Islam’s Provocative Progress
irinformed
One of the biggest tests every religion faces revolves around the question of adaptation to modernity. But this difficult and strenuous task does not quite end there. Not only does a religion have to concern itself with successfully transforming with its respective society or community, but it must also do so in a timely manner in order to ensure it does not create problems. This time challenge, which is already tricky due to the scrutiny and sensitivity of being responsible for setting the moral agenda for so many, is perhaps the hardest part of the test – adapting either too slow or too fast could lead to troublesome criticism. For Islam, uncertainty about how effective its efforts to react to the modern world, if at all, is a question it often faces. However, as Christianity is learning, Islam’s adaptability to contemporary society is important to not only sustain its base, but to grow it; and the issue used to measure this progress is fabulous – homosexuality.
The case for equal rights and protection under any law in any country has been an uphill struggle for much of the worldwide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Consider a 2010 report that surveyed the world’s current, existing states conducted by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (IGLA): 76 states had laws that criminalized acts of homosexuality, seven of which carried a punishment of death if convicted. For a lot, this figure seems very troubling; however, for those that have followed the report, which ILGA.org titles, “State Sponsored Homophobia,” the number 76 is actually a mark of progress compared to 85, the report’s first mark in its original publication in 2007. Despite the prospect of notable improvement, states with a Muslim majority still have sizeable strides to make before becoming leading contributors to the success of IGLA.org’s awareness efforts – they comprise 23 of the 76 states, or 30%, that criminalize homosexual activity.
In order to understand the laws and legality of homosexuality in Islam, it is important to explore what the Qur’an, which is the Holy book and sole guide of Islamic practices and religion. The following passages are taken from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation of the Qur’an and archived by ReligionFacts:
“We also sent Lut: He said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. And his people gave no answer but this: they said, “Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!”” (Qur’an 7:80-82)
“Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)! They said: “If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!” He said: “I do detest your doings:” “O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!” So We delivered him and his family,- all Except an old woman who lingered behind. But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 26:165-175)
Not the warmest dialogue in the book, but it does discuss homosexuality and offer explanation on behalf of Islam: Islam is a nation that structures itself based on its religion and the Qur’an. Understandably, many Muslim-majority states design their laws and norms to satisfy the Qur’an in order to be good Muslims and followers of Islam. Hence, the difficulty of modernizing an Islamic nation that bases its laws and very society on a book that was written hundreds of years ago.
Two examples will expose Islam’s struggle to adopt a more tolerant approach to homosexuality. March 2010: IGLA planned to hold its fourth Asian conference in Surabaya, Indonesia. Boasting the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia serves as an accurate barometer of Islamic values and norms. Hundreds of people flew to attend the conference, which was set to evaluate progress, set action plans, and organize outreach efforts. Hundreds of Muslims had other ideas. They organized and overwhelmed the hotel housing the conference attendees, which had to evacuate because of death threats and exchanges of violence. Poedjiati Tan, a residing IGLA Board Member, said regarding the matter, “This has been a rude wake up call for LGBT activists across Asia and reinforces what we as an organization are fighting for, our rights, our freedom, our acceptance as Asians and as human beings.”
July 19, 2005: massive controversy sparked at the public execution of two Iranian youths for allegedly raping a 13 year old boy. The two youths were believed to be as young as 14 and 16 years of age. This incidence perpetuated the razor-sharp divide between the west and Iran, for human rights groups such as Outrage! accused Iran for executing the two solely because they engaged in sodomy. Other charges, Amnesty International (AI) reports, which included drinking and disturbing the public, crimes which they received 228 lashes for each prior to their execution, were also considered in the sentencing of the two boys. Yet, heavy concern lurks over the allegation that the Iranian government used the 13 year-old rape conviction as a vehicle to justify their execution.
Iran is notorious for being a state that enforces the death penalty and other harsh punishments, including lashes and stoning, that much of the international community condemns as human rights violations. Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international watchdog and advocate of human rights, published an article that listed other incidents in Iran where homosexual men were arrested and executed. The excessive use of force and capital punishment is done because Iran operates by Shari’ a law, a strict law that preserves traditional methodology in pursuing legitimate remedies for committed crimes. In this instance, the two youths were convicted of “lavat.” Shari’ a based penal code contextually defines the act of lavat as “penetrative and non-penetrative sexual acts between men”. The consequence for committing lavat under Shari’ a law amongst adult men is the death penalty, with non-penetrative acts are punished with a series of progressive lashings until the fourth offense, where the death penalty is enforced.
Fueling the accusation that Iran executes homosexuals, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed Columbia University where he famously said, “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals, not like in your country. Iran does not have this phenomenon” (CNN). Another high-level Iranian official, Mohsen Yahyavi, an Iranian Minister, was caught by The Times, a British paper, openly asserting that homosexuals should be executed. He was originally quoted suggesting they be tortured, but changed his statement moments later. This type of open, high-level, political rhetoric being nonchalantly exchanged can be especially damaging in a country where government strictly sets and enforces the social agenda. Further, fundamentalists get to echo paralleled hate speech that is not only warranted by their religion, but also validated by their politic leadership. The flagrant denouncing of homosexuality in Iran encompasses more than just ignorance and intolerance, it reflects, albeit to an extreme, the failure of Islam to appropriately adjust itself to fit a progressive and normative agenda.
This is not to say that Iran and the Islamic-majority states are alone. There is widespread intolerance and inequality that affects homosexuals in many parts of the west as well. Earlier, it was suggested that Islam will struggle as Christianity has if it fails to function in a rapidly modernizing world. An article published in Newsweek titled, Meacham: The End of Christianity in America, discusses the reality of the shrinking Christian base. Since 1990, Christianity has seen a ten-point loss in America, with people identifying as Christians falling from 86% to 76%. Further, 68% said that religion is losing strength in America. Conservative Christians attribute this decline to the apparent losses it suffered in abortion, school prayer, and same-sex marriage, believing that America has gone so far as to enter a “post-Christian phase.” The issue is not so much a question scrutinizing the rocked foundation Christianity is trying to recover from as a result of this significant political “losses,” but its unwillingness to appropriately address the changes that are occurring in American society.
American President John F. Kennedy once said, “For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew—or a Quaker—or a Unitarian—or a Baptist … Today I may be the victim—but tomorrow it may be you—until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped.” Perhaps President Kennedy’s diction was inaccurate. Suppose the word “ripped” is replaced with the word “questioned”. The implications are insurmountably high enough for fundamentalists to panic. Suppose the words “Quaker” and “Unitarian” are replaced with the words “Muslim” and “Christian”. The potential consequence surrounding the notion that any individual(s) or group(s) questioning the fabric of “our harmonious society” could arguably be catastrophic… for religion. The suggestion that the functioning nature of this “harmonious society” would actually “rip” only when inquisition pertaining to religion is present is absurd and offensive; especially during a time which segregation, racism, and isolationism was rampant in the United States – all issues that are more damning and oppressive than questioning a religion. All issues that were justified by word and teachings of a church.
Despite the apparent collective unification against homosexuals and their rights, there is hope. Not just for the homosexual community, but for religion – at the expense of religion. An article released in 2007 by the Atlantic Monthly explores a, put politely, rather conservative country where homosexuality is escalating at a significant rate. It tells about men making visits to malls and supermarkets, openly making passes at each other. The article examines the flourishing of gay and lesbian discos, gay-friendly coffee shops, and even gay oriented Internet chat rooms. The cherry on top – the force believed to be behind the rise in homosexuality is the strict enforcement of rules against dating and religion. The surprise – the country is Saudi Arabia. Despite being one of the Islamic states punishing homosexuality by death, many youths are engaging in homosexuality because of the relative ease of having relations with the same sex. The strict rules do not permit dating, but do permit being alone with people of the same sex. This fact offers a refreshing course contrary to conventional homosexuality, where usually coming out of the closet embraces openness, this serves as more of an invitation to get into the closet to escape it – with a friend or two. Hopefully, the increase in homosexuality activity, which is also on the rise in Saudi’s rich, will usher tolerance and acceptance to near the front of the line of Saudi Arabia’s social issues.
Two other events in states are also promising in consideration of modernity progress: the mercy on transsexual people in Iran and the religious embracement of technology in Singapore. A breath of fresh air right out of Islam – according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Iranian Judges have begun issuing sex change permits for those individuals that can provide documented evidence of gender-identity disorder. The article also introduces a student, Muhammad Mehdi Kariminia, whom began writing his academic thesis on transsexuality at the religious seminary of Qom in order to “help change the social stigma attached to these people and clarify religious decrees on the matter.” It is possible that this may be the discourse that brings Iran down a path of righting what has been wrong for so long – discrimination.
While in Singapore, new research from Indiana University shows the benefit and upside of a religion being able to effectively use technology. Singapore is definitely a secular nation in that the state maintains strict neutrality towards particular religions and has no dominant religion. Despite the secularism at the state level, Singapore is definitely not secularized, in which religious belief is irrelevant or marginalized, at the societal level. The study introduced some mass-communication strategies, tools that could be used to promote religion, to community leaders from various religions and interviewed them following the results. Hindu leaders actually had a positive approach to the Internet and wanted to employ its use in congregational recruitment efforts. The leaders agreed that the Internet was critical for reaching out to the younger generations. One protestant pastor suggested it that the Church has to move with time and try to make full use of modern technology. Furthermore, all of them came to the conclusion that the Internet was not a threat to faith but a valuable tool and contributing positively to religious communicates.
The promise of prosperity has always existed amongst humans, religion aside. Restricting social movement and progression to limited interpretation of text in a book is problematic for any institution, not just religion. America’s legal system was founded by a Constitution that has been amended 27 times in order to allow the legitimacy of the Constitution to flourish and remain intact. This is proof of adaptation. Christianity has struggled to adapt and modernize itself, and, consequently, is losing members of its faith-base. This is proof of failure to adapt. The ability of any religion to adjust policy and agenda in juxtaposition with modernity and evolving social norms is extremely difficult, since a religion must choose whether or not it can afford to threaten certain components of its belief system, but also very beneficial. Islam is no exception. It has already taken steps towards modernity, but, isha’Allah, it must continue.
