LGBTQ people and Islam

The mainstream interpretation of Qur'anic verses and hadith condemn sexual acts between members of the same sex. In this, Islam resembles other Abrahamic religions such as Judaism and Christianity.

LGBT and Islam is influenced by the religious, legal and cultural history of the nations with a sizable Muslim population, along with specific passages in the Quran and statements attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad ( hadith ). Hadiths traditionally are not interpreted because their language is understood to be simple matter-of-fact language. Orthodox Islam is not only a system of beliefs, but also a legal system. The traditional schools of Islamic law based on Qur'anic verses and hadith consider homosexual acts a punishable crime and a sin, and influenced by Islamic scholars such as Imam Malik and Imam Shafi . The Qur'an cites the story of the "people of Lot " destroyed by the wrath of God because, according to most interpretations, they engaged in "lustful" carnal acts between men. Nevertheless, homoerotic themes were present in poetry and other literature written by some Muslims from the medieval period onwards and sometimes homoeroticism in the form of pederasty was seen in a positive way. Today in most of the Islamic world homosexuality is not socially or legally accepted. In some of these countries, Afghanistan , Brunei , Iran , Mauritania , Nigeria , Saudi Arabia , Sudan and Yemen , homosexual activity carries the death penalty . In others, such as Somalia and Malaysia , it is illegal. Same-sex sexual intercourse is legal in 19 Muslim-majority nations ( Albania , Azerbaijan , Bahrain , Burkina Faso , Chad , Djibouti , Guinea-Bissau , Iraq , Jordan , Kazakhstan , Kosovo , Kyrgyzstan , Mali , Niger , Northern Cyprus , Tajikistan , Turkey , West Bank ( State of Palestine ), and most of Indonesia ). In Albania, Lebanon, and Turkey, there have been discussions about legalizing same-sex marriage. Homosexual relations between females are legal in Kuwait , but homosexual acts between males are illegal. Lebanon has had recent internal efforts to legalize homosexuality. Most Muslim-majority countries have opposed moves to advance LGBT rights at the United Nations, in the General Assembly and/or the UNHRC. However, Albania and Sierra Leone have signed a UN Declaration supporting LGBT rights. OIC member-state Mozambique provides LGBT rights protections in law in the form of non-discrimination laws, and discussions on legally recognizing same-sex marriage have been held in the country. Richard Burton suggests the following Qu'ranic verses as relevant to homosexuality: [1] Khaled El-Rouayheb. [2] Abu Dawud 32:4087 Sahih Bukhari 7:72:774 Ibn Majah Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1903 "UK party leaders back global gay rights campaign" . 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. The Politics of Homosexuality in Africa Lowen, Mark (2009-07-30).

Attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their experiences in the Muslim world have been influenced by its religious, legal, social, political, and cultural history. The Quran narrates the story of the "people of Lot " destroyed by the wrath of God because the men engaged in lustful carnal acts between themselves . Some hadith collections also condemn homosexual and transgender acts, prescribing death penalty for male homosexual intercourse. 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 , and historical records suggest that these laws were invoked infrequently, mainly in cases of rape or other "exceptionally blatant infringement on public morals ". There is little evidence of homosexual practice in Islamic societies for the first century and a half of the Islamic era. 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. The conceptions of homosexuality found in classical Islamic texts resemble the traditions of Graeco - Roman antiquity rather than the modern understanding of sexual orientation . Public attitudes toward homosexuality in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere in the Muslim world underwent a marked negative change starting from the 19th century through the gradual spread of Islamic fundamentalism such as Wahhabism and under the influence of the sexual notions and restrictive norms prevalent in Europe at the time: a number of Muslim-majority countries have retained criminal penalties for homosexual acts enacted under British and Soviet rule. In recent times, extreme prejudice against homosexuals persists, both socially and legally, in much of the Islamic world, exacerbated by increasingly conservative attitudes and the rise of Islamist movements. In Afghanistan , Brunei , Iran , Mauritania , Nigeria , Saudi Arabia , parts of Somalia , Sudan , United Arab Emirates , and Yemen , homosexual activity carries the death penalty or prison sentences. In other countries, such as Algeria , Bangladesh , Chad , Malaysia , Maldives , Pakistan , Qatar , Somalia , and Syria , it is illegal, and penalties may be imposed. Same-sex sexual intercourse is legal in Albania , Azerbaijan , Bahrain , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Burkina Faso , Djibouti , Guinea-Bissau , Iraq , Jordan , Kazakhstan , Kosovo , Kyrgyzstan , Lebanon , Mali , Niger , Tajikistan , Turkey , most of Indonesia , the West Bank ( State of Palestine ), and Northern Cyprus . Homosexual relations between females are legal in Kuwait , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan , but homosexual acts between males are illegal. Most Muslim-majority countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have opposed moves to advance LGBT rights at the United Nations, in the General Assembly or the UNHRC. In May 2016, a group of 51 Muslim majority states blocked 11 gay and transgender organizations from attending the 2016 High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS . However, Albania and Sierra Leone have signed a UN Declaration supporting LGBT rights. LGBT anti-discrimination laws have been enacted in Albania , Kosovo , and Northern Cyprus . There are also several organizations for LGBT Muslims either to reform their sexual orientations or to support LGBT rights for them. 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. Facts as drug trafficking, homosexual behaviour, and apostasy are liable to capital punishment. The official text of Article 354 in French ( Code Pénal Tchad, page 20 ): Est puni d'un emprisonnement de trois mois à deux ans et d'une amende e 50.000 à 500.000 francs, quiconque a des rapports sexuels avec les personnes de son sexe. International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). p. The Cornell Daily Sun . The Jakarta Post . 18 March 2015 . "Indonesia: Situation of sexual minorities, including legislation, treatment by society and authorities, state protection and support services available (2013- June 2015)" . "Global Justice Project: Iraq » Archive » Homosexuality and the Criminal Law in Iraq: UPDATED" . "Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan On Enactment of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan" . There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

Intersection of gender and religion This article is about LGBT in Islam. Within the Muslim world , sentiment towards LGBT people may vary between societies and individual Muslims , but is largely negative. The Quran mentions the "people of Lot " and, echoing the narrative of the Hebrew Bible , describes how God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their residents' engagement in homosexual acts. However, modern historians from the Western world have argued that Muhammad , the main Islamic prophet , never forbade homosexual relationships outright, although he disapproved of them in line with his contemporaries. At the same time, "both the Quran and the hadith strongly condemn homosexual activity" and some hadith advocate the death penalty for people who engage in any homosexual acts. To this end, anything other than heterosexual activity — chiefly vaginal intercourse between a biological man and a biological woman (i.e., not transgender ) — is eligible for punishment under Islamic law . Sexual activity between women is generally viewed as a significantly lesser offense than sexual activity between men, and this is reflected in the laws of some Muslim-majority countries; there are typically harsher punishments for male offenders than for female offenders or, in some cases, bias in the form of legalizing lesbian activity while criminalizing gay activity . There is little evidence of homosexual practices being prevalent in Muslim societies for the first century and a half of Islamic history , although male homosexual relationships were known of and discriminated against in Arabia , but not met with sanctions. Homosexual acts were forbidden ( haram ) in traditional Islamic jurisprudence and therefore were subject to punishment. The types of punishment prescribed for non-heterosexual activities include flogging , stoning , and the death penalty, depending on the particular situation and the school of thought . At the same time, homosexual relationships were, in practice, generally tolerated in pre-modern Islamic societies , and historical records suggest that laws against homosexuality were invoked infrequently — mainly in cases of rape or other "exceptionally blatant infringement on public morals" as defined by Islamic law. Nonetheless, themes of homoeroticism and pederasty were cultivated in Islamic poetry and other Islamic literary genres , written in major languages of the Muslim world, from the 8th century CE into the modern era. The conceptions of homosexuality found in classical Islamic texts resemble the traditions of ancient Greece and ancient Rome as opposed to the modern understanding of sexual orientation . In the modern era, Muslim public attitudes towards homosexuality underwent a marked change beginning in the 19th century, largely due to the global spread of Islamic fundamentalist movements , namely Salafism and Wahhabism . The Muslim world was also influenced by the sexual notions and restrictive norms that were prevalent in the Christian world at the time, particularly with regard to anti-homosexual legislation throughout European societies, most of which adhered to Christian law . As such, a number of Muslim-majority countries that were once colonies of European empires retain the criminal penalties that were originally implemented by European colonial authorities against those who were convicted of engaging in non-heterosexual acts. However, as Western culture eventually moved towards secularism and thus enabled a platform for the flourishing of many LGBT movements , many Muslim fundamentalists came to associate the Western world with "ravaging moral decay" and rampant homosexuality. In contemporary society, prejudice, anti-LGBT discrimination and/or anti-LGBT violence — including within legal systems — persist in much of the Muslim world, exacerbated by socially conservative attitudes and the recent rise of Islamist ideologies in some countries; there are laws in place against homosexual activities in a larger number of Muslim-majority countries, with a number of them prescribing the death penalty for convicted offenders. Most Muslim-majority countries, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation , have opposed moves to advance LGBT rights and recognition at the United Nations (UN), including within the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council . In 2008, 57 UN member states, most of them having a Muslim majority, co-sponsored a statement opposing LGBT rights at the UN General Assembly. In May 2016, a group of 51 Muslim-majority states blocked 11 gay and transgender organizations from attending the 2016 High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS . There are also several organizations for LGBT Muslims that support LGBT rights, and others which attempt conversion therapy . Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies . 62 (2). In Murray, Stephen O.; Roscoe, Will (eds.). Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature . Georgetown Journal of International Affairs . In Murray, Stephen O. ; Roscoe, Will (eds.). Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature . Comparative Studies in Society and History . 58 (4). " "I Don't Want to Taint the Name of Islam": The Influence of Religion on the Lives of Muslim Lesbians". Journal of Lesbian Studies . 16 (4: Lesbians, Sexuality, and Islam ). "Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi's and Khomeini's fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint" . International Journal of Transgender Health . 21 (3).

Within the Muslim world , sentiment towards LGBTQ people varies and has varied between societies and individual Muslims . While colloquial and in many cases de facto official acceptance of at least some homosexual behavior was commonplace in pre-modern periods, later developments, starting from the 19th century, have created a generally hostile environment for LGBTQ people. Meanwhile, contemporary Islamic jurisprudence generally accepts the possibility for transgender people ( mukhannith / mutarajjilah ) to change their gender status, but only after surgery, linking one's gender to biological markers. Trans people are nonetheless confronted with stigma, discrimination, intimidation, and harassment in many Muslim-majority societies. Transgender identities are often considered under the gender binary, although some pre-modern scholars had recognized effeminate men as a form of third gender , as long as their behaviour was naturally in contrast to their assigned gender at birth. There are differences in how the Qur'an and later hadith traditions (orally transmitted collections of Muhammad's teachings) treat homosexuality, the latter is far more explicitly negative. Due to these differences, it has been argued that Muhammad , the main Islamic prophet , never forbade homosexual relationships outright, although he disapproved of them in line with his contemporaries. There is, however, comparatively little evidence of homosexual practices being prevalent in Muslim societies for the first century and a half of Islamic history ; male homosexual relationships were known of and discriminated against in Arabia but were generally not met with legal sanctions. In later pre-modern periods, historical evidence of homosexual relationships is more common, and shows de facto tolerance of these relationships. Historical records suggest that laws against homosexuality were invoked infrequently—mainly in cases of rape or other "exceptionally blatant infringement on public morals" as defined by Islamic law. This allowed themes of homoeroticism and pederasty to be cultivated in Islamic poetry and other Islamic literary genres , written in major languages of the Muslim world, from the 8th century CE into the modern era. The conceptions of homosexuality found in these texts resembled the traditions of ancient Greece and ancient Rome as opposed to the modern understanding of sexual orientation . In the modern era, Muslim public attitudes towards homosexuality underwent a marked change beginning in the 19th century, largely due to the global spread of Islamic fundamentalist movements , namely Salafism and Wahhabism . The Muslim world was also influenced by the sexual notions and restrictive norms that were prevalent in the Christian world at the time, particularly with regard to anti-homosexual legislation throughout European societies, most of which adhered to Christian law . A number of Muslim-majority countries that were once colonies of European empires retain the criminal penalties that were originally implemented by European colonial authorities against those who were convicted of engaging in non-heterosexual acts. Therefore, modern Muslim homophobia is generally not thought to be a direct continuation of pre-modern mores but a phenomenon that has been shaped by a variety of local and imported frameworks. Most Muslim-majority countries have opposed moves to advance LGBTQ rights and recognition at the United Nations (UN), including within the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council . As Western culture eventually moved towards secularism and thus enabled a platform for the flourishing of many LGBTQ movements , many Muslim fundamentalists came to associate the Western world with "ravaging moral decay" and rampant homosexuality. In contemporary society, prejudice, anti-LGBTQ discrimination and/or anti-LGBTQ violence —including violence which is practiced within legal systems—persist in much of the Muslim world , exacerbated by socially conservative attitudes and the recent rise of Islamist ideologies in some countries; there are laws in place against homosexual activities in a larger number of Muslim-majority countries, with a number of them prescribing the death penalty for convicted offenders. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies . 62 (2). In Murray, Stephen O.; Roscoe, Will (eds.). Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature . Georgetown Journal of International Affairs . "Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi's and Khomeini's fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint" . In Murray, Stephen O. ; Roscoe, Will (eds.). Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature . Sexual Ethics And Islam . Comparative Studies in Society and History . 58 (4). " "I Don't Want to Taint the Name of Islam": The Influence of Religion on the Lives of Muslim Lesbians". Journal of Lesbian Studies . 16 (4: Lesbians, Sexuality, and Islam ). "Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi's and Khomeini's fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint" . International Journal of Transgender Health . 21 (3).