While working in Gulf I came across many homosexual Europeans, Filipinos and Christian Arabs as well as westernised Muslim Arabs too. At the beginning I generally avoided interaction with them out of revulsion. But after some time I wanted to know their views on their inclination towards same sex. Once I tried to discuss this issue with Franklin, a girlish Filipino, who was a notorious gay in the British company, Harvey Nichols Riyadh where I was employed. I asked: ‘Why do you like to have sex with boys?’ He replied rather flatly: ‘It’s natural to me!’ I countered: ‘God created Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve’ and ‘even animals do not have sex with the same gender.’ He argued: ‘Look, some people like chicken, some others like mutton, and yet some others like vegetables and it’s very natural.’ When I contradicted by asking: ‘Some day you could have sex with your sister and mother and come out with the same logic that it’s natural to you because you like to do so.’ He got red faced. And this was understandable.
According to Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, “The term homosexual describes those who have sex with, or are sexually attracted to, persons of the same (Greek: homo) sex. The most common terms for homosexual people are lesbian for women and gay for men, though gay is also used to refer generally to homosexual men and women. The numbers of people who identify as gay or lesbian – and the proportion of people who have same-sex sexual experiences – are difficult for researchers to estimate reliably for a variety of reasons. In the modern west, according to major studies, 2% to 13% of the populations are homosexuals.
There had been homosexuals since the time unknown, but ‘homosexuality’ has been always a ‘forbidden fruit’ in society and homosexuals have been never treated with respect. It’s for the second time, after the People of Lot (peace be to him) in the known history that this sin is being committed openly.
Homosexuality is promoted shamefully and homosexuals are getting support and sympathy from different corners of society especially from NGOs, media and rich people. Now this imported disease, which is in fact the mother of many sexual, moral, psychological, mental as well as physical diseases, is knocking at our doors. A few years ago it used to be embarrassing to utter words like ‘homosexuals’. Now the time has changed so quickly that we can’t call an ‘evil’ evil otherwise we can land into problems. This is what happened with the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last week.
It is ironical that the world is fighting against HIV/AIDS but homosexuality which has been proved as one of the main causes of AIDS is being advertised and promoted. Some experts are also of the opinion that AIDS was first diagnosed in a homosexual and thus homosexuality is the origin of AIDS.
Those who claim that homosexuality is normal and natural have to explain why gays dress like women and wear cosmetics. Why artificial instruments are used. And in case of lesbians why one of the partners has to act like man?
One of the criteria of a behaviour that is beneficial to humanity at large is, “What if the action that you are promoting is exercised by a majority of people of the world? Will it advance humanity or will it destroy it?” In this case human beings will cease to exist.
In his much acclaimed research work on “The Health Risk of Gay Sex”, Dr John R. Diggs, JR., M.D. held homosexuality as a potential threat to many disease like Anal Cancer, Chlamydia Trachomatis, Cryptosporidium Giardia Lamblia, Herpes simplex virus, Human immunodeficiency virus, Human papillomavirus, Isospora belli, Microsporidia, Gonorrhoea, Viral hepatitis types B & C, Syphilis.
According to Dr Diggs, other physical problems associated with anal intercourse are: hemorrhoids, anal fissure, anorectal trauma, retained foreign bodies, etc. Apart from these physical diseases, Dr Diggs also added Psychiatric Illness, Sadism, Reckless sexual behaviour and shortened life span to the list of disease caused by homosexuality.
According to Islam, homosexuality is a sin and punishable act. There are five references in the Qur’ān which have been cited as referring to gay and lesbian behaviour. Some obviously deal with “womanish man” and “mannish woman.” The two main references to homosexual behaviour mentioned in Holy Qur’ān are about the people of Prophet Lot who inhabited in the city of Sodom and Gomorra (the origin of word sodomy) where the people were practising homosexuality most brazenly. The Almighty Allah condemned them for their misdeeds and warned them in strongest words through Prophet Lot. But when they insisted on their transgression, the wrath of God fell upon them and finally Sodom and Gomorrah along with two other neighbouring cities were completely consumed by fire and brimstone.
This incident is mentioned in Torah as well as the Holy Qur’ān. Referring to that incident the Holy Qur’ān says: “And remember when We sent Lot (as a Messenger) to his people and he said to them: “Do you realise that you practise an indecency of which no other people in the world were guilty of before you? You approach men lustfully in place of women. You are people who exceed all bounds.” (Qur’ān 7:80-81)
In another place the Holy Qur’ān says: “What! Of all creation will you go to (fornicate with) the males, leaving aside those whom Allah has created for you as your mates. Nay, you are people that has transgressed all limits.” (Qur’ān 26:166-67)
Allah narrates to us the story of Lot’s people, and how He destroyed them for their wicked practice. There is consent among both Muslims and the followers of all other religions that sodomy is natural disorder and even worse than adultery. From these passages we learn that God saved Lot and the righteous ones of his family, and rained on the rest a shower of brimstone, so they were utterly destroyed. This is mentioned in the Qur’ān not only for the sake of information, but mainly to serve as a warning to anyone who dares to commit such acts.
Since the creator of this world is fully aware of His creations, their troubles, and shortcomings. So He also gave the manuals (divine scriptures) for the smooth functioning of his creations (mainly human being) and those manuals were explained by His prophets. Apart from the Holy Qur’ān there are a lot of sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in which homosexuals were denounced in the strongest terms. The Prophet said: (1) “Kill the one who sodomises and the one who lets it be done to him.” (Tirmidhi, an authentic Hadith). (2) “May Allah curse him who does that Lot’s people did.” (Ibn Hibban, authentic Hadith). (3) “Lesbianism by women is adultery between them.” (Tabarani, an authentic Hadith)” (Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, pp. 664-665.
According to Islamic scholars, homosexuality is a sinful act and perverted deviation from the norm. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay and lesbian acts to be unlawful. In terms of punishment there are differences of opinion among them. The Hanafites argue that no physical punishment is warranted while the Hanabalites advocate severe punishments for those involved in homosexuality.
There are so many reasons why it is prohibited in Islam. Homosexuality is dangerous for the health of the individuals and for the society. Apart from creating moral disorder and sexual anarchy in society, it causes many sexual, physical, and psychological diseases among the people. It is shameful for both men and women. It humiliates a person.
Islam teaches that men should be men and women women and both should play their roles in society accordingly while homosexuality deprives a man of his manhood and a woman of her womanhood. It is unnatural, unhealthy and thus poses a great threat to family life, to society and to the civilization as a whole.
Finally I would like to quote Dr Diggs’ word of warning. Citing an African proverb: “Don’t tear down a fence until you know why it was put up”, he cautions: “The societal implications of the unrestrained sexual activity described above are devastating. The ideal of sexual activity being limited to marriage, always defined as male-female, has been a fence erected in all civilizations around the globe. Throughout history, many people have climbed over the fence, engaging in premarital, extramarital and homosexual sex. Still, the fence stands; the limits are visible to all. Climbing over the fence, metaphorically, has always been recognized as a breach of those limits, even by the breachers themselves. No civilization can retain its vitality for multiple generations after removing the fence. But now social activists are saying that there should be no fence, and that to destroy the fence is an act of liberation. If the fence is torn down, there is no visible boundary to sexual expression. If gay sex is socially acceptable, what logical reason can there be to deny social acceptance of adultery, or paedophilia?”