INTRODUCTION
Arguments both in favour and in opposition of same-sex marriages are often made on religious grounds and/or formulated in terms of religious doctrine. The Islamic views on homosexuality are formed from the writings of the Qur’an and various Hadith narrations. It is not only a sin, but a crime under Islamic law.
Definition of Terms
Homosexuality: Refers to feelings or Sexual activity between two people of the same gender.
Islam: Islam is a religion of peace also regarded as the voluntary submission to Almighty Allah.
Islamic Shari’ah law is extracted from both the Qur’an and hadiths. Homosexuality under this law, is not only a sin, but a punishable crime against God.
Quranic view on Homosexuality
The most notable of all on the issue of homosexuality is that of the people of Lot (ASW), he strongly warned them of the act. He said to his people “You commit Al-Faishah (sodomy – the worst sin) which none has preceded you in commiting it in the Aalamin (mankind and jinn)” Q 29 vs 28 but they never yield to his warning rather their response was for him to abscond from the town and those who believe in him. Q 7 vs 80-83. For in depth of the story, visit Q 11 vs 70-89, also Q 15 vs 59-74. There are other verses of the Holy Book that also go against homosexuality in reference to the people of Prophet Lot (ASW). It should be noted that these people who commit this great sin are been punished by Allah (SWT) “and we rained on them a rain of torment” Q 26 vs 173. “Verily we sent down to them a violent storm of stones (which destroyed them all) except the family of Lot” Q 54 vs 34.
Biblical view on Homosexuality
Within the Christian tradition, religious objections to same-sex marriages are often based upon the Bible. In the Old Testament biblical passages such as Genesis 19:1-15, Leviticus 18:22-23, and Leviticus 20:13-16, while others are based upon New Testament biblical passages such as I Corinthians 6:8-10, and Jude 1:7. Genesis 2:22-24 reads as follows: “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. This passage is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew disclaiming same sex marriage and embracing the normal marriage act.
Is Homosexuality Punishable?
In the case of homosexuality, how it is dealt with differs between the four mainline schools of Sunni jurisprudence today, but what they all agree upon is that homosexuality is worthy of a severe penalty. In the Hanafi school of thought, the homosexual is first punished through harsh beating, and if he/she repeats the act, the death penalty is to be applied. As for the Shafi`i school of thought, the homosexual receives the same punishment as adultery (if he/she is married) or fornication (if not married).
This means, that if the homosexual is married, he/sheis stoned to death, while if single, he/she is whipped 100 times. Some scholars, based on the Qur’an and various hadith, hold the opinion that the homosexual should be thrown from a high building or stoned to death as a punishment for their crime, but other scholars maintain that they should be imprisoned until death. Another view is that between two males, the active partner is to be lashed a hundred times if he is unmarried, and killed if he is married; whereas the passive partner is to be killed regardless of his marital status.
Ibn`Abbas said that theMessenger of Allah said, “Whoever you catch committing the act of the people of Lut (homosexuality), then kill both parties to the act.)
“Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet cursed effeminate men (those men who are in the similitude (assume the manners of women) and those women who assume the manners of men, and he said, “Turn them out of your houses.” The Prophet turned out such-and- such man, and ‘Umar turned out such-and-such woman.
Negative Effects of Homosexuality
Infections are not only encountered through normal sex but also through the act of homosexuality. Some of these infections are:
Human Papillomavirus (HPV): HPV is a collection of more than seventy types of viruses that can cause warts, or papillomas, on various parts of the body. More than twenty types of HPV are incurable STDs that can infect the genital tract of both men and women. Most HPV infections are subclinical or asymptomatic, with only one in a hundred people experiencing genital warts.
Hepatitis: A potentially fatal liver disease that increases the risk of liver cancer. Hepatitis is of different stages, it ranges from Hepatitis A – Hepatitis C depending on the level of complexity.
Gonorrhea: An inflammatory disease of the genital tract. Gonorrhea traditionally occurs on the genitals, but has recently appeared in the rectal region and in the throat. Although easily treated by antibiotics, according to the cdc only “about 50 percent of men have some signs or symptoms, and “many women who are infected have no symptoms of infection. Untreated gonorrhea can have serious and permanent health consequences, including infertility damage to the prostate and urethra.
Syphilis: A venereal disease that, if left untreated, can spread throughout the body over time, causing serious heart abnormalities, mental disorders, blindness, and death. The initial symptoms of syphilis are often mild and painless, leading some individuals to avoid seeking treatment. According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease may be mistaken for other common illnesses: “syphilis has sometimes been called ‘the great imitator’because its early symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases.” Early symptoms include rashes, moist warts in the groin area, slimy white patches in the mouth, or pus-filled bumps resembling chicken pox.
Gay Bowel Syndrome (GBS): The Journal of the American Medical Association refers to GBS problems such as proctitis, proctocolitis, and enteritis as “sexually transmitted gastrointestinal syndromes. Many of the bacterial and protozoa pathogens that cause gbs are found in feces and transmitted to the digestive system:
Anal Cancer: Homosexuals are at increased risk for this rare type of cancer, which is potentially fatal if the anal-rectal tumors metastasize to other bodily organs.
Other negative effects of homosexual relationship are: Reduction in life span, Mental dis-order, HIV/AIDS, Greater risk for suicide e.t.c.
Conclusion
The act of Homosexuality particularly in Nigeria of today is not welcomed to any length and anyone caught in such an act will be sentenced to 14yrs imprisonment. Islamically and Biblically, the act is negated with a great punishment, basically under the Shariah law. Why not let us as youths desist from this act not only to avert punishment but to also live a good life.
Education officials in particular have a duty to provide information regarding the negative health effects of homosexuality to students in their charge, whose very lives are put at risk by engaging in such behavior. Above all, civil society itself has an obligation to institute policies that promote the health and well-being of its citizens.
The Mass Media should also play a very important role in sensitizing the populace about the dangers to be encountered in homosexual act.
May Almighty Allah free us from the will of Ashaytan. (Aameen.)
By: Adekunle Azeez O. – Guest Writer
08161745769
adekunleoazeez@gmail.com
@OPTIMISM2910