Even as this write-up was being written, the Union Law Minister Mr. Veerappa Moily said that the UPA government would not challenge the Delhi High Court judgement of decriminalising homosexuality. The Manmohan Singh government was clearly unnerved by the support rallied round by the homosexuals and decided to leave it to the Supreme Court to have the final say on the matter. The ecstasy and exuberance displayed by the homosexuals on the streets, over the tacit recognition of their ‘rights’ by the government, has reminded this writer of a discourse by Dr. Zakir Naik on the Peace TV channel.
To a question asked by a lady as to why polygamy is permitted in Islam, Dr. Naik gave an exhaustive reply. Citing as a principal reason, he said: women outnumber men in almost all countries (barring India – where there is rampant female foeticide). Supposing, all men were to marry all the women in a country – still there will be a large number of women who cannot find partners in life. “So these women should marry the already married men”. “The only other option left for them is to become Public Property,” Dr. Naik said. The reply seemed a bit harsh…but the logic is infallible.
Seeing the loud support homosexuality is getting from the various organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and also from a few political parties, it makes one wonder as to what would happen if say about 10 or 20 per cent population becomes homosexual. Where should the wives of these homo-maniacs go – to find the marital bliss? Naturally, these ill-fated women must snap relations with their “gay” husbands, to become the legitimate wives of the ‘manly’ men! Or else…there is a danger of their becoming “public property” (the sarcasm is not intended).
Though homosexuality has been known to have existed in human history for a very long time, it is only towards the end of the 20th century that it came to be seen as an alternative, fashionable and progressive lifestyle – far from being considered a mental illness or personality disorder. Homosexuality became a sort of ‘cultural movement’. Those who had been considered outcasts and perverts so far – began to assert their identity and force the rest of the people to recognise their actions and relationships as “natural”.
As the number of homosexuals grew in Europe and America, politicians saw them as a new ‘vote bank’. But the votaries of Gay culture who argue homosexuality as ‘natural’ tend to conveniently forget that it is a crime against the rights of females. In the days to come, extra marital relationships may too get the approval by the likes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, on the premise that “loving is natural” and “consensual sex is permitted”. A day may not be far-off, when sex with beasts and animals too will be declared lawful!
Many youths are getting caught into this vicious circle. Their position is similar to that of people suffering from other forms of addictions like drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In many a case, the disease first starts with the assumption that “a man having sex with another man is natural”. Those who indulge in this activity will start losing morality and values. As the addiction becomes severe, they start believing that their manhood is lost. Then they start thinking that they are “born like that”.
Then there is a danger of its leading to a chain reaction as the wives of those whose husbands are indulged in this vile activity are virtually driven to satisfy their biological needs by alternative means. Lesbianism could be one of the options explored by a section of these women. And in many a case, drug addiction comes as an appendage to homosexuality. Once it takes epidemic proportions – thanks to the decriminalisation by the judiciary – the homosexuality would be the greatest impediment to the progeny and human race. The human suffering due to illnesses like HIV/AIDS is a sure consequence.
The social stigmatisation too comes along. Once a person comes to be recognised as a ‘gay’ or a ‘lesbian’, his/her own family members may curtail his/her social movements even with close relatives like nieces and nephews. This mistrust on his/her integrity depresses the person and ultimately leads to destruction of his/her family life.
Research and studies have been underway across the nations, to analyse the behaviour pattern among the homosexuals vis-à-vis the heterosexuals. Recent studies have revealed that homosexuals have a substantially greater risk of suffering from psychiatric problems than the heterosexuals. An important and carefully conducted study found suicide attempts among homosexuals to be six times greater than the average.
In a Dutch study, gay men reported significantly higher mood and anxiety disorders than straight men, and lesbians were significantly more likely to experience depression than the normal women. There was a widely accepted theory that, stigmatisation from society and the treatment as “outcasts” would lead the homosexuals to mental health problems. This has been proved as a false notion in a recent research done in Netherlands.
The psychiatrists and experts were surprised to find as many cases of mental illnesses in that country as any other country in the world. Netherlands is known for its utmost tolerance to homosexuality and the number of gays and lesbians in that country is greater than any other nation. Another good comparison can be drawn from New Zealand, which is equally tolerant to homosexuality. Legislation giving the movement special legal rights is powerful, consistently enforced throughout the country, and virtually never challenged. Despite this broad level of social tolerance, suicide attempts were common in a New Zealand study and occurred at about the same rate as in the U.S.
Apart from this, lesbians were found to be twice as likely to have sought help for mental problems as heterosexual women. One study found that among sexually active gay men, over 27% of them had experienced non-consensual sex at least once, exposing the myth of consensual gay sex.
What is more sickening is that, there are a few new breed ‘liberals’, who are propagating that Islam is tolerant to homosexuality. The Al-Fatiha Foundation, which is registered as a non-profit organisation in the United States has been advancing the cause of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Muslims. Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American who founded it in 1998, has been rallying round the cause of assembling the LGBT ‘muslims’ from all parts of the world. Shockingly, this organisation had no penitence to use the sacred name of the opening verse of the Holy Qur’an to the outfit. Some other self-styled “Muslim” intellectuals claim that Islam is an evolving religion that must adapt to modern-day society. They are wilfully trying to misquote, misinterpret and distort the verses of the Holy Qur’ān to claim that though the book speaks against homosexual lust – it is silent on the homosexual love. An immigrant Canadian journalist, Irshad Manji, a lesbian herself, wrote a book The Trouble with Islam arguing that homosexuality is permissible within Islam.
The Qur’ān has clarified the position of Islam towards homosexuality in the most unambiguous terms. Admonishing the people of Sodom, Allah says: “Of all the creatures in the world, will you approach males, and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, you are a people transgressing (all limits)” (26:165-166). When the people of Sodom did not heed to the pleadings of Prophet Lut to renounce the odious activity, the city was turned upside down and brimstone rain was sent over them, including Lut’s wife, their collaborator. The Glorious Qur’ān makes the following comment after the tragedy took place. It says: “Such punishment is not far from the unjust ones.” (Yunus: 83), which makes clear that the same fate might befall to those who commit this injustice.