%) engage in anal sex, frequently without condom and even, if they know that they are HIV positive. As a result, a large number of diseases are associated with anal intercourse, many of which are rare or even unknown in the heterosexual population such as: anal cancer, Chlamydia trachomatis, Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Herpes simplex virus, HIV, Human papilloma virus, Isospora belli, Microsporidia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C and others.
- There is a significant increase in the risk of contracting HIV when engaging in anal sex. Young homosexual men aged 15-22, who ever had anal sex had a fivefold increased risk of contracting HIV than those who never engaged in anal sex.169
- The term ‘barebacking’ refers to intentional unsafe anal sex. In a study of HIV-positive gay men, the majority of participants (84%) reported engaging in barebacking in the past three months, and 43% of the men reported recent bareback sex with a partner who most likely is not infected with HIV, therefore putting another man at risk of contracting HIV.170
- 171While many homosexuals are aware of HIV risk, a large number are unaware of the increased risk of contracting non-HIV STDs, many of which have serious complications or may not be curable.172
3) Homosexuals have very high rates of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV which pose a major burden to the health service.
- Over 70% of all AIDS diagnoses in Canada in adults over the age of 15 up to June 2004 were in homosexual men (13,019 out of 19,238). 60% of all positive HIV tests are found in homosexual men. This contrasts with just over 15% of all positive HIV tests which are due to heterosexual contact.173
- The recently observed dramatic increases in syphilis in many large cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, but also in London and Manchester, UK are in the majority observed in homosexual men. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Trends in primary and secondary syphilis and HIV infections in men who have sex with men.174
4) There are increased rates of mental ill health among the homosexual population compared to the general population.
Many studies show much higher rates of psychiatric illness, such as depression, suicide attempts and drug abuse among homosexuals then among the general population. The homosexual lifestyle is associated with a shortened life expectancy of up to 20 years.
- In a New Zealand study, data were gathered on a range of psychiatric disorders among gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people. At the age of 21, homosexuals/bisexuals were at fourfold increased risks of major depression and conduct disorder, fivefold increased risk of nicotine dependence, twofold increased risk of other substance misuse or addiction and six times more likely to have attempted suicide.175
- In a recent US study of the mental health of homosexuals, it was found that gay/bisexual men had a more than 3-fold increased risk of major depression and a five-fold increased risk of panic disorder. They were three times as likely to rate their mental health as only ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ and to experience high levels of distress. Gay/bisexual women had a nearly four-fold increased risk of general anxiety disorder and both groups were more than three times as likely than the general population to require treatment in a mental health setting.176
- It is claimed, that the high rates of mental illness among homosexuals are the result of ‘homophobia’. However, even in the Netherlands, which has been far more tolerant to same-sex relationships and which has recently legalised same-sex marriages, high levels of psychiatric illness, including major depression, bipolar disorder (‘manic depression’), agoraphobia , obsessive compulsive disorder and drug addiction are found.177
- Furthermore, if ‘homophobia’ and prejudices were the cause of the high rates of psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts among homosexuals, one would similarly expect to find higher rates of suicide attempts and suicide among ethnic minorities exposed to racism. However, this is not usually the case.
Homosexuality and pedophilia:
Any attempts to legalise gay marriage should be aware of the link between homosexuality and pedophilia. While the majority of homosexuals are not involved in pedophilia, it is of grave concern that there is a disproportionately greater number of homosexuals among pedophiles and an overlap between the gay movement and the movement to make pedophilia acceptable.
- One well known historic example on the link between homosexuality and pedophilia is found in ancient Greece. Greek mythology is saturated with stories of pedophilia and ancient Greek literature praises pedophilia. The age group of boys that were used for ‘sexual pleasure’ was probably in the range of 12-17. Male prostitution was very common with brothels in which boys and young men were available. There is evidence for an extensive trade in boys.178
- There are links between pedophilia and homosexuality. The political scientist Prof. Mirkin wrote in a paper that: ‘pedophile organizations were originally a part of the gay/lesbian coalition’. There is an overlap between the ‘gay movement’ and the movement to make pedophilia acceptable through organisations such as the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), as admitted by David Thorstad, Co-founder of
NAMBLA writing in the Journal of Homosexuality.179
- The number of homosexuals in essentially all surveys is less than 3%. (Statistics Canada found only 1% of the population who described themselves as homosexual.) However, the percentage of homosexuals among pedophiles is 25%. Therefore, the prevalence of pedophilia among homosexuals is about 10-25 times higher than one would expect if the proportion of pedophiles were evenly distributed within the (hetero- and homosexual) populations.180
Gay marriage:
Gay activists claim that there is no difference between children raised in a homosexual as opposed to a heterosexual household. However, essentially all studies that show that there is no difference have been criticised because of poor research quality. Despite the shortcomings, the studies seem to suggest that children raised in same-sex parents may be more sexually promiscuous and more likely to become homosexuals.
- In a review of all the studies that purport to find no difference between children raised in families by same-sex parents and parents of different sex, major methodological flaws have been noted. For example, the studies have very small sample sizes, biased sample selection, or lack of control groups.181
- Despite the limitations of the studies of same-sex parenting some differences are found. Children raised in same-sex parents are more likely to become sexually promiscuous and are more likely to become homosexual themselves.182
- However, the main concern remains the inherent instability of same-sex marriages. In the above mentionted Dutch survey, the average length of a ‘committed’ homosexual partnership was only 1.5 years. In the mentioned survey of nearly 8,000 gays, 71% of relationships did not last 8 years. Furthermore, violence among homosexual partnerships is two to three times as common as in heterosexual relationships. Such an environment does not provide the stability required for raising children. Former homosexual Stephen Bennett who is married to his wife and has two children states: ‘Granting homosexuals the right to marry or adopt children is deliberately creating dysfunctional families.’
Biological evidence regarding gender development:
Despite all the impression given by the media, homosexuality is neither an entirely innate condition nor is it unchangeable. The so-called ‘gay gene’ has never been found. There are studies that show it is possible to change sexual orientation from predominantly homosexual to predominantly heterosexual orientation.
- A recent review by authors sympathetic to the gay movement shows clearly that homosexual development cannot be only determined by genes. Evidence from biology shows clearly that gays are not simply born that way. Environmental influences play a significant role in the development of gender identity and sexual behavior.183
- There is no convincing evidence for a ‘gay gene’. Indeed, if there were a ‘gay gene’ those who carry it would probably be at a disadvantage in the natural selection process of evolution: ‘If there was a ‘gay gene’ this gene would cause a significant problem: homosexuality is associated with low fertility, indeed if a homosexual has only sex with same-sex persons he will have no offspring.’184
- One way of finding out whether a condition is genetically determined is to examine the behavior of identical twins (who have the same genetic material) and comparing them with non-identical twins. It is assumed, that twins grow up in the same environment, There have been several studies investigating whether the identical twin brothers of homosexual men are also homosexuals. Concordance (both identical twins being homosexual) was found in only 25-50% of identical twin pairs. ‘Genes’ therefore cannot entirely explain homosexual orientation and behaviour.185
- Recently, a study was published by Professor Spitzer, a prominent psychiatrist. He is viewed as a historic champion of gay activism by playing a key role in removing homosexuality from the psychiatric manual of mental disorders in 1973. In his study, he examined whether a predominantly homosexual orientation will, in some individuals, respond to therapy. He examined 200 respondents of both genders who reported changes from homosexual to heterosexual orientation lasting 5 years or more. He writes: ‘Although initially skeptical, in the course of the study, the author became convinced of the possibility of change in some gay men and lesbians.’ Although examples of “complete” change in orientation were not common, the majority of participants did report change from a predominantly or exclusively homosexual orientation before therapy to a predominantly or exclusively heterosexual orientation in the past year as a result of reparative therapy. These results would seem to contradict the position statements of the major mental health organizations in the United States, which claim there is no scientific basis for believing psychotherapy effective in addressing same-sex attraction.186
Benefits of traditional marriage:
There are significant benefits from (heterosexual) marriage for individual and society. Heterosexually married couples are, on average, healthier, have fewer psychological problems and live longer than cohabiting or single individuals. Government policy therefore should be to support and strengthen heterosexual marriage.
- In reviews by Professor Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick University, UK it was found that marriage reduces mortality. The excess mortality of men who are not married is similar to the excess mortality by smoking. Marriage has a much more important effect on longevity than income does. For men, the effect is positive and substantial. It almost exactly offsets the large (negative) consequences of smoking. For women, the effect is approximately half the size of the smoking effect.
- Marriage is associated with greater happiness, less depression, less alcohol abuse and less smoking. Marriage gives a beneficial effect in terms of reducing alcohol abuse especially for men and reducing depression for both men and women.
- Health benefits of marriage appear to be limited to marriage. Cohabitation does not confer the same degree of benefit than marriage. Formal marriage itself seems to matter. In the few studies that compare marriage and cohabitation, the results tend to show a beneficial effect from being married. 187
Adverse effects of family breakdown:
There is a wealth of evidence linking family breakdown with many adverse health outcomes for children and society as a whole. Government policy therefore should be to strengthen the marriage-based family of husband and wife. ‘Gay marriages’, with their inherent instability, will contribute to the many adverse effects family breakdown has on children and on society as a whole.
- At the root of many of the problems we see in children and young adults – such as emotional and behavioral difficulties, poor school performance, substance misuse, precocious teenage sexuality including teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency – is the dramatic increase in family breakup and ‘relationship turnover’ of parents, adversely affecting their children.188
- As a result of family breakdown, children have on average more ill health including higher mortality, emotional problems (including a higher suicide rate).
- Children from broken families have poorer school performance including poorer performance in maths, reading and writing.
- Children from broken families are more likely to live in poverty. As a result of family breakdown, many single parent families live in poverty.
- Children from broken families are also more likely to have problems with substance misuse and poor sexual health including teenage pregnancy.
- Furthermore, children from broken homes are more likely to be engaging in criminal activity and are disproportionally over-represented in the prison population.
- In a study of more than 170 US cities, a clear link between divorce rate and crime was found. Low rates of divorce were associated with reduced crime rates.189
Role of Media in Promoting LGBT
We have discussed in the previous chapters why LGBT is so devastating for the society and what has been its history. We also established the fact that it’s not only the case that it is against any religion or societal norm, but also against morality and science itself. The question then arose as to why is it so prevalent in the society today and why is it being promoted and pushed forward.
After understanding all their political agendas and motives, now we shall be looking at how the media is being used to desensitise the masses and create “awareness” about this topic. You would have already noticed how the facts have been twisted and the phenomenon is shown to be backed by science, which we now know is not the case. Since they too know this truth, most of the discussion regarding LGBT does not involve enough, if any, points related to science or morality or logic. Rather most of the times the appeal to acceptance is completely based on emotions.
Appeal Through Sob Stories:
You would often see movies or web series where a person suffering from this psychological problem is mistreated or discriminated by the society. People don’t want to understand his or her problem and this causes other problems which lead to depression and/or suicide. Their life becomes hell and the blame always goes to the ignorant, rigid and conservative people around them.
If you consider movies where you have encountered characters who identify as part of the LGBT community, it wouldn’t take long to observe that such characters are generally portrayed as young, white, polite and caring people.
People who don’t desreve to be mistreated. People who should be respected and provided with an inclusive environment. They have normal lives and live like normal people. Except they have just one thing, a tiny deviation, Oh! sorry, a small preference different from others. They are not straight.
This is the kind of rosy picture which is painted and then the appeal is made to your emotions. Whereas when this topic is looked from any other angle, putting emotions on the side, the reality becomes clear in front of our eyes.
It should also be noted here that a lot of things can easily be justified to the masses with such heart touching narrations and tearjerkers.
Brainwashing Through Animation:
Changing the minds of adults who already have a lot of preconceived notions can be very hard, so why not focus on fresh minds and build them to accept these new trends and prevent them from having any prejudiced believes? And that is exactly what Disney and other animation giants have been doing recently. Using advanced CGIs, emotional storylines, and heartbreaking music, they portray the LGBT person as a victim and create a soft spot for him/her in the children.
A Disney executive vowed more inclusivity in its productions — as the entertainment giant works to make underrepresented groups, such as racial minorities and the LGBTQ community, account for at least 50 percent of its regular characters by the end of the year.190
Such material is being produced mainly for children upto third grade, and often includes sexual material inappropriate for them. But Disney wants to produce movies, shows, and media, which millions of children will consume. Movies can easily be used, as have been historically, to change the opinion of the masses due to their popularity and their ‘talk of the town’ aspect. Through the use of storytelling, acting, and various filmmaking techniques, a movie can be made to support any narrative, regardless of whether that narrative is objectively right or wrong.
Another reason why this technique is so effective is because, this way, their message can be spread even to households where the parents may be ‘conservative’ or ‘orthodox’. Many parents consider cartoons to be harmless animations, and leave their children sitting for hours in front of this content, thinking it’s only a childish cartoon dancing in an animated background. The thing is that these cartoons and animations are designed to have a deep lasting psychological effect on children. They include cues and signals that are designed to leave certain desired impressions.
As mentioned before, these animations are consumed by children, whose brains haven’t even fully developed yet. They watch these cartoons in their formative years, when their behavioural foundations are being constructed, when parts of their psyche are being formed. Of course, they are going to have much more effect on these young minds.
Subliminal Messages to Desensitize Children:
Following the footsteps of animation houses, toy makers such as Mattel have joined the ranks of toys aimed at normalizing the LGBT message.
In a picture that was making the rounds on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms recently, Barbie is seen sitting with a new female “friend” on a bed. The dolls are wearing matching t-shirts with the words “Love Wins” emblazoned across the front in rainbow colors.
The toy giant that makes the Barbie doll, Mattel, is a huge player in this space. They know what they are doing. They have taken a much-loved and iconic doll and aligned it with leftist, liberal trends. The creators of the Bratz dolls, MGA
Entertainment, are doing exactly the same thing.191
Just think about it, little girls playing with dolls is the very picture of purity and innocence, but even this picture has been tainted by massive corporations with larger agendas.
When these children grow up, they would see nothing wrong in accepting homosexuality as they would have seen cartoons, movies, and even played with toys depicting (and hence normalising) LGBT, with happy figures doing beautiful actions, and no one talking about the ugly stuff.
Manipulating Society’s Values with Misrepresentation:
What percentage of people need to accept something before there is widespread change and new norms are created? Researchers say about 25% is the “tipping point.” All it takes is 1 in 4 people to change the status quo on a large scale.
We see all around us with the devolution of values and culture. Within just 5 to 10 years, what had always been considered the degenerate behaviour of a fringe group of perverts is now a “lifestyle” that all must not only accept but celebrate and whoever doesn’t is a “hateful bigot.”
But, interestingly, norms can also change if there is merely the perception that about a fourth of society has adopted new standards. This is where media plays a critical part. If you can portray something as more widely accepted than it really is, that perception you are creating will be equally effective in changing the status quo.
When it comes to LGBT, this is a documented phenomenon. According to the LGBT advocacy group GLAAD, in recent years, 18% of films included LGBT characters. Nearly 10% of characters on Western TV programs are “LGBT
identifying.”
In reality, the population of LGBT identifying people in the US is about 3%. But due to media over-representation, when average people are asked to guess the percentage of the population that is LGBT identifying, they consistently overestimate. In 2013, people on average guessed 23%.
This is how moral corruption spreads and takes root. It doesn’t need much. Just a loud minority of people who have no shame in going against established values openly. Eventually, if their voice goes unchecked, the values will be discarded and new ones will be instituted even if the majority of people were abiding by those initial values. This is the danger.192
Structured Plan of Action:
In the pursuit of normalising LBGT behaviour to the extent of it being as normal as drinking tea, Muslims have been the last major holdouts left to conquer. Many subtle (although rapidly increasing) techniques have been discussed above which are being used to fulfil this aim. You should not be mistaken to think that – those who oppose homosexual behaviour are “bigots” and “essentially arguing for homosexual Jim Crow laws” is a recent change in radical rhetoric.
There is a concerted effort to vilify religious believers who oppose homosexual behaviour. Vilification of religious opponents to homosexuality is a widespread phenomenon within the community of LGBT rights activists and their supporters, and it has been a primary tactic of the homosexual rights movement for at least thirty years.193
One of the most influential documents to support this tactic is an article written in 1987 for Guide Magazine. Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen wrote ‘The Overhauling of Straight America’,194 which they later expanded it into a book, After the Ball – How America will conquer its fear and hatred of Gays in the 1990s, that was published by one of the America’s largest publishing houses (Doubleday) and became a national bestseller. Looking at it now, it has actually been very successful tactic and laid the foundations for this project to be built upon.
The Overhauling of Straight America:
They start the essay clearly stating their aim as follows:
The first order of business is desensitization of the American public concerning gays and gay rights. To desensitize the public is to help it view homosexuality with indifference instead of with keen emotion. Ideally, we would have straights register differences in sexual preference the way they register different tastes for ice cream or sports games: she likes strawberry and I like vanilla; he follows baseball and I follow football. No big deal.
At least in the beginning, we are seeking public desensitization and nothing more.
We do not need and cannot expect a full “appreciation” or “understanding” of homosexuality from the average American. You can forget about trying to persuade the masses that homosexuality is a good thing. But if only you can get them to think that it is just another thing, with a shrug of their shoulders, then your battle for legal and social rights is virtually won. And to get to shouldershrug stage, gays as a class must cease to appear mysterious, alien, loathsome and contrary. A large-scale media campaign will be required in order to change the image of gays in America. And any campaign to accomplish this turnaround should do six things.195
Six points are given in their modus operandi. I will summarise those points here with respect to the propaganda being spread to the Muslim world. I urge all of you to read the whole essay to understand things better.
- TALK ABOUT GAYS AND GAYNESS AS LOUDLY AND AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.
In the beginning, focus should be given to desensitising homosexuality as much as possible, as is clear from the introductory passage. A false perception of its popularity is to be made by the use of mass media. Gays are to be included in movies, TV shows, songs and other places wherever possible. The aim here is to take out the disgust embedded in the society for gays and homosexuals. It also includes steps for liberalisng religious institutions which oppose homosexuality and make them look as “antiquated backwaters, badly out of step with the times and with the latest findings of psychology.”
- PORTRAY GAYS AS VICTIMS, NOT AS AGGRESSIVE CHALLENGERS.
Homosexuals should be portrayed as victims, who are in need of help. They are not to be shown as people who are assertive or dominating, otherwise it would give the impression that they are a public menace who are here to oppress others.
Two messages are then mentioned worth communicating. The first is that being gay is not a matter of choice, but rather their fate, which anyone can encounter (and therefeore we should help these victims of fate by letting them be themselves publicly). The second message is to portray gays as victims of society and show their sufferings through images and movies. (Again, appeal to emption)
Homosexuals have to ask for help from straight people and spread the antibullying message. They have to show that they are nothing like Qaum e Lut, boastful and obstinate, but they are pleading for acceptance
- GIVE PROTECTORS A JUST CAUSE.
To anyone not belonging to the LGBT community, they must be given a fair cause to speak for the homosexuals. They wouldn’t speak for the justification of the actions of homosexuals itself, but they may raise their voice if given antidiscrimination as their theme. Other causes include diversity and protection of rights such as right to free speech, freedom of beliefs, freedom of association, due process and equal protection of laws.
- MAKE GAYS LOOK GOOD.
Straight people should be told about famous personalities in history who were involved in this act so to detach the image of gay from a “queer” person – lonely, drunkard, suicidal, molester. They should be shown as respectable people holding high positions through history. (This argument is like saying that because many great personalities were involved in a crime, so that thing ceases to be a crime. Going along these lines, corruption and bribery should have been the first things to be stopped being seen as a crime.) Even the authors acknowledge that it is a very old and overused trick, but they know it works well every time.
For the Muslim world, this step includes clearly stating that gay sex is haram, and thus using reverse psychology to gain support for their rights, as Muslims would think that the LGBT community is on their side by agreeing with the Qur’an and thus showing respect to Islam. But hey! Anything as long as the work gets done. The focus is shifted from the discussion about morality to discussion on human rights.
- MAKE THE VICTIMIZERS LOOK BAD.
After taking all the above steps where they try to clean their own image, in this step, the aim is to replace the pride of homophobes with shame and guilt. And then those who oppose them are labelled as oppressors, bigots and intolerant, so much so that an average American would want to dissociate himself from such people.
The public should be shown pictures and told stories of the most extreme tortures done to homosexuals to create a soft spot for them and portray the opposer as a heratless person.
This is the biggest reason why this campaign is so anti-religion. It is one of its core aims to detatch people from identifying with any religion, and making religion seem as a horrible thing. They know that religious sentiments can easily overcome their evil mastermind, which is the last thing they would want.
- SOLICIT FUNDS: THE BUCK STOPS HERE
In this point, the authors have asked for a full fledged campaign with advertisements, movies, politicians, celebrities and whatever they can get their hands onto. They have even talked about misrepresenting and sometimes outright changing the facts, just to show homosexuals as preons who need dire help urgently. The details of this point can easily be shown to be false by the vast amounts of studies done on the LGBT community and comparing their claims with the facts and figures. (By the way they themselves have no confusion about what the reality is, it’s you who is being fooled here.)
Here we would like to add some points on how this campaign (in its full-blown phase) is affecting the Muslim world with its step by step strategy for legal reform.196
- Abolish hudud: Get rid of Islamic punishments for criminal activities.
- Decriminalize homosexual behaviour: Homosexuality should not be considered a crime in Islamic countries
- Legalize LGBT spaces: There should be provision for gay clubs, bars and even gay towns (search it up)
- Create protected legal space: The law should protect the LGBT community from being discriminated against or harassment.
- Legalize gay marriage: Although it is always difficult to change the legal setup of a country, activists have now spent years on normalising and desensitising homosexuality. The argument which they present is the same as mentioned before – yes, gay sex is haram, but people should have the choice to marry whoever they want, the government cannot have control over it. This is a very weak argument, but it has worked well till now in the West.
- Introduce hate speech laws: Activists are pushing laws to criminalize hate speech against the LGBT community. As we know, hate speech is a loose term, and it leads to criminalizing any opposition to the LGBT people.
- Make LGBT Education Mandatory: Small children are taught about the LGBT ideology at a very young age in schools. They are taught things like #loveislove, there is no problem in two men or women being together, anyone can change their gender according to their wish and so on.
- Gender neutral bathrooms, pronouns: Once the children are brainwashed, it becomes easy to introduce gender neutral spaces where there is no privacy between men and women. The concept of gender is deconstructed. Even the language is to be changed to respect the preferences of another person.
- Parental rights over children: Parents should be given no rights in opting out their children from the LGBT curriculum. Nor do they have the right to prevent the child from changing his or her gender due to such kind of education in his /her early innocent years. Preventing their children from undergoing sex change therapy and taking hormone blockers to undergo biological transition is categorised as child abuse.
- Remove all remaining legal restrictions: Criminalize any sort of discrimination against the LGBT community, be it in employment practices, teachings in religious schools or mosques, basically anything that opposes LGBT ideology. This completes the full legal transformation.
Most people who have been influenced by Kirk and Madsen’s agenda have never even heard of these men. But that’s not unusual. As John Maynard Keyes once wrote, “Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.” (Anyone who doubts the influence of Kirk and Madsen is welcome to try to find an area of their blueprint that was not adopted and implemented by LGBT activists over the past 30 years.)
The people who are demonizing religious people for not supporting homosexual behaviour – many of whom are “religious” themselves – are doing so largely because of the plan that Kirk and Madsen put in place. Presuming themselves to be independent thinkers “quite exempt from any intellectual influence” they are nevertheless carrying out a rather loathsome plan that was put in place before many of them were even born.
This is the reality that religious believers must recognize. We are not facing a new, unexpected challenge to religious liberty. This campaign of vilification was put in place more than three decades ago in order to normalize and institutionalize a life-destroying, soul-crushing form of sinful behaviour. We may be shocked that on this issue some religious people are more influenced by an obscure essay they’ve never read than the book that contains the Word of God. But those are the facts that we must accept.
How To Deal With Them?
Many people think that Islam arbitrarily punishes people who go against any of the Islamic injunctions. But this is not true. As Muslims, we should be empathetic towards people who are dealing with this problem. We should not rebuke or ignore them just because they feel a certain way. Instead, we should try to help them out and accept them in our groups.
We need to understand that social exclusion is not the solution but it only aggravates the problem. Just imagine, a person who is addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. approaches you for help. You will listen to him attentively and try to understand his problems and his daily life struggles. After giving due time to him, you will try to rectify things and provide a solution to his problems.
The same thing needs to be done when someone is facing this problem. We often tend to neglect such people and we immediately label them. The narrow mindedness of the society and the lack of expertise with dealing with such people is what socially excludes them. That is the reason why they have to form their own communities in order to socialize. Instead of excluding them and labelling them, it is our responsibility as muslims that we create an inclusive environment for them. Neuroscientifically, a person is a reflection of his company. That’s the reason Islam emphasizes on good company. Islam encourages people to hang out with pious people and makes no distinction on the basis of nationality, race, caste etc.
اِنَ ا كْ ر مكُمْ عِنْد اللِّٰ ا تقْٰىكُمْ اِۗ نَ اللّٰ علِيْ م خبِيْ ر
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.
Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware. (Al-Hujurat : 13)197
There have been several instances where people developed an attraction towards the same sex but because they changed their company, they were able to suppress their desires and lead a healthy life. Aristotle said that man is a social animal. People generally have a tendency to leave and develop new habits, interests and hobbies in order to fit into a particular group. The only problem is that this is true for both positive as well as negative company.
Let’s say there is a group of five boys. Four out of five are chain smokers and only one does not smoke. It is highly probable that the one who does not smoke will start smoking. If this case is reversed, and out of five boys, only one smokes and the rest of them are involved in productive activities, it is possible that the one who smokes will quit smoking.
If media and social activists would have abstained from promoting and normalizing homosexuality and if the society would have been more inclusive, people would not think that this is the norm and would abstain from acting upon their urges. These days, people can conveniently switch their sexuality whenever they want. A person can identify as a male in the morning and as a female in the evening. The due credit goes to the people who failed to fathom out the consequences of the normalization of homosexuality.
As muslims, we have to condemn this act but at the same time we need to present a comprehensive perspective on this issue. Its not enough to just criticize the media and sit back. We need to help and counsel people who develop these feelings. In most of the cases, people tend to develop these feelings because of an unhealthy environment. This may include an unsupportive family, sexual exploitation, social exclusion, bullying etc. We need to create a healthy environment for such people to help them cope up with the problems they are facing.
If someone develops such feelings, is he/she a sinner?
The simple answer in “NO”. A person who is feeling a particular way or is having such thoughts is not a sinner.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said that Allah Subhanah Says: When it occurs to My bondsman that he should do a good deed but he actually does not do it, I record one good deed for him, but if he puts it into practice, I make an entry of ten good acts in his favour. When it occurs to him to do evil, but he does not commit it, I forgive that. But if he commits it, I record one evil deed against his name. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said the Angels said: That bondsman of yours intends to commit evil, though His Lord is more Vigilant than he! Upon this He (the Lord) said: Watch him; if he commits (evil), write it against his name, but if he refrains from doing it, write one good deed for him, for he desisted from doing it for My sake. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: He who amongst you is of good faith, all his good acts are multiplied from ten to seven hundred times (and are recorded in his name) and all the evils that he commits are recorded as such (i.e. without increase) until he meets Allah.198
From this hadees, we come to know that a person who acts upon his feelings, thoughts or urges is sinful. But a person who desists from acting upon such those urges is not at all sinful. In fact, he is rewarded for fighting his Nafs and controlling his evil desires.
Its not just about homosexuality but the rule is same for a person who wants to commit adultery, a person who has developed incestuous feelings, a person wants to have sex with animals, a person who wants to have sex with children, a person who wants to watch porn etc. People can have these desires but the moment one acts upon them, he is sinful.
Moreover, a person who has developed an attraction towards the same sex and abstains from any immoral act is a ‘Mujahid’. That person has a very high status and is in the good books of Allah. Such a person might be better than many of the Islamic scholars and other pious people. It is this test that makes him/her special and Allah tests those whom he loves. People should develop this attitude towards such temptations. Instead of watering those seeds of evil thoughts, people should try to crush them by seeking refuge in Allah. There are innumerous examples of students of our own generation who developed such feelings but later on took the required steps in order to abstain from such behaviour and they gradually came out of that problem.
Sometimes, due to their inclinations, people are bullied in schools and universities. This response will always have an ill effect of the mind of that individual. Instead of finding the solution to the problem, he will be compelled to exclude himself from the society and will sink deeper and deeper into his moral depravation.
The ones who are dealing with any kind of evil thought should always be conscious that even if no one is watching, Allah is watching. They should always think about the hereafter, the joys of heaven and the sorrows of hell. We don’t know that when we are going to die, therefore, we should always be in a state in which we would wish to die. We should be cognizant of the fact that the angels are recording our slightest movements and that our own organs will testify to our deeds on the day of judgement.
Confessions of an ex-homosexual:
This is the personal account of a person who was involved in homosexual relationships. The identity of this person will be kept anonymous for reasons best known to him.
“I was a normal kid living in a healthy family but one fine day while playing, me and my friend got involved in a physical relationship. We didn’t know how it happened and why we did that act. After committing that act, we swore to each other that we won’t do that again. But as time passed, we again committed that act and gradually became habitual to it. In fact, my moral pervertedness had reached a point where I was involved in not just one but two physical relationships. I did not care about the consequences at that time.
I thought that I was enjoying just like others and I used to crave it. I was so addicted to it that I started to approach the kids of my locality for sexual favours. Though I did not engage in any sexual act with any kid but I used to give hints. My relationships started to become toxic as the only basis of those relationships was sexual pervertedness. The factors that contributed to such behaviour were porn, lack of moral education, easy approachability and a perverted mind.
Due to the toxicity and the guilt, I became depressed and even planned a suicide. I thought of revealing everything to my parents but I was afraid of their reaction. One fine day, I decided to distance myself from those people and stay away from all the triggers. Gradually, after some time, I came out of it and I am leading a normal life now.
I personally believe that same sex relations are an easy way of gratification but the consequences of such relations are severe. They are highly exploitative, people engage with multiple partners and they destroy the mental as well as the physical health of the individual. I would advise youngsters to stay away from porn and all the other activities which can induce homosexual behaviour.”
From the above account, we can deduce that such people are in genuine need of help. We have to understand the factors that lead to such behaviour. These factors can vary from person to person and the solution will also vary.
Another question that we face is that what about the people whom we find on the redlights and in separate communities? Don’t you think that they are socially excluded?
Yes, they are socially excluded and that is the biggest problem. Their lack of acceptance and the social stigma revolving around them compels their parents to give them away to the heads of these communities who push them into immoral professions like dancing, prostitution and begging.
Many Islamic scholars have worked towards the social acceptance of these communities. Raja Zia Ul Haq started a Ramadan Quran Program in one such community. He said that most of them were dealing with mental health problems. On the other hand, one of his cousins who had the same problem, was accepted by his parents and was loved and accepted by his family. As they are biological males, he even got married and had children.
Maulana Tariq Jameel also visited their community and one of the persons was so influenced by him that he joined Maulana in his mission and is now working with him. He said that Maulana was the first person who accepted him and he also paid for his medical treatment.
What we learn from these examples is that we need to accept these people by having just attitude towards them. They should not face any kind of discrimination and persecution. Once the society develops a good attitude towards them, they would not be forced into such immoral professions and they will be able to lead a natural healthy life.
The moral that we derive from the above discussion is that we need to accept such people and we need to have a tolerant attitude towards them. We need to help them out and have to assist them in fighting their problems and urges. As responsible muslims, it is our duty that we do not mock or persecute them, but instead, we should consider them an equal part of the society without any discrimination.
How Should We React?
In this hypersexualized world, muslims find it extremely difficult to cope up with these sensitive issues. Though we know that homosexuality is prohibited in Islam and that it is very harmful for the individual as well as the society, muslims still find it difficult to cope up with this issue.
There are so many muslim students in schools, colleges and universities who are frequently encountered with questions related to the LGBT community and their acceptance in Islam. Moreover, it is being normalized in all institutions and there are special movements and groups who support their cause. In this perplexing environment, the muslim students get confused between what is right and what is wrong. Should we follow the commandments of Allah or should we go with the flow of the society?
The simple answer to this is that Prophet Lot was also caught up in a similar situation. He was sent among a people who were obstinate and who were not at all ready to change their attitude. They did not even want to listen to the message that had been sent for them. But still Prophet Lot did not give up and he persisted with what he was sent. He also tried his best to give dawah to them. He approached them without any hesitation and gave the best possible arguments to refute their abominable act.
This is the Prophetic attitude that we as muslims need to develop. Neither do we have to accept homosexuality nor do we have to be intolerant towards LGBT activists. There is a four-step procedure to confidently deal with this issue:
- Acquire Knowledge:
The first thing that we need to do is that we have to acquire knowledge of Islam as well as other prevalent sources. This is the root of the whole problem. Whenever we are asked questions related to such controversial issues, we often look for a politically correct answer rather than conspicuously asserting the truth. We will be able to develop that confidence only when we have the required knowledge and arguments to rebut the weak claims of people who support such causes.
- Make Your Own Circles:
Muslims students should form their own circles in order to help each other out. These circles should be free of dogmatic and sectarian discourse and should be replete with intellectual discourse. The young muslim students should together carry out researches on contemporary issues and devise new Islamic solutions for the contemporary problems. Such circles will enable everyone to share their experiences and opinions and derive innovative solutions. Furthermore, all the members will be there to assist each other which will help them to tackle all sorts of inferiority complexes. The members of these circles will be able to create a positive ecosystem and a positive peer pressure which will allow everyone to grow and augment his/her knowledge and skills.
- Good Representation:
As muslims, we need to be good ambassadors of Islam. Our attitude, behaviour and conduct towards all the members of the society should be impeccable. We should adhere to the basic teachings of Islam which include a hearty attitude, polite speech, modesty, intellectual representation and a helpful disposition. We should never forget that all of us are the representatives of the Prophet and any act that we do has an impact on the other person’s mind. We should learn about the life of the Prophet and how he socialized and dealt with people. The word employed by the Quran for humans, that is ‘Insaan’ has been derived from the root ‘u-n-s’ which carries the meaning of attraction, amiability, desirability and sociability. In order to be socially desirable, it is not necessary to be socially conformant. A muslim emits a flamboyant essence when he follows the way of Islam and at the same time takes a just stance. And as a poet has beautifully said:
“Husn e kirdaar se noor e mujassam ho ja
Ki Iblees bhi tujhe dekhe to Musalmaan ho jae”
- Stick to the Truth:
When you have the required knowledge, a good company and good character, nothing can stop you from being firm on the truth. Even if there are people who support LGBT, even if they have political backing, even if they are influential, if you are equipped with the right set of skills, you won’t face any problem. You will be able to confidently voice your opinion without any hesitation and prove to the world that why Islam makes sense.
A Humble Request:
Please don’t let that insecurity of not being socially conformant overpower you. Each and every prophet was sent with the true message and each of them faced the toughest of trials that this world had to offer.
The Prophets were criticized for their sincere propagation of Allah’s message. They were abused, persecuted and tortured but Allah has given us a mission statement and the definition of success in the Quran.
وَلْتكَُن مِنكُمْ أمَُّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إلَِى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيأَمُْرُونَ بٱِلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأوُ۟لـَٰئِٓكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful. (Ali ‘Imran : 104)199
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permanent establishments are rare. (britannica.com – last visited on 7th April 2022) ↑
by Md Abullais