Media portrayals of young Muslims’ sexuality have tended to focus on less insightful but more eye-catching questions. The hijab’s alleged repression of Muslim women continues to make headlines, and to inspire rebuttals championing Islam’s purported liberation of women from their objectification in Western capitalist societies. Until recently, mainstream media was captivated by stories linking the supposed sexual repression of Muslim men to religious violence. The hottest issue now is the question of Islam and homosexuality, especially the perceived conflicts between Islamic scripture and progressive politics. Implicit in much of this media coverage around Islam and sexuality is an underlying assumption: young Muslims are sexually repressed, ever-burdened by the disconnect between their other-worldly aspirations and their sensual present.

Of course, there are other stories too, such as those about the long tradition of explicit sexual discussion in Islam, or the much-discussed New Yorker piece exploring one way that Muslim college students are addressing their sexual desires: secret marriages. But such well-meaning articles risk reinforcing the notion that the many Muslims not giving in to their sexual desires—outside or inside marriage—are sexually repressed. In my own experience, and through extensive conversations with Muslim students and chaplains from different campuses across the US, I find a far more complex picture of Muslim sexuality. Young Muslims resisting sexual interactions make meaning of their choices in ways that disturb the neat links between desires, actions, and identities conceived in secular imaginaries. In resisting sex, Muslim students transcend the binaries of repression and liberation, the sexual and the spiritual. 

***

Given that most Muslim communities in the US disapprove of sexual relations before marriage, many Muslim students never have the opportunity to explore their sexuality—until they enter college. (I have obscured the identities of the students who spoke with me for this piece, for obvious reasons.) 

“The parental oversight is gone, you’re living in mixed-gender dorms, you have hormones raging inside you—it’s hard not to be tempted,” admitted Maryam. “You have freedom like you never had before.” 

For international students coming in from Muslim-majority countries, the contrast is dramatic. “There are literally no restrictions here,” reflected Wakeel, a graduate student. “Anyone can be in anyone’s room at any time. In my country, miles separated the gender-segregated hostels, and students attempting to cross the distance faced disciplinary action.” 

With logistical ease come the ideological challenges that make college life harder for Muslim students wishing to adhere to Islamic limitations on premarital sex. Many residential universities require all incoming students to attend safe-sex sessions. According to Sana, a sophomore at an Ivy League university, the takeaway is clear. “If you want to have sex—and who doesn’t!—only two concerns matter: one, is it consensual, and two, is it safe? Nothing else matters,” she said. “These lessons soften the moral question of premarital sex, so it starts to become more like an Islam problem than an ethical one.” 

Perhaps the biggest temptation is the pervasive party culture across campuses. For Muslims going to places renowned as “party schools,” the challenges are even harder. 

“When all your friends—including some Muslim friends—are going out every Thursday and Saturday night to have some fun, sooner or later there comes a point when the FOMO hits you hard,” said Zeeshan. 

He invoked a narrative that recurred frequently in my conversations: the story of Prophet Yusuf (the biblical Joseph). In one of the most evocative scenes in the Quran, a young, dashing Yusuf finds himself alone with the beautiful wife of the minister who purchased him. She locks all the doors before inviting him: “Haita lak (come on).” To some students, the cool breeze blowing across campus on party nights still carries that faint but unmistakable echo: Haita lak.  

***

Haita lak – [PC: Saif71 (unsplash)]

“I could avoid going to a party on campus—I’d just steer clear of the street where I knew there was trouble,” shared Ayhan, who graduated last year. “The bigger problem was when the dorm next door would have a party, and I’d get a text from my neighbor: Hey come over. It’s hard to say no because they know you’re in the room and they know you’re not doing problem sets Friday night at 9 pm.” 

Saying no can be a particularly thorny issue because some Muslim college students do attend parties—and have sex. Zahra, a junior, attends a large public school in which fraternities host events “where the entire point is to get drunk and get laid.” Invoking her Muslim identity to turn down these events is hard because there are other students—Muslims—who do attend such events. 

“I’m then in the awkward position of saying ‘sorry, I can’t come because Islam prohibits these,’ which indirectly sounds like I’m holier-than-them,” she said. 

But if she believes that Islam does prohibit sexual interactions outside marriage, isn’t that an accurate judgment? Zahra disagrees. 

“Look. There could be someone who goes to these events and commits many haram acts but is still dearer to God than me. ‘He knows better who is more guided’, the Quran tells us. So only God can judge individuals. But I can judge actions, because the same Quran has established a clear moral compass to distinguish between the permissible and the prohibited.” 

In practice, however, judgments are hard to avoid, and expressing one’s feelings, even to other Muslims, can be difficult. Muhammad grew up in a conservative Muslim-majority country, where religious gatherings—and many other public spaces—were segregated by gender. He was told that this promotes modesty. But even same-sex spaces can have their temptations.

“In my all-boys madrasa, there were one or two guys who I just couldn’t stop staring at,” recalled Muhammad. I would get goosebumps when they spoke to me or when our hands met. I couldn’t understand these feelings; they thrilled and frightened me.” 

Confused, Muhammad began frequenting a larger madrasa nearby, where many students lived on campus. The scholars there would openly warn against the temptations that other young boys could arouse—hence the madrasa’s policy, for instance, of prohibiting two students from sleeping under the same blanket. 

“I realized now that my own feelings were nothing unnatural but simply one version of the different trials through which Allah tests His slaves,” reflected Muhammad. “The temptations remained, but since they were acknowledged as temptations, I was able to better deal with them.” 

But when Muhammad came to the US for the first time as a college student, he experienced a shock. He shared his struggles with same-sex desires with some Muslim friends, at which “one of them jumped back, gasping ‘You’re gay!’” 

Here was Muhammad’s first introduction to the sexual culture of the US. 

“It’s a strange culture, where your feelings define your very being,” he said. “Unfortunately, Muslims are affected by such ideas too, so that the moment they hear you have certain desires, they put a label on you. And if you refuse that label, they think you’re closeted or something.”

Muhammad eventually found solace through an online support group. But his first few years of college life tested him to the brink, as he recalled:  “So many guys and girls around me were exploring their sexuality, and there were times when I wondered if I would get through with my chastity intact.”

For Muhammad, as for many of his peers, being in college is a bit like being Yusuf in the house of the minister: hearing the same invitation, facing a similar challenge—mustering the strength to refuse the call. 

***

How does one deal with powerful sexual desires without fulfilling them? For some students, the necessity of exercising caution in entering physical relationships comes from observing those who, as they perceive it, don’t. 

“You hear so many girls in physical relationships complaining about an overwhelming emotional emptiness, about feeling neglected and used,” said Fatima, a member of a peer counseling team on campus. “Even as you support them, you feel grateful that Islam protects you from such relationships.” 

To Ahmed, who admitted being envious of his friends in high school who were dating and pursuing romantic relationships, the experience of living with some of them as roommates brought a realization: “You know what, these guys aren’t actually happier than I am; in fact, many of them are pretty miserable!” 

Other students commit to avoiding intimacy in hopes of what they see as a more wholesome relationship in the future—marriage. “I strive to ensure I don’t do anything that I wouldn’t want my future spouse to have done,” was an ambition frequently echoed, as was the related goal of keeping oneself “pure” for the “one.” According to a Muslim chaplain at one Ivy League institution, this reasoning is particularly salient among Muslim men who are all too aware of the double standards that Muslim (and non-Muslim) communities have generally applied to male sexual relations as compared to female.

And the double standards are certainly prevalent. Most American Muslim families and communities avoid discussing female sexual desires, focusing on general discussions of modesty and “virtue.” The latter can sometimes be taken to unhealthy extremes, according to Rachel, a graduate from a college in NYC. 

“I had roommates who had boyfriends who would spend the night at our dorm,” she said. “I had a burning desire to explore that [sexual] side too. But I had so much fear. It was drilled into me that, if I sinned, my future husband would find out; I would be divorced, my life ruined, my family humiliated. I just wish someone had acknowledged my desires positively, or at least reminded me that no amount of past sins are greater than Allah’s Mercy.”

Even amongst her friends, noted Nura, a graduate from an elite private institution, female sexual desires could be taboo. Though some of her Muslima friends openly discussed strategies like running on a treadmill to cope with intense feelings, others shied away from any mention of them—even if it pertained to religious teachings. 

To illustrate, Nura recalled a time when she and some friends made wudu (a ritual washing of the hands, face, and feet; which is a prerequisite to performing the five daily prayers mandated on Muslims). On their way to the multi-faith prayer room on campus, one of them met a male friend and they hugged. She then asked the other girls to return to the bathroom so she could make wudu again. Nura was surprised for, per her understanding of Islam, nothing had transpired that would break the wudu. Her friend explained that Nura’s knowledge was correct according to the school of Islamic jurisprudence followed by Nura. However, the friend’s family had raised her in a different school which considers the wudu void if you touch a na-mahram, a person from the opposite gender (such as a friend or cousin) who you could legally marry. 

Upon hearing this, another girl rejoined that, actually, the wudu is void only if the touch arouses an intense bout of passion accompanied by fluid discharge. Controversy ensued.

“The other friends who were with us suddenly became visibly agitated and exclaimed that we shouldn’t be talking about such shameful things,” Nura recalled. “But the Quran itself mentions female desire!” 

***

The open acknowledgment of sexual desires in the Quranic account of Yusuf surprises some modern Muslims—the discussion appears to them a bit too explicit, perhaps even erotic. For centuries, however, Muslims across the world have celebrated the narrative, versifying it in poetry and illustrating it in manuscripts. This is partly because these Muslims recognized—as do many Muslim students today with whom I spoke—that powerful desires are a gateway to God.

Resistance through worship [PC: Ashkan Forouzani (unsplash)]

“In resisting his desires, Prophet Yusuf became closer to Allah ,” reflected one student. “Living on a campus with all these temptations is likewise an opportunity for me to get closer to God. But like Prophet Yusuf , I must be humble. When faced with the seductive offer, he sought refuge in Allah —and then ran to the door. So I have to ensure that even as I’m seeking Allah’s help, I also don’t put myself in spaces that I know are seductive.”

For Siddiq, the relationship between desire and spiritual growth was revealed during his sophomore year. Infatuated with a fellow Muslim student, he experienced heartbreak when she chose to remain his sister-in-faith. The experience, however, transformed him. 

“Until that moment, I had never tasted true love—love as an obsession, where you can only see this one person and everything else ceases to be visible, even to exist, [where] all that matters is to speak with her, to be near to her,” he recalled. “This, I realized, is a glimpse of how the lovers of Allah see Him,” he said. 

In terms of the Muslim profession of faith, La ilaha illa Allah (No god but Allah ), Siddiq now had experiential knowledge of that first negation: la. 

In his struggles with same-sex desires, Muhammad, too, has reached the conclusion that unfulfilled desires can lead to God. The way he sees it, “this world was never meant to be a place of ultimate fulfillment.” When Prophet Musa (Moses), out of his overwhelming love for God, desired to see Him, God replied: “You cannot see Me.” According to the reported sayings of Prophet Muhammad , the ultimate blessing in Paradise will be to gaze at God.

“This life, however, is not— cannot—be the place where the veils are lifted between the lover and the beloved,” said Muhammad. “So I strive to channel my insatiable feelings toward getting closer to Him, hoping for union in the next life. It’s not a solution for everyone, certainly, and it doesn’t always work for me, But it gives me strength, at times, and hope.”

Even to those students whose desires may find a permissible outlet in this world, the spiritual is not out of sight. For Urooj, fantasies of a fulsome sexual relationship after marriage are made more meaningful in spiritual terms: “The pleasure of sexual intimacy is a taste of the flavors of Paradise, according to our scholars. It’s something to enjoy together with one’s spouse, so that both may be grateful for the blessing bestowed by Allah .” 

Thinking about marriage has also transformed the very meaning of sexual intimacy for some Muslim students. Witnessing what he saw as the strained, sometimes broken, marital bonds of some of his close friends, Ahmed felt his rosy image of marriage wilting—until he spent time with what he described as more stable Muslim families. The peace and meaning he experienced in their homes alerted him to a new way of conceiving sex. 

“I realized that, in Islam, sexual intimacy is situated within a wider cosmic space of a much deeper relationship,” he said. “In contrast, for some of my friends who were sleeping around in college, the act had lost meaning. It seemed that they felt a post-climactic emptiness, like you feel after a binge watch, or when you devour a lot of dessert. On the other hand, these Muslim couples—even though they too would fight and quarrel—seemed to be basking in the pleasure, close to each other, closer to God.”

For Aysha, the realization that your relationship with your spouse could be a metaphor for your relationship with God came through reading: “I was perusing a 17th-century text on Islamic mysticism and came across the line: ‘does not every lover desire to be near their beloved in the darkness of night?’ I thought the author was describing marriage—he was talking about tahajjud (the voluntary night prayers).”

The seductive echoes of haita lak are thus not the only ones reverberating through the campus air; the morning breeze also rings with hayya ala al-salat (come to prayer), hayya ala al-falah (come to success)—the words of the azan recited in mosques across the US. To some, the two calls can often be heard simultaneously. Together, they symbolize the temptations and aspirations that college life presents for many Muslim students in America.

Related:

– Modesty And Gender In Islam: A Reconciliation

– A Statement From Straight Struggle Muslims

– How University Made Me a Better Muslim

The post Beyond Repression: Muslim Sexuality On Campus appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Ali’s argument hinges in large part on a comparison between the beleaguered and bullied Muslim community post-9/11 to the LGBTQ community now. A major problem with this analogy is that the LGBTQ community is not just the alienated homosexual coworker, the ostracized trans neighbor, or the bullied lesbian high school student, each deserving of compassion and pastoral care, qualities Ali implies the drafters and signatories of a statement outlining traditional Muslim gender and sexual ethics lack. Contrary to the image evoked by the kinds of individuals mentioned above, the LGBTQ community, collectively, happens to be one of the most powerful and influential political groups in this country and it is using that power to advance a revolutionary socio-political project. As the true nature and full implications of that project become clear, many people who were formerly silent concerning LGBTQ issues are reacting. This includes many Muslims. In short, Muslims are not reacting to the political opportunism of the right-wing, as Ali implies, they are reacting to the shock and revulsion generated by the increasingly tyrannical LQBTQ political project.

Unlike the LGBTQ community, both in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and now, Muslims are one of the weakest political communities in this country. Consider the following example: This year’s “Pride Day” celebrations witnessed thousands of LGBTQ individuals marching through the streets of this country, some of them shouting, “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children!” Many in the LGBTQ community are seeking to distance themselves from this repugnant slogan claiming that it represents the views of a radical fringe in their movement, that it was sordid humor, or that the words are being taken out of context. The LGBTQ political project, however, will only succeed if it gains perpetuity. That requires normalizing its lifestyles among the nation’s children. Hence, in public schools and libraries, as well as in popular culture, we increasingly see policies that would lead one to believe they are coming for our children.

The strength of the LGBTQ community allows the above-mentioned slogan to be publicly uttered without censure. It allows vulgar pole dances on mock crucifixions of Christ to be performed in front of churches without rebuke. These public acts are the tip of a much darker iceberg. Some will say that queer activists undertaking such actions are only stretching the limits of free speech. Whatever the case, the strength of the LGBTQ community is such that these acts are generally unchallenged. On the other hand, the relative weakness of the Muslim community is such that we know what kind of backlash would ensue if thousands of Muslims were to march through the streets shouting, “We’re here, we’re Muslim, we’re coming for your freedoms,” or some similarly ridiculous slogan. That backlash would be fierce and would allow for no justifications based on free speech. These vastly different responses illustrate the fallacious nature of the analogy Ali is attempting to draw.

Furthermore, Muslims are incapable of imposing Islamically-defined meanings of Shari’ah on the children of this country. In many American states, however, LGBTQ activists possess the ability to impose their literature and curricula on our children and are doing so with gusto. The implications of that imposition are something uncritical Muslim defenders of LGBTQ rights fail to consider. For example, Ali writes:

“But is it truly inclusive and tolerant to signal to L.G.B.T.Q. kids or L.G.B.T.Q. parents that simply reading a book or learning about their existence might be so threatening and offensive that it requires an opt-out option in schools? How would Muslim parents feel if this were applied to children’s books about Ramadan or Hajj?”

The problem with this statement is its equating books about the devotional practices of a major world religion to a body of literature that includes, among other things, traumatizing pornographic images. Books like Gender Queer, It’s Perfectly Normal, and others are replete with nudity, young same-sex couples naked in bed together, boys performing oral sex with each and other revolting images. Is the impact of reading about Ramadan or Hajj going to be the same on the hearts and minds of young children as viewing these images? Pictures of the Kaaba or a delicious Iftar meal will be soon forgotten by a non-Muslim child. A Muslim child, or any other for that matter, who views some of the images in many of the LGBTQ books populating our classrooms and school libraries will have his or her innocence permanently stolen. These books are not intended to teach children about the existence of a community, as Ali claims. They are designed to indoctrinate children into the acceptance of and possible participation in lifestyles that are antithetical to Muslim religious and ethical teachings.

In addition to imposing foul reading material on our children, the political power of the LGBTQ community allows teachers, in some states, to ask elementary school children if they would prefer to be a boy or a girl on a given day. Parents cannot opt out of this and other pernicious practices. We all know that a Muslim teacher would never be allowed to ask a Jewish or Christian student if he or she would like to spend the day as a Muslim. Were that to happen, the teacher would be fired, and the school possibly set on fire.

Advocates for the LGBTQ community readily employ the language of love, compassion, pastoral care, fairness, and justice. These are wonderful qualities. Do they only apply, however, to LGBTQ kids and their families? Where is the love for those children, Muslims as well as others, who are being traumatized by the pornography? Where is the compassion for those depressed by the generally cruel and crude dismissal of their own as well as their parents’ values? Where is the pastoral care for the growing legions of confused first graders who are threatened with expulsion if they don’t call the boy they knew as Tommy, Tammy, because he now identifies as a girl? Where is the love for the girls who fight the urge to urinate until they return home from school because their restrooms are open to biological men? Where is the compassion for the millions of kids confused and conflicted because they are forced to think about sex and gender identity before they even know what the terms mean? Where is the fairness for Payton McNabb, a female athlete who suffered a severe concussion after being hit by a ball spiked by a transgender female during a high school volleyball game? Where is the justice for other female athletes who work tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of their chosen sport, only to see their records shattered by biological men?  Where is the love for the growing number of Muslims who see themselves forced to uproot their families and migrate to various parts of the Muslim world in order to raise their children in a manner consistent with their faith? Where is the compassion for the growing number of employees forced to wear Pride lapel pins or lose their jobs? Are we Muslims able to force anyone to wear star and crescent pins? Where is the pastoral care for the California parents who face the possibility of having their children taken away if they, the parents, don’t affirm their children’s chosen gender identity (pending the passage of Assembly Bill 957)? Where is the compassion for my neighbor’s male child who was undressed by his first-grade teacher, placed in a pink dress, and told pink for girls, blue for boys, and dresses and pants don’t mean anything? Older students might have been told that even the idea of boys and girls is a meaningless social construct or an oppressive narrative-informed performance.

Part of the LGBTQ political project, following the ideological lead of the likes of Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Eve Sedgwick, and others, is the destruction of all traditional views concerning gender, sex, and sexuality, which they consider oppressive socially constructed phenomena. Liberation lies in the deconstruction of traditional views of sex, sexuality, and gender, which amounts to the abolition of the family as we have known it here in the West. For these theorists, the traditional family is an inconvenient truth that has to be abolished before wider societal changes can be realized. Therefore, by way of example, Sophie Lewis, in a May 16, 2016, interview in, The Nation, states:

“It sounds scary, emotionally, when some people hear the phrase “family abolition.” But when we say we want to abolish the family, we’re not talking about taking away the few relationships and infrastructures of love that we have in this world. Of course, the private household and the family are where so many of us get the vast majority of nourishment and solace. The question that family abolition is interested in is whether that’s good enough, whether that’s a good thing—that there is such a scarcity involved. We know that the nuclear private household is where the overwhelming majority of abuse can happen. And then there’s the whole question of what it is for: training us up to be workers, training us to be inhabitants of a binary-gendered and racially stratified system, training us not to be queer.”

The family, in Lewis’ view, is ultimately harmful and must be replaced by a queer-affirming, surrogate state. This language is echoed by Black Lives Matter (BLM), as an organization. As a movement, BLM has helped to broaden and deepen a critically important conversation around the disproportionate number of Black folks killed by police in this country. It has also been able to help initiate long overdue reforms in the way policing occurs in many poor black and brown communities. However, as an organization, it advocates a queer-affirming network to disrupt the traditional family as a precursor to a radically new social structure. We have seen where radical efforts to restructure the family have led to in places like Stalin’s Soviet Union, Mao’s China, or Pol Pot’s Cambodia. The LGBTQ project, which ultimately desires a societal transformation as radical as the three projects I mention here, has no future if our children inherit our “heterosexual normality.” Hence, the frenzied effort to indoctrinate them into the LGBTQ worldview.

Ali questions why a group of Muslim scholars would unite to speak out against this project. He mentions that gun violence, after all, is the leading cause of death for American children. Let me emphasize that the death of one child by gun violence is one too many. That said, however, it is exceedingly rare for an Imam or Shaykh to receive the news that one of his young congregants has been killed with a gun. Every day, however, Muslim religious leaders all over this country are being told of children coming home from school asking their parents if they are straight or gay; inquiring about why the man reading a story to them had a dress on; told that their teacher told the boys there is nothing wrong if they think they are girls, or vice versa; of parents planning to move to Florida or leave the country in order to save their children; of kids informing their parents that they were forced to read a book containing “nasty” pictures; teenagers coming home announcing to their parents that they have same-sex boyfriends or girlfriends; etc.

Hence, the unified response from the Imams, Shaykhs, professors, and community leaders who signed the statement referenced earlier is generated by neither “the current political hysteria,” a newfound affinity for the right-wing, nor a meanspirited homo or transphobia. It is birthed by the reality on the ground in most of our communities. It should not be surprising if that reality is unifying the community’s leadership, or pushing Muslims into an alliance with Christians, conservatives, or others similarly appalled by the accelerating indoctrination of our children into a lifestyle antithetical to Abrahamic beliefs, values, and culture.

Still, defenders of the LGBTQ project ask, “what is the big deal?” To begin answering that question let us return to the issue of children dying of gun violence. In 2021, approximately 3,600 children between the ages of 1-18 died of gunshots. There are 73 million American children in that age demographic. Those killed by gun violence represent 0.0049% of our youth. Again, one unnecessary death, as the Qur’an reminds us, is one too many. On the other hand, the LGBTQ project, as it is currently proceeding, threatens to affect millions of young people, most in negative ways.

Let us begin with the effects of homosexuality on men. Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s, Program for LGBTQ Health, mentions ten health concerns for homosexual men. They are HIV/AIDS, Anal Papilloma, Hepatitis, Substance Abuse, Depression and Anxiety, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Prostate, Testicular, and Colon Cancer, Alcohol, Tobacco, Body Image Problems, and Obesity. This list is based on research conducted at one of the country’s leading and most reputable universities. It is evil to expose children to a form of social engineering that could possibly lead millions of them, unnecessarily, into a lifestyle that poses these health risks.

As for transgender folks, according to the Cleveland Clinic (CC), they face very serious health concerns, mostly psychological. CC lists among them anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Again, the LGBTQ project is creating a cultural milieu where millions of children are being exposed to conditions that lead to lifestyles carrying these extremely harmful consequences.

If we consider the startling increase in Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD), we again see the effect of the environment fostered by the LGBTQ project. An early study of ROGD, Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1655 Possible Cases, reached the following conclusion:

ROGD is believed to be a culture-bound syndrome, which did not exist until recently when transgender issues began to attract considerable cultural attention. Furthermore, ROGD has been hypothesized to be socially contagious. Adolescents who know others with ROGD are more likely to acquire ROGD themselves.

Advocates of the ROGD theory view the dramatic increase in referrals to gender clinics with alarm. They are concerned that adolescents with ROGD are at risk of unnecessary, harmful, and irreversible psychological and medical interventions.

[Note: This article has been retracted for reasons unrelated to what I highlight here. These conclusions are supported by other research. I quote from this article because of the concise summary of the relevant issues.]

An example of the abuses resulting from hasty referrals for gender transitioning surgeries, rushed approvals for puberty blockers, and inadequate diagnoses have led to the closure of The United Kingdom’s only dedicated gender transitioning clinic. The breakneck speed with which the LGBTQ agenda is being implemented in our schools and other public institutions makes such abuses inevitable here.

Other areas of widespread societal harm are associated with exposing children to pornography. The American College of Pediatricians, in an article entitled, The Impact of Pornography on Children, makes the following observations:

Pornography exposure to these young children often results in anxiety for the child. Children also report feelings of disgust, shock, embarrassment, anger, fear, and sadness after viewing pornography. These children can suffer all of the symptoms of anxiety and depression. They may become obsessed with acting out adult sexual acts that they have seen, and this can be very disruptive and disturbing to the child’s peers who witness or are victimized by this behavior. Children who have viewed pornography are more likely to sexually assault their peers. In sum, children exposed to pornographic material are at risk for a broad range of maladaptive behaviors and psychopathology.

The danger of pornography being introduced to children in our schools at ever younger ages is compounded by the fact that much of it could be categorized as child pornography.

Do LGBTQ activists think that an overbearing attempt to normalize sexual acts and orientations not shared by most of society will lead to the end of bullying and other negative behavior towards members of their community? If they do, they are sorely mistaken. It is folly to think that the radical “disruption” of centuries-old practices, cherished traditions, and hallowed beliefs, will produce anything other than social anarchy and an increasingly radical resistance that will only harden and deepen animosity towards their community. Hence, the radical LGBTQ agenda is likely to create conditions antithetical to those it may be desirous of fostering.

There is so much more to be said about this issue. I will conclude by responding to something not mentioned by Ali, but increasing advanced by defenders of the LGBTQ project. Namely, that those opposing that agenda are rallying to the side of white supremacy. This is a ridiculous accusation, especially when levied against Muslims, an overwhelmingly nonwhite community. Not only are Muslims who oppose the LGBTQ socio-political project willing to stand in solidarity with white Christians or conservatives, they also stand in solidarity with a growing array of African American clerics, educators, and politicians. Likewise, they stand in solidarity with the entirety of the nonwhite Muslim World and all of Africa in opposing a frontal assault on traditional values and religions. How could standing with the Muslim Ummah and Africa to preserve non-European understandings of society constitute support for white supremacy?

I would argue from far more solid ground that the effort of our government to force the LGBTQ project upon the nations of Africa and the Muslim World is itself a form of white supremacy. I say this because that agenda is rooted in the thought of Foucault, Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, and Eve Sedgwick, whom we previously mentioned, as well as others, all of whom are white. As far as our government is concerned, it too is overwhelmingly white. Hence, you have white folks trying to impose a Euro-American ideology on black and brown folks accusing those opposing it of white supremacy!

The fact that American Muslims were or still are vilified by elements of the right wing in this country has nothing to do with what is happening to children in our schools and public institutions. We are all reacting to a situation we did not create.  It is the shortsighted, heavy-handed overreach of the LGBTQ movement that has created the circumstances generating a counter-movement. The possible emergence of an alliance around this issue between Muslims, the Christian right, and white conservatives might well be an example of politics making strange bedfellows. It might, however, be an example of what happens when Hubris awakens Nemesis.

 – Imam Zaid Shakir

Related:

– Sticky Situations: Helping Muslim Kids Navigate LGBTQ – MuslimMatters.org

– [Podcast] Man2Man: The LGBTQ+ Curriculum, Public Schools, & Islamic Values | Omar Abdul Fatah – MuslimMatters.org

The post A Response To Wajahat Ali: American Muslims And The LGBTQ Political Project appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The post A Statement From Straight Struggle Muslims appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Former public school teacher Omar Abdul Fatah speaks to Irtiza Hasan about the LGBTQ+ movement’s powerful presence in public schools and ongoing legislation endangering parental and religious leaders when dealing with LGBTQ+ concerns. Brother Omar explains his experiences as a teacher within the public school system, and lays out what Muslim parents must know about what their children are being exposed to and taught to internalize. He also provides valuable tools for Muslim parents to understand and navigate the current environment with their children.

Omar Abdul Fatah is a BC Certified teacher who has taught in Canada and abroad. He started his career teaching English in Japan before moving back to Canada to eventually join the Surrey school district as a high school teacher. He currently teaches English, social studies, and physical & health education at Surrey Muslim School. Br. Omar has been featured in a TEDx event where he talked about the relationship between logic, science, and faith. He currently serves as the president of Ask a Muslim Canada, a registered non-profit with the primary objective of educating Canadians about Islam.

Related:

 – The MM Recap: Islam And The LGBTQ+ Movement

The post [Podcast] Man2Man: The LGBTQ+ Curriculum, Public Schools, & Islamic Values | Omar Abdul Fatah appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

In navigating these concerns, the Muslim community allied itself with the political left as a form of self-preservation, specifically with the LGBTQ community. The working idea was that “securing their rights was securing our rights” according to Muslim political activists leading the charge in these discussions. Unfortunately, the demand of the LGBTQ community has expanded from a reciprocal recognition of rights to demanding a full-throated acceptance and of lifestyle and ideology.

Anything less than affirming belief in their ideas results in “cancellation”. Cancellation includes (and isn’t limited to) internet bullying, harassment, death threats to the person and their family, doxing, contacting employers, and even banning from countries. Disagreement of any sort is medicalized as trauma and the repeated refrain is that disagreement causes suicide.

Unfortunately, our political activists and leaders haven’t provided sufficient direction in expressing the normative position of Islam regarding gender ideology and sexual ethics.  Rather than fighting for our right to live according to our position, our political activists have embraced the LGBTQ community, their talking points, and their agenda. Rather than representing Muslim interests to our political allies, they’ve become progressive left representatives pushing these ideas back into the Muslim community.

Coupled with the fear of reprisal for individuals speaking out, this has led to silence from most community leaders. Silence, however, is no longer an option given the threats not only to adults, but now to children as well.  Progressive left activists have infiltrated school boards, corporate boardrooms, and government institutions (both federal and local). We are now expected to believe that gender is a construct, that children can be told there are many genders, and that although they might not know what it is upfront, can figure it out and turn themselves into whatever they wish with puberty blockers, hormones, and mutilation.  All of us are now told not only is this allowable, but it can also happen without parental consent.

And it doesn’t stop there – school libraries have become repositories for pornographic gay books, public libraries have been the launching grounds for twerking drag queens to dress in nothing and shake their genitals at little kids, and progressive leftists are unabashedly defending this filth publicly on TV and other media platforms.

We are long past overdue for a statement from Muslim scholars, leaders, and thought leaders across the Sunni theological divide uniting and clarifying as one voice the normative Islamic position both generally as well as specifically in considering the new ideas that are mainstreaming in Western societies. This newly released statement – titled “Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam”– clarifies the following:

Moral Disagreement isn’t Intolerance

“We reject the notion that moral disagreement amounts to intolerance or incitement of violence.” Due to our faith, as the statement says, “…sexual relations are permitted within the bounds of marriage, and marriage can only occur between a man and a woman.” This also means we don’t consider premarital or extramarital sexual relationships as sanctioned by our faith. We don’t believe in viewing pornography, drinking alcohol, eating pork, and more fundamentally, worshiping other than Allah as moral behavior.

Does that mean that for every person’s lifestyle choices and ideas -that they have the legal right to make- we don’t affirm, we are intolerant? Of course not. And likewise, we don’t believe that other faith groups (or those with no faith) who disagree with our beliefs are intolerant of us either.

Islamic Marriage is the Only Way for Sexual Relationships

As mentioned earlier, the only type of sexual relationship recognized as morally sanctioned in our faith is between a man and a woman. This not only dis-includes homosexual relationships, but pre-marital and extra-marital heterosexual relationships. The statement also affirms the consensus position from Muslim scholars on homosexuality, that it is explicitly forbidden and considered an abomination as stated in the Quran.

Biological Sex, Gender Identity, and Gender-Affirming Care

“As such, as a general rule, Islam strictly prohibits medical procedures intended to change the sex of healthy individuals, regardless of whether such procedures are termed gender “affirming” or “confirming.””

The statement points out that Allah has created us as male and female, that we aren’t permitted to change our biology to match our internal state, and that men and women generally shouldn’t attempt to imitate the ways of the other.

Thoughts, Feelings, Desires, and Inclinations

“Islam distinguishes between feelings, actions, and identity. God holds individuals accountable for their words and actions, not for their involuntary thoughts and feelings.” For those experiencing feelings of same-sex attraction or gender confusion, they are not sinful for having such feelings or experiencing thoughts and inclinations – what’s important is whether they act on them and try to bring them to fruition.

For Muslim Political Figures

“We urge Muslim public figures to uphold the sanctity of our faith and refrain from making erroneous pronouncements on behalf of Islam. We reject any attempt to attribute positions to Islam concerning sexual and gender ethics that contravene well-established Islamic teachings.” This is for politicians and activists.  Many of them have gone well out of their lane in making pronouncements on behalf of the faith in terms of what we should support.

Final Thoughts

This statement marks a good start towards mainstreaming the normative Islamic position on LGBTQ issues proliferating throughout the West. For the purpose of sharing our positions with a non-Muslim audience, this document can be a good resource. Going forward we will need continual engagement from Muslim scholars in concert with subject matter experts on this while it remains a concern infiltrating all sectors of society, especially our children’s schools, the entertainment they consume, and the online spaces they follow.  This cannot and should not be a one-and-done effort. Likewise, our community has to be willing to stand behind our leaders when they take these stances at risk to themselves and their families. We have to be willing to risk ourselves and stand up for our principles and values and even bear the brunt of the consequences.

The full statement can be found here.

Here are what some of the signatories are saying about the statement:

•  Sh. Hatem al-Haj:  Hatem al-Haj – Sharing a Profound Position Statement: Muslim… | Facebook
• Dr. Omar Suleiman: Omar Suleiman – This has been in the works for some time, and I am… | Facebook
• Imam Suhaib Webb: Suhaib Webb – Thankful to the scholars and thought leaders who… | Facebook
• Dr. Yasir Qadhi: Yasir Qadhi – Alḥamdulillah after many weeks of working with a… | Facebook

Related:

– The MM Recap: Islam And The LGBTQ+ Movement – MuslimMatters.org

– Fatwa Regarding Transgenderism – MuslimMatters.org

The post Over 130 Muslim Religious Leaders Release Statement Clarifying LGBTQ Position In Islam appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

For example, humans must recognize that their ultimate purpose is to worship God alone. A life that fails to fulfill this most fundamental purpose is ultimately a failed one, even if other secondary purposes are achieved, such as having good health, a great family life, etc.¹

A Violation of Purpose

Similarly, our sexual organs have purposes assigned to them. Consider anal intercourse, for example. Muslim scholars have mentioned different reasons why anal intercourse is forbidden;² however, a core reason behind why anal intercourse, heterosexual³ or otherwise, is forbidden in Islam is that using the anus as a vessel for penile penetration is a violation of the purpose and wisdom it was created for.⁴ It is not merely using it for a purpose other than its primary one but rather misusing and perverting its use for a disordered end.⁵ Muslim scholars have explained this perversion by highlighting that Allah commands that the woman’s vagina be the only vessel for penal penetration and reception for semen in the Qur’an, as this is the mechanism via which procreation may actualize (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:187 & 222-223). Anal intercourse is a means to frustrating this process by wasting the “seed” that ought to have been emitted into the vagina.⁶

This may spur one to consider whether ejaculating through oral sex or being masturbated should equally be prohibited in Islam as they entail the man “wasting his seed” by failing to emit semen into the vagina. However, these are not sufficiently analogous, as the hands⁷ and mouths⁸ are not being utilized as receptacles for semen, nor are they being misused as organs by being penilely penetrated like the anus in anal intercourse.⁹

The Many Functions Of Sexual Intercourse

How about the use of contraceptives when engaging in penile-vaginal intercourse?¹⁰ Should this not be objected to because the man’s seed is being wasted? This need not be the case as long as the contraceptive measures do not result in a permanent inability to conceive children. The Prophet permitted coitus interruptus, understanding that such contraceptive measures do not impact Allah’s decree on whether one will be conceived.¹¹ This is evident when one looks at stats¹² or hears anecdotally about the significant rise of unplanned births and how many couples ‘mistakenly’ get pregnant.

Married couples need not intentionally aim to procreate each time they engage in penile-vaginal intercourse, as sex also serves the purpose of strengthening bonds between husband and wife and protects one from satiating his sexual desires through illicit outlets. Moreover, having too many children within such a short period could prove a burden for parents who cannot physically cope with the pressures of child-rearing past a certain threshold. This could compromise other purposes for which they were created, such as sufficiently attending to their worship, physical and mental health, and other religiously ordained roles and duties.¹³

The same goes for sex between infertile/sterile couples. Even if they have no reason to think that their sexual activities would likely result in procreation, penile-vaginal intercourse remains morally licit.

Nevertheless, one might object by saying that if it is not essential to aim to procreate during sexual intercourse as in the case during the use of contraceptives and with sterile/infertile couples, then why cannot a couple, heterosexual or otherwise, engage in anal sexual intercourse with the intent that it functions to safeguard one’s sexual exclusivity to his spouse, in addition to cementing the loving bonds between couples?

Biological Orientation

The critical difference lies in the fact that the vagina is the only sexual organ that has been created teleologically fit for penile penetration and reception of a man’s seed. Penile-vaginal intercourse is biologically and essentially oriented toward procreation, even if not every instance of the act intentionally aims toward procreation by those engaged in it. The act of penile-vaginal intercourse itself is the same, regardless of whether it is done by infertile/sterile couples or with contraceptives. Whether a child is conceived is only an extrinsic affair that impacts the consequences of that act, not the act itself.¹⁴

Thus, as an act that retains its essential feature of being biologically ordered toward procreation, vaginal sex within a morally licit framework maintains its ethical legitimacy. Sodomy and other homosexual behaviors, on the other hand, expressly dishonor this procreative paradigm, violating the sexual telos for which God has endowed man with sexual organs, abandoning the gendered complementarity between men and women (both physiologically and otherwise), and “placing something in its improper place” (wada’a shay fi ghayri maw’di’ihi) – the very definition of injustice (zulm) in the Islamic Sharia.

In summary, this short piece did not intend to provide an independent rational argument for the immorality of anal intercourse. Even though we believe as Muslims that Allah’s legislations are grounded in wise purposes and are for the betterment of mankind, this need not translate into thinking that every single legislation of God could be definitively and demonstratively validated rationally independent of divine revelation.

This piece only explores why Allah prohibited anal intercourse, and we have learned that such an act involves perverting and misusing our sexual organs and disordering the purposes affixed to them by God. Anal intercourse cannot, by its very essence, equate to vaginal intercourse, as its biological disordering away from procreation is not suited to truly, in reality, buttress the union and bonds between a couple. It violates the teleological fittingness Allah has placed in terms of the sexual paradigm He has set for human beings to follow. It is a paradigm meant to maximize human flourishing by strengthening family bonds and promoting an ethically licit mechanism for reproductive striving.

Related reading:

– Can Islam Accommodate Homosexual Acts? Quranic Revisionism and the Case of Scott Kugle

Can Islam Accommodate Homosexual Acts? Quranic Revisionism and the Case of Scott Kugle

– Loving Muslim Marriage Episode #1: Is it Haraam to Talk About Sex?

Loving Muslim Marriage Episode #1: Is it Haraam to Talk About Sex?

The post Anal Intercourse : Why Is It Prohibited In Islam? appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

In North America, the month of June has been labeled “Pride Month” – dedicated to celebrating and promoting everything LGBTQ+ related. Almost every public institution features rainbow flags, the slogans “Love is Love” and “Love Wins”, pride parades, and more. More than ever, Muslims find themselves bombarded with messaging that can leave us confused, concerned, and conflicted. Inevitably, Muslim children and youth -and even adults- ask themselves, “What does Islam actually say about homosexuality?” How should we feel about the LGBTQ+ community?” “What about queer Muslims?”

Here at MuslimMatters, we have published many valuable pieces over the years on LGBTQ+ related topics, to provide awareness, wisdom, and guidance on how to handle these issues. These articles are unapologetically based on Islamic values and knowledge, spanning personal experiences with same-sex attraction, to compassionate advice, to scholarly and academic insights. We pray that each piece is a source of benefit to our readers in clarifying Islamic perspectives regarding homosexuality on the personal, political, and academic level.

Personal Perspectives, Experience, and Advice for Gay Muslims:

• Podcast: A Way Beyond the Rainbow

“A Way Beyond the Rainbow” is a podcast series discussing the everyday struggles of Muslims with same-sex attractions (SSA) who want to live a life true to Allah and Islam. This podcast series is a safe space for Muslims who struggle with SSA, as well as parents, family members, friends, imams, chaplains, community leaders, and the community at large.

• From a Same-Sex Attracted Muslim: Between Denial of Reality and Distortion of Religion

The essay in the link above is written by Br. Yousef, a Muslim with same-sex attractions. He, along with many other Muslims in his shoes, has committed to living his life on the basis of established Islamic moral and spiritual teachings. In addition, Br. Yousef has moderated an online support group for same-sex attracted Muslims (www.straightstruggle.com) for the past 13 years, giving him a wealth of experience and a unique perspective from which to address this topic. His essay is addressed to imams, chaplains, Muslim activists and community leaders, to the Muslim community at large, and to other fellow Muslims who find themselves dealing with same-sex desires and attractions.

From a Same-Sex Attracted Muslim: Between Denial of Reality and Distortion of Religion

• Gay and Muslim?

“I am a 19-year-old Muslim girl and I’m sexually attracted to other girls. Please don’t judge me. I know it’s not right to act on my feelings and so far I haven’t, alhamdulillah. But I come from a good Muslim family, and now I live away from home for college and it’s getting more & more difficult to stay away from sin.” Umm Zakiyya gently provides wisdom and insight to a young Muslim woman struggling with same-sex attraction, and highlights important points on how to lovingly and spiritually support Muslims in similar situations without supporting homosexuality itself.

Gay and Muslim?

• Girls and Sexuality: Understanding What Parents and Muslim Communities Can Do For Their Daughters

Certified therapist Menahal Begawala shares her experiences and insight on counseling Muslim girls struggling with their sexuality. She explores the psycho-social elements of female sexuality, sexual identity vs sexualization, and practical ways that Muslim parents, educators, and leaders can address the subject of girls and same-sex attraction.

Girls and Sexuality: Understanding What Parents and Muslim Communities Can Do For Their Daughters

• Dealing With Homosexual Urges: Yasir Qadhi to Muslim Student

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi responds to a male Muslim student asking for advice on same-sex attraction. The shaykh’s discussion touches on the issue of hypersexualization in society, the importance of personal restraint, and a reminder that desires do not necessitate action.

Dealing With Homosexual Urges: Yasir Qadhi to Muslim Student

• What’s The Matter? | Married Man Attracted to Same Sex

A married Muslim man wrote in to MuslimMatters, asking for advice on how to handle his sexual attraction to men. Afshana Haque, a professor of marriage and family therapy, writes back with compassionate insight and support.

What’s The Matter? | Married Man Attracted to Same Sex

Political and Academic:

• Can Islam Accommodate Homosexual Acts? Quranic Revisionism and the Case of Scott Kugle

Scott Kugle’s work on homosexuality in Islam is touted as a seminal work in academic and liberal circles as “proof” that Islam does not prohibit homosexuality. Ustadh Mobeen Vaid comprehensively dismantles Kugle’s arguments by drawing upon Islamic scholarship and identifying the academic dishonesty and lies that are used to support Kugle’s work.

Can Islam Accommodate Homosexual Acts? Quranic Revisionism and the Case of Scott Kugle

• Where The Rainbow Ends: American Muslims And LGBT Activism

American Muslim promotion of the LGBTQ+ freedom and equality platform has drastically undermined the ability of the Muslim community itself to live with, or even conceive of, a conception of freedom and equality that would be most conducive to sexual probity, moral decency, and the preservation of faith across generations. Ustadh Mobeen Vaid critically examines the trajectory of American Muslims with regards to LGBTQ+ activism.

Where The Rainbow Ends: American Muslims And LGBT Activism

• An Open Letter to Muslims Regarding Islam, Homosexuality, and The American Way of Life

Imam Mikaeel Smith writes an open letter to the Muslim community, addressing common arguments used to convince Muslims to support the LGBTQ+ cause, and reminding us of our spiritual foundations and values. Imam Mikaeel answers questions such as, “Is it okay to support the legal right to gay marriage?” and “Isn’t it hypocritical to ask for Muslim civil rights but not support gay civil rights?”

An Open Letter to Muslims Regarding Islam, Homosexuality, and The American Way of Life

• And the Male Is Not like the Female: Sunni Islam and Gender Nonconformity: Part 1 and Part 2

Ustadh Mobeen Vaid and Dr. Waheed Jensen write an in-depth paper that takes a deep dive into the issue of gender conformity and non-conformity, the mukhannathoon, transgenderism, and the medical and psychosocial implications of pursuing transition.

And the Male Is Not like the Female: Sunni Islam and Gender Nonconformity

“And the Male Is Not like the Female”: Sunni Islam and Gender Nonconformity (Part 2)

• Video: Gender, Sexuality, Morality & Identity In Islam | Dr. Sharif El Tobgui

A deep dive that compares and contrasts Western sexual mores and values with Islamic standards, tracking historical trends, modern legality, and changing social standards.

The post The MM Recap: Islam And The LGBTQ+ Movement appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

We will be sharing some of these perspectives below, as well as providing links to some scholarly resources on the topic.

 – A Muslim Doctor Weighs In

Banning abortion doesn’t prevent it–just makes it dangerous.

The BEST way to prevent abortion? Prevent unwanted pregnancy! But they’re not tripping over themselves to fund contraception–or SNAP, or WIC…

That’s because it was never about “life.” It was always about *control*

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) May 4, 2022

I love how Justice Roberts believes that the *leak of* the opinion was a “singular and egregious breach of that trust,” but not the opinion itself from 3 justices who each testified before the Senate, under oath, that they wouldn’t overturn Roe.

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) May 3, 2022

Women will die because of this. And this dude’s serving buttered biscuits. https://t.co/L79VCLcIRJ

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) May 3, 2022

To appreciate the depths of the hypocrisy here, remember that the people celebrating the end of Roe—trying to force women to carry pregnancies to term, often against medical advice—were screaming “my body, my choice” about the inconvenience of wearing masks in a pandemic.

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) May 3, 2022

 – A Cautionary Take

Discussion on policy aside, we should be fastidious in making prescriptive statements like “Islam says xyz”. No madhab allows on-demand abortion, after particular time point is a grave sin barring specific allowances, and even most lenient position has multiple conditions. https://t.co/w5W8kAvDUu

— Heraa H. (@caveheraa) February 9, 2022

It’s another disservice to invoke authority when otherwise one is opposed to scholarly authority – not on certain opinions bc of evidence or usūl, but to align with modern slogans about sexual freedoms.

— Heraa H. (@caveheraa) May 4, 2022

theyre finally getting it https://t.co/pnkPuxzUfY

— chewhaqqa (@chewhaqqa) May 5, 2022

 – A Call to Nuanced Reflection

We cannot be so fearful of nuance that we wrongly attribute motivations like lenience, pandering, opportunism to a simple presentation of truth. Islam isn’t pro-life or pro-choice, and thinking about the topic in those terms shows we’re still playing someone else’s game. https://t.co/cw0q43mWO0

— tareq (@ibnabitareq) May 4, 2022

If you want to advocate for a side because you think it’s the best political strategy for Muslims, do your thing, but you’re in the realm of politics now, not religion. From the religious side, both are problematic & neither represent Islam. That’s not “lenience” or “pandering.”

— tareq (@ibnabitareq) May 4, 2022

 – Islamophobic Tropes in Abortion Discourse

One of the key arguments included in the leaked opinion to overturn #Roe and Casey is that criminalizing abortion is part of American history, predating to the colonial period. Americans have to grapple with their own violent history, rather than using Islamophobic comparisons. pic.twitter.com/MxFu2xlD2r

— Muslims for Just Futures (@MuslimsForJF) May 4, 2022

Not so friendly reminder to keep shari’ah out of your mouths right now. This ain’t got nothing to do with Islam or Muslims. This all good old patriotic white American evangelical fascism. Grown right here. Like Dennis Edwards said, don’t look any further.

— Dr. Donna Auston (@TinyMuslimah) May 4, 2022

Using Islam in the abortion debate (from either side!) is grossly reductive and Islamophobic. The sentiment has been either “omg this is sharia law” or “even Islam allows abortion.” Two sides of the coin. Both problematic.

Leave Islam & Muslims alone. This one is on you.

— Rowaida Abdelaziz (@Rowaida_Abdel) May 5, 2022

It’s easy to get swept away in emotion. But no real need to get Islamophobic while reacting to discrimination against women. pic.twitter.com/aV6OeH9hKz

— Ahmed Eldin | أحمد شهاب الدين (@ASE) May 3, 2022

2019: Gets paid $50k to speak at the largest Islamic conference in America.

2022: Still making sharia jokes. pic.twitter.com/1b5JzANVhB

— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) May 4, 2022

 – Scholarly Perspectives

2/ Our religion (and hence our morality) demands a higher level of academic integrity than just going with the flow. I advise anyone who wishes to comment from an Islamic perspective to first do some research before speaking on behalf of the faith on such a sensitive topic.

— Dr. Yasir Qadhi (@YasirQadhi) May 4, 2022

4/ It is the medical and mental well-being of the mother that is taken into account for such a decision, not one’s finances or inconvenience.
After the soul is blown in (at 4 months), there is near unanimous consensus on prohibition, unless a mother’s life is in clear danger.

— Dr. Yasir Qadhi (@YasirQadhi) May 4, 2022

5/ Many modern Muslims jump on either the ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’ bandwagon; I ask them to read & research before reaching an educated opinion. We have our own sources to teach morality!
Listen to this longer interview I did with Sh. Dr. Hatem el-Haj:https://t.co/UqjWuBoskB

— Dr. Yasir Qadhi (@YasirQadhi) May 4, 2022

Maybe the answer to “Pregnancy isn’t affordable” isn’t “abort fetuses” but actually lowering healthcare costs and accommodating parents in the workforce?
Abortion seems to be another symptom of vapid capitalistic culture. https://t.co/8lbcCfMrbj

— Joe (@joebradford) May 3, 2022

 Islamic Resources About Abortion:

• Reflections on Muslim Approaches to the Abortion Debate: The Problem of Narrow Conceptualization 
• What Does Shari’ah Really Say About Abortion in Islam?
• Islam and the Abortion Debate
• Islam and the Abortion Debate (video animation)

The post The Abortion Debate: A Muslim Social Media Roundup appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Pornography is a Muslim problem, while the discussion on Muslims and pornography consumption has begun to enter mainstream discussion, we often focus on pornography consumption being forbidden, without addressing causes, effects, or recovery from pornography consumption.

In this episode, we are joined by Abida Minhas, who is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor with a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She is also a founding member of MAPS, the Muslim Association for Psychological Services, which is a social enterprise whose purpose is to bridge the gap between mental health and the Muslim community.

 “A well-meaning religious counselor once advised me to consider getting married in order to overcome my porn addiction. After no luck giving it up, I considered marriage and pursued a courtship – only to realize half way in the process that I was still watching it. If I couldn’t stop while I was in a relationship with a real woman, who’s to say I would stop if we got married? I knew at that point that my behavior wasn’t just a bad habit; it was an addiction that had a life of its own.” Read now: 10 Tested Ways to Overcome Pornography Addiction

Excerpts From This Podcast

“Many times we presume that being married or getting into a relationship with “rid” you of this addiction, which is not true. We’re talking about something that’s become part of your habits and behaviors that has also affected your brain. It is very challenging to get rid of it by saying or doing just one thing.” 

“The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reports that 56% of divorce cases are unresolvable due to a partner’s obsession with pornography or their interest in pornographic websites. Addiction plays a big part, and believe it or not, it plays a big part in our Muslim communities as well. Many times we tend to brush it under the rug, or we have this stigmatized mentality that boys will be boys and that there are certain things that men are prone to do, but that is not true.”

“When someone comes with a problem, they say I have a real problem, I have a serious problem and then somebody says ‘well just make dua, or just go to the Imam and you’ll get better,’ imagine the guilt and shame that sets in. ‘Maybe I’m a terrible Muslim and this is why it’s happening to me. Maybe I’m not making enough dua or zhikr and this is why it’s happening to me.’’

If you put icing on a complex issue, that doesn’t mean it’s not complex on the inside. The icing looks good, but unfortunately it doesn’t solve the problem. I don’t think we need to do that anymore. SubhanAllah we have great leaders and members and Islamic scholars in our community, and they give us so much enrichment, MashaAllah, but with something like addiction, we need a multifaceted treatment. Our Islamic values and education is one factor of that, getting professional help is another factor of that. Altogether, this can have great outcomes.”

“Pornography and sex addiction start early on, around the adolescent years, because that’s when the brain is more predisposed to addictive behaviors. Many times, if that’s not helped or given any kind of prevention, then we will see an outcome in later years that has not gone away.”

Related Reading

“When I converted, people told me to forget my old life. They said it wasn’t necessary to think about what had happened and that Allah had forgiven my past mistakes, but nobody asked me if I had any trauma, addictions, or  mental health issues.” Read now: Drowning in Bottles: My Muslim Story of Addiction and Substance Use Disorder  

“This brother in his 60s with a beard and jubbah sat in front of me with his head hung down and hands clasped firmly together while his knuckles were turning white due to the pressure. I could see that talking about his issue was draining and it was taking every ounce of courage and willpower. He said he knew it was wrong and he was totally devastated and guilt ridden after each episode. He had huge regrets for he had caused so much sadness in their marriage but he just couldn’t stop acting out.” Read now: Confronting Sex and Porn Addiction in Muslims

The post Podcast: Pornography Addiction and the Muslim Community | Abida Minhas appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

When we talk about Taqwa, we often discuss things like trusting in Allah, avoiding sin, and being mindful of our obligations. We think a lot about staying away from sex on tv, in music, on our computer screens – but what if Taqwa means thinking more about sex – with our spouses instead?

The carnal desires that exist in men or women, in young men and young women before marriage, these are completely natural. Attempting to suppress them, or asking them to ignore them is simply not reasonable. Not only is it not reasonable, it is dangerous.

The Prophet ﷺ has not asked young men and young women to suppress their desires. What he asked them was to attempt to get married.Click To Tweet

Today we’re honored to be speaking with Ustadh Mukhtar Ba, who is an advanced student of Māliki Fiqh, Arabic grammar, Seerah Nabawiyya, Hadith, Aqeeda and Tasawwuf. In this podcast, Ustadh Ba discusses his article A Primer On Intimacy And Fulfillment Of A Wife’s Desires Based On The Writings Of Scholars Of The Past.

Just because people get married doesn’t mean they need to have children. I’m surprised that’s controversial. What’s the controversy?Click To Tweet

The post Podcast: Sex, Marriage, and Mutual Obligations in Islam | Ustadh Mukhtar Ba appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.