Gay Muslims

Gay Muslims (2006) is a Channel 4 documentary produced and directed by Cara Lavan, about the experiences of five Muslim people who identify as lesbian and gay and how they challenge the heterosexual-worldview within Islam, and attempt to integrate Islam with homosexuality. It is usually a stark choice between suppressing homosexual desires and leading an undercover double life, or coming out and losing the respect and support of their families and communities.

For a general discussion of homosexuality and Islam, see Homosexuality and Islam.

Gay Muslims
GenreDocumentary, current affairs
Created byChannel 4
Directed byCara Lavan
StarringAdnan Ali
Narrated bySonia Deol
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producerRichard McKerron
ProducersCara Lavan, Anshu Ahuja
EditorJim Hogan
Release
Original networkChannel 4
First shown in2006
Chronology
Followed byA Jihad for Love (2007)

Background
Main article: LGBT in Islam

LGBT in Islam is influenced by the religious, legal, social, and cultural history of the nations with a sizable Muslim population, along with specific passages in the Quran[1][2] and hadith, statements attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Quran cites the story of the "people of Lot" destroyed by the wrath of God because they engaged in lustful carnal acts between men. Homosexual acts are forbidden in traditional Islamic jurisprudence and are liable to different punishments, including the death penalty, depending on the situation and legal school. However, homosexual relationships were generally tolerated in pre-modern Islamic societies,[3][4] and historical record suggests that these laws were invoked infrequently, mainly in cases of rape or other "exceptionally blatant infringement on public morals".[5] Homoerotic themes were cultivated in poetry and other literary genres written in major languages of the Muslim world from the eighth century into the modern era.[6][4] The conceptions of homosexuality found in classical Islamic texts resemble the traditions of Graeco-Roman antiquity, rather than modern Western notions of sexual orientation.[5][7] It was expected that many or most mature men would be sexually attracted to both women and male adolescents (variously defined), and men were expected to wish to play only an active role in homosexual intercourse once they reached adulthood.[5][7] In recent times, extreme prejudice persists, both socially and legally, in much of the Islamic world against people who engage in homosexual acts.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Scholar

The diverse ways of understanding of the Quran are echoed in the documentary by Dr Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle of Swarthmore College in the United States, currently a research fellow at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He believes that sharia – Islamic law – is determined by male jurists whose interpretations of Islamic texts are based on cultural assumptions situated in particular times, and particular political and geographical locations. Rather than sharia being divine, Kugle believes that it offers different avenues for Muslims to live their lives. He also points out that there is no word in the Quran for "gay" or "homosexual", and no mention of lesbians.

Activists
See also: LGBT in Islam § LGBT movements within Islam

Some 200 lesbian and gay Muslims were contacted by the programme makers but only a handful were willing to be interviewed, and most of those insisted on keeping their identities hidden, to prevent reprisals. Only one was prepared to show his face and give his true name. He was Adnan Ali, an activist on issues affecting LGBT Muslims. Adnan described how, when he first came out in Pakistan, he was physically and verbally abused. He then came to the United Kingdom, where he chatted online with members of the American Al-Fatiha Foundation, an international organisation dedicated to Muslims who are LGBT or questioning, and their friends. Adnan then set up a sister group, now called Imaan.

Voices

The interviewees speak of their commitment to and belief in Islam, though they are mostly ostracised than their beliefs getting support by their community and family. ‘Razeem’ speaks of his pain at being denied access to the children of his previous marriage, despite having a legal right to access and the fact that his wife ran away with another man. He also wishes there were more role models, like Adnan Ali, for gay Muslims. ‘Shakir’ and his parents find it easier to accept lesbianism than gay men's homosexuality. ‘Farah’ contemplates going back into the closet, to lie about her sexuality to ease the tension in her relationship with her parents.

The programme's presenter, Sonia Deol, says that the gay Muslim group Imaan supports the idea of "keeping sexuality a private matter".

See also

References
  1. "The Qu'ran and Homosexuality". Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Fordham University. Retrieved 7 November 2013. Richard Burton suggests the following Qu'ranic verses as relevant to homosexuality:
  2. Ali, Kecia (2006). Sexual Ethics & Islam. Oxford, England: OneWorld Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-85168-456-4.
  3. P. Bearman; Th. Bianquis; C.E. Bosworth; E. van Donzel; W.P. Heinrichs, eds. (2012). "Liwāṭ". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_4677.
  4. Everett K. Rowson (2004). "Homosexuality". In Richard C. Martin (ed.). Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. MacMillan Reference USA.
  5. E. K. Rowson (2012). "HOMOSEXUALITY ii. IN ISLAMIC LAW". Encyclopedia Iranica.
  6. Khaled El-Rouayheb. Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World 1500–1800. pp. 12 ff.
  7. Ali, Kecia (2016). Sexual Ethics And Islam. Oneworld Publications (Kindle edition). p. 105.
  8. Maldives Penal Code s 1205.
  9. "Lesbian and Gay Rights in the World" (PDF). ILGA. May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2011.
  10. "UK party leaders back global gay rights campaign". BBC Online. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2013. At present, homosexuality is illegal in 76 countries, including 38 within the Commonwealth. At least five countries - the Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania and Sudan - have used the death penalty against gay people.
  11. "United Arab Emirates". Retrieved 27 October 2015. Facts as drug trafficking, homosexual behaviour, and apostasy are liable to capital punishment.
  12. "Man Accused of "Gay Handshake" Stands Trial in Dubai". Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. Ottosson, Daniel. "State-Sponsored Homophobia: A World Survey of Laws Prohibiting Same-Sex Activity Between Consenting Adults" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2010.
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