YOESUF FOUNDATION'S BOOK

In October 2001 the YOESUF Foundation published a book on the relationship between Islam and homosexuality. The content has a scholarly, informative character and is based on Islamic sources.
In the years prior YOESUF Foundation’s researcher Omar Nahas explored the topic of Islam and homosexuality in depth. His interest in the topic dates back to his early years when he was living in Syria. He further explored the topic within the framework of his study at the University of Nijmegen, department Languages and Cultures of the Middle East, and the master’s thesis he prepared at the department of Gay and Lesbian Studies at the University of Amsterdam.

Since the establishment of the YOESUF Foundation Omar Nahas continued his research and the collection of source materials. In addition to written sources, information was gathered during several study days, discussion groups, workshops and courses that the YOESUF Foundation organised. These public activities and the publications since 1998 created an interested audience, both within the Muslim community and various societal organisations. The public discussion on Islam and homosexuality has made this audience more visible in the past few years.

All of this has cumulated in Omar Nahas’ book: ISLAM EN HOMOSEKSUALITEIT (Islam and homosexuality).

The book was introduced during the conference on Islam and Homosexuality on 5 and 6 October 2001. The official presentation started with an introduction by YOESUF Foundation’s chairman Nadir Hassan. Then the chairman and the author jointly presented the book to Ms M. Vliegenthart, State Secretary of the Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Sport, who held a talk. After this there was a press conference in which the book was presented to the media and the general public.

The first edition of the book is in Dutch. Those interested can order a copy via info@yoesuf.nl.

 

The book was financially supported by: K. F. Heinfonds Stichting Meertens Bianchi Fonds Haëlla Stichting Rose Jo(n)ker Fonds

SUMMARY OF ‘ISLAM EN HOMOSEKSUALITEIT’

Author: Omar Nahas, researcher at the YOESUF Foundation

Summary by Louis Boumans

In his book on Islam and homosexuality, Omar Nahas opts for an Islamic perspective in his endeavour to find ways for the emancipation of both heterosexual and homosexual women and men with a Muslim background. The book consists of a preface by imam Abdulwahid van Bommel, an introduction, three chapters and two appendices containing relevant verses of the Koran in the Dutch translation by Leemhuis.

The first chapter, ‘Islamic emancipation and homosexuality’, presents an overview of the problems facing Muslim homosexuals and their families in western society. The author distinguishes three aspects of the stigmatisation of homosexuals within the Muslim community:

The chapter explains the teachings of Islam, the sources of religious knowledge and the way Muslim scholars use these sources in order to formulate answers to social issues. The essence of this chapter is that one has to respect the traditional way of dealing with the sacred texts in order to reach the mainstream Muslim community. This also implies recognising the fact that Islam forbids homosexual contact. Other approaches, like those that interpret the text of the Holy Koran in view of the time and place of its revelation, may seem more promising to emancipatory movements. However, leaving aside one’s personal persuasion, these approaches meet little response with ordinary believers. Therefore heterodox interpretations cannot contribute much to reach the emancipatory aims. According to the author, mainstream Islam offers sufficient possibilities for the emancipation of homosexuals. For instance, the social exclusion of homosexuals is contestable from an Islamic point of view.

The second chapter, dealing with homosexuality in the Koran, further develops the idea of Islamic emancipation. The best-known reference to homosexuality in the Koran is the story of the prophet Lut. God destroyed the people of Lut because of their licentious sexual ways and general disobedience. This story constitutes the basis for the severe condemnation of homosexuality in Islam. Nahas maintains the story is about lawlessness and compulsory sex, and essentially deals with the abuse of power. This is different from a loving relationship between two people of the same sex. Still, homosexual acts are forbidden in Islam, but this is also true for heterosexual practises taking place outside the bond of marriage. This parallel is often overlooked in discussions on Islam and homosexuality.

A second way in which homosexuality features in the Koran has to do with the representations of the afterlife. Certain verses of the Koran promise the believers the companionship of heavenly beings in the shape of attractive young women and men, along with other earthly pleasures. These verses can be interpreted in such a way that they include a prospect of homosexual pleasure. Whereas speculations about heterosexual (male) pleasures in the afterlife are generally accepted, speculations about homosexuality in Paradise are controversial. Still, the latter type of speculations can be argued for with reference to the sacred texts, and those who believe in homosexuality in the afterlife cannot be considered as renegades. The value of such a vision of Paradise lies in the inevitable conclusion that homosexuality is not a disease. After all, there is no such thing as illness in Paradise.

Finally the author discusses the prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) and the story of Yusuf. In the Koran Yahya is called hasur, which according to some exegetes refers to the prophet’s asexual nature. From the story of Yusuf we can learn that the truth will eventually come to light and justice will prevail. The situation of present-day homosexual Muslims can be compared with the captivity the prophet Yusuf had to endure.

The final chapter consists of a number of diverse topics under the heading ‘the formation of myths and images’. The first section of this chapter deals with the visions on homosexuality that are presently current in the Arab world. In the medical and sexological literature, homosexuality is portrayed as a pathological craving for anal penetration. This desire would have to be cured by means of medical treatment. While this type of 19^th century theories greatly impedes the emancipation process, it finds no basis in the Islamic sacred texts.
The possibility that homosexuality is innate leaves more opportunities for emancipation than the idea that it is a condition acquired during one’s lifetime. For this reason Muslim scholars are opposed to the possibility of an innate homosexual orientation. However, one has to recognise that the sacred texts do not provide a decisive answer to this question, and God creates whatever He deems right.
Various verses in the Koran say that no man is burdened with something he cannot bear. According to some interpretations these verses even imply that the religious prescriptions do not apply in particular individual cases. It is conceivable that the general interdiction of homosexuality does not apply to those individuals for whom it would lead to unbearable unhappiness.

The book concludes with a reflection on human rights and the persecution of homosexuality in Muslim countries. Since the early 1990s Amnesty International stands up for individuals who are persecuted due to their (alleged) homosexuality. However, AI and similar human rights organisations cannot accomplish much in the case of religiously inspired violations of human rights. An appeal to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights meets little success in Muslim countries, as various articles of this declaration are deemed incompatible with the teachings of Islam. For this reason Nahas proposes to found future protests against persecution on the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam’ formulated by Muslim scholars.