Religion and Theology

Christianity is known to have been very audible in its views about homosexuality but so little has been heard from other religions. In Islam, the authorities have from time to time condemned homosexuality and as a matter of fact, they have forbidden it. However Islam is not clear about the issue. There are no verses in the Koran which clearly condemn it and some of them are considered ambiguous. Some Muslims are also saying that it can be tolerated (Siraj, par 1). So what does Islam actually say about homosexuality

Homosexuals in the Koran are depicted through the story of Lot in Sodom. In the Holy Koran, a prophet called Lot used to be so much against this sin and he never ceased to warn the people about it amidst hardships. It is said that he tried to tell the people to lead pure lives but for them, they only mocked him including his wife who is said to have been on the side of homosexuals. The people could not heed to his words and thus God sent two very attractive angels to test all of them including Lot. When the wife learnt about it, she informed other people, who did not hesitate to come and do the abominations act against them. Lot could not take it and he persisted in telling them off and reminding them about Allahs words. At that time, he did not know that, those men were actually messengers from God (Shariahs Researchers, par. 8-10).

The Quran states that same sex relationships started in the times of Lot and for them, they used to have the sexual acts in the public. They did not see any problem with it and they used to justify the act by saying that, it is difficult for human beings to lead holy lives in respect to sex. Koran contradicts the bible in regards to Lot since Muslims consider him a prophet of God but the bible states that, he committed incest with his two daughters. How ever, it should not be misunderstood that Koran is against sex. In fact sex is considered as rewarding and that it can only be allowed in marriage (Shariahs Researchers, par 13-16).

The issue of homosexuality is a thorny one in Islam. It is considered the worst crime against humanity which requires a very harsh punishment. Muslim scholars have tried to look into this issue and it is time for the Muslim council in the world, to come up with the law that will suit the situation. The perpetrators of this act especially in the Muslim world are supposed to be rejected by the society. Since homosexuality is considered a sin, it is said to go against the original plan of God especially in regards to the family unit (Mohamed, par 1-3).

It is said that, since there is a relationship between homosexuality and HIV AIDS, those who commit it are actually committing sin against humanity. The Koran does not state clearly on how homosexuals should be punished (Mohamed, par 4, 7). Nowhere in the Koran is written that Prophet Muhammad punished a homosexual, and this is why, most Arabs in the life time of the prophet did not know anything about the sin. Moreover, there is no teaching in the Koran that specifies the punitive action that is supposed to be taken against the homosexuals (Mohamed, par 8-9).

However the Koran describes the homosexual act as an abomination. The Arabic word fasishah has been used to describe it and it means abomination. The same word has been used to describe fornication and adultery. This means that the same punishment that is usually administered to fornicators should be administered to homosexuals. This has brought debates on what is the best punishment for those people. Some have proposed that they should be killed others have said that they should be subjected to the same punishment as the fornicators while others have said that they should be imprisoned. The punishment by stoning is supported in the Koran by two weak verses on which those who support the punishment are basing their arguments (Mohamed, par 9-11).

In the Koran, the prophet says that, if any one finds two people committing the sins of Lots people (sodomy), both the culprits should be killed. Some Imams are questioning the truth of the verse. In the same verse, the prophet says that the two of them should be stoned to death. Scholars are still debating on the authenticity of these two verses and whether they should base punishments against homosexuals on them (Mohamed, par 12-14).

It can be agreed that, homosexuality is a great sin in the Muslim world but stoning and killing the culprits has no basis in Islam. All that can be said about it is that, it is an abomination. The punishment given to a fornicator should also be given to a homosexual and this is lashing him or her in the public, a hundred times or imprisonment. However, Islam is considered a very merciful religion and thus, sinners should be given a second chance to repent and correct their mistakes (Mohamed, par 19-21).   
 
Since no one is certain about the issue, there has developed various schools of thought. The first one is the school of Hanafi which agrees with some scholars that, homosexuality should be treated as adultery and punishment should be left at the discretion of the judge in the sharia court. The early school of Hanafi did not agree to corporal punishment. The second school called Imam Shafii believes that homosexuality can be compared to fornication and the punishment imposed on fornicators should be done the same to homosexuals. If the person committing homosexuality is married, he is supposed to be stoned to death and if not married, he is to be flogged or beaten up. The school of Maliki says that, homosexuals should be treated as adulterers and the  fourth school of Jafari seconds them as they support the punishment of adultery to be used on them (Trejo, par 4).

Some liberal Muslims have accepted homosexuality as a natural act and for them the verses in the Koran against the act are considered as baseless in the current society. They continue to say that the Koran is actually against those who have homosexual lust but not homosexual love (Trejo, par 8, 9).
 The Muslim countries which have the strictest of laws related to homosexuality include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and Iran. These countries usually slap a death penalty on the culprits. Iran has been at the fore front with the leading number of executions based on this crime. In countries like Qatar and Algeria, they punish by imprisoning, executing and imposing fines. Jordan, Egypt and Turkey have been somehow lenient and some homosexual perpetrators can go without any punishment though some gays have been hate crimes victims (Trejo, par 10, 11).

Despite of division over the issue in Islam, people have not stopped condemning it. Heterosexual sex is allowed in marriage only and any other sexual behavior is considered a sin. However in countries like Egypt, sexual relationships between men are not considered homosexual but rather a state of hyper masculinity (Dunno, par 14).

Despite this, violence against male homosexuals has been on the increase especially in Egypt. In the same country, in the 19th century, there used to exist a dancing group of male homosexuals called Khawals who were very popular but lately, associating a person or even calling one using that name will have serious consequences. The term has negative connotation just like the word faggot in Europe. Although it is not a crime to be a homosexual in Turkey, lesbians and gay men have faced it rough. The police have harassed them and the family members have gone to the extent of disowning them. Those who have been activists and gays at the same time have not been spared the hostility (Dunne, par 17).

In conclusion, Islam religion should come up with a stand against homosexuality. So many homosexuals are at the mercy of the people who can be sometimes very cruel and dispense a very harsh punishment which the Koran is against. It is high time they come clear on the issue to prevent more deaths and sufferings of the homosexuals.