Editing LGBTQ people and Islam (section)

==In popular culture==
===Books===
====''Islam and Homosexuality''====
In 2010, an anthology ''Islam and Homosexuality'' was published.<ref>Samar Habib, ''Islam and Homosexuality'' (Praeger, 2010).</ref> In the Forward, [[Parvez Sharma]] sounded a pessimistic note about the future: "In my lifetime I do not see Islam drafting a uniform edict that homosexuality is permissible." Following is material from two chapters dealing with the present:

<blockquote>Rusmir Musić in a chapter "Queer Visions of Islam" said that "Queer Muslims struggle daily to reconcile their sexuality and their faith." Musić began to study in college "whether or not my love for somebody of the same gender disgusts God and whether it will propel me to hell. The answer, for me, is an unequivocal ''no''. Furthermore, Musić wrote, "my research and reflection helped me to imagine my sexuality as a gift from a loving, not hateful, God."<ref>Rusmir Musić, "Queer Visions of Islam" in ''Islam and Homosexuality'', ed. Samar Habib, (Praeger, 2010), pp. 327–328.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Marhuq Fatima Khan in a chapter "Queer, American, and Muslim: Cultivating Identities and Communities of Affirmation", says that "Queer Muslims employ a few narratives to enable them to reconcile their religious and sexual identities." They "fall into three broad categories: (1) God Is Merciful; (2) That Is Just Who I Am; and (3) It's Not Just Islam."<ref>Marhuq Fatima Khan, "Queer, American, and Muslim: Cultivating Identities and Communities of Affirmation" in ''Islam and Homosexuality'', ed. Samar Habib, (Praeger, 2010), 356–358.</ref></blockquote>

====''Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism''====
In his 2003 book ''Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism'', Professor Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle<ref name="emory">{{cite web |title=Scott Kugle |url=http://mesas.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/kugle.html |publisher=Emory College of Arts and Sciences |access-date=21 January 2020 |archive-date=24 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224125024/http://mesas.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/kugle.html |url-status=live }}</ref> asserts "that Islam does not address homosexuality." In Kugle's reading, the Quran holds "a positive assessment of diversity". It "respects diversity in physical appearance, constitution, stature, and color of human beings as a natural consequence of Divine wisdom in creation." Therefore, Islam can be described as "a religion that positively assesses diversity in creation and in human societies." Furthermore, in Kugle's reading, the Quran "implies that some people are different in their sexual desires than others." Thus, homosexuality can be seen as part of the "natural diversity in sexuality in human societies." This is the way "gay and lesbian Muslims" view their homosexuality.<ref name=kugle/>{{rp|194–196}}

In addition to the Qur'an, Kugle refers to the benediction of [[Imam Al-Ghazali]] (the 11th-century Muslim theologian) which says "praise be to God, the marvels of whose creation are not subject to the arrows of accident." For Kugle, this benediction implies that "if sexuality is inherent in a person's personality, then sexual diversity is a part of creation, which is never accidental but is always marvelous." Kugle also refers to "a rich archive of same-sex sexual desires and expressions, written by or reported about respected members of society: literati, educated elites, and religious scholars." Given these writings, Kugle concludes that "one might consider Islamic societies (like classical Greece) to provide a vivid illustration of a 'homosexual-friendly' environment." This evoked from "medieval and early modern Christian Europeans" accusations that Muslim were "engaging openly in same-sex practices."<ref name=kugle/>{{rp|198}}

Kugle goes a step further in his argument and asserts that "if some Muslims find it necessary to deny that sexual diversity is part of the natural created world, then the burden of proof rests on their shoulders to illustrate their denial from the Qur'anic discourse itself."<ref name=kugle/>{{rp|196, 198}}

====''Sexual Ethics and Islam''====
[[Kecia Ali]] in her 2016 book ''Sexual Ethics and Islam'' says that "there is no one Muslim perspective on anything." Regarding the Quran, Ali says that modern scholars disagree about what it says about "same-sex intimacy". Some scholars argue that "the Qur'an does not address homosexuality or homosexuals explicitly."<ref name=ali>{{cite book|author=Kecia Ali|title=Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprudence|publisher=Oneworld Publications|edition=Exp Rev|date=2016}}</ref>{{rp|xvi, 103}}

Regarding homosexuality, Ali says the belief that "exclusively homosexual desire is innate in some individuals" has been adopted "even among some relatively conservative Western Muslim thinkers." 100 Homosexual Muslims believe their homosexuality to be innate and view "their sexual orientation as God-given and immutable." She observes that "queer and trans people are sometimes treated as defective or deviant", and adds that it is "vital not to assume that variation implies imperfection or disability."<ref name=ali/>{{rp|100, 123, 206}}

Regarding "medieval Muslim culture", Ali says that "male desire to penetrate desirable youth ... was perfectly normal." Even if same-sex relations were not lawful, there was "an unwillingness to seek out and condemn instances of same-sex activity, but rather to let them pass by ... unpunished."<ref name=ali/>{{rp|105–106}} Ali states that some scholars claim that Islamic societies were 'homosexual-friendly' in history.<ref name=ali/>{{rp|100}}

In her article "Same-sex Sexual Activity and Lesbian and Bisexual Women", Ali elaborates on homosexuality as an aspect of medieval Muslim culture. She says that "same-sex sexual expression has been a more or less recognized aspect of Muslim societies for many centuries." There are many explicit discussions of "same-sex sexual activity" in medieval Arabic literature.<ref name="brandeis.edu">{{cite web|url=https://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/muslim/same-sex.html|author=Kecia Ali|title=Same-sex Sexual Activity and Lesbian and Bisexual Women|access-date=1 October 2016|date=2002|archive-date=30 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730094550/http://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/muslim/same-sex.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ali states there is a lack of focus in medieval tradition on female same-sex sexual activity, where the Qur'an mainly focuses male/male sex. With female same-sex sexual activity there is more focus on the punishment for the acts and the complications with the dower, compared to men where there is a focus on punishment but also the need for ablutions and the effect of the act on possible marriage decisions.<ref name=ali/>{{rp|101}}

====Miscellaneous====
* ''[[Islamic Homosexualities|Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature]]'' (1997) – essay collection
* In February 2019, the government of Indonesia – a country with a majority Muslim population – threatened to ban [[Instagram]] due to an account that was posting "Gay Muslim" comics. @Alpantuni was a profile that posted comics that tackled gay-identity and religious bigotry to connect with members of the LGBT community. Although Instagram refused to remove the account as it would violate its own terms and conditions, the account is currently unavailable.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/asia/indonesia-instagram-gay-comic.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/asia/indonesia-instagram-gay-comic.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title='Gay Muslim' Comic Strip Vanishes After Indonesia Calls It Pornographic|last1=Ives|first1=Mike|date=13 February 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=6 November 2019|last2=Suhartono|first2=Muktita|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Films and media===
* In 2007, the documentary film ''[[A Jihad for Love]]'' was released. It was produced by [[Sandi Simcha DuBowski]] and directed by [[Parvez Sharma]]. As of 2016 the film has been shown in 49 nations to four million plus viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ajihadforlove.org/home.html|title=A Jihad For Love – A Film by Parvez Sharma|work=AJihadForLove.org|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-date=11 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511130431/http://ajihadforlove.org/home.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Out in the Dark]]'' is a 2012 film about the gay love story of a Palestinian Muslim and an Israeli Jew.<ref name="holden">{{cite news |last1=Holden |first1=Stephen |title=Love, Forbidden and Persecuted |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/movies/in-out-in-the-dark-an-israeli-palestinian-affair.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/movies/in-out-in-the-dark-an-israeli-palestinian-affair.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=21 January 2020 |newspaper=NY Times |date=26 September 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* ''[[Breaking Fast]]'' is a love story between Mo, a gay [[Muslim]] doctor in [[Los Angeles]] and Kal who get to know each other over nightly [[iftar]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/breaking-fast/ |title=Breaking Fast |last=LePire |first=Bobby |website=[[Film Threat]] |date=29 March 2020 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205150009/https://filmthreat.com/reviews/breaking-fast/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2020/06/film-review-breaking-fast-is-an-engaging-gay-rom-com/ |title=Film Review: 'Breaking Fast' is an engaging gay rom-com |last=Hereford |first=Andre |website=[[Metro Weekly]] |date=28 October 2020 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918230519/https://www.metroweekly.com/2020/06/film-review-breaking-fast-is-an-engaging-gay-rom-com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 2015, the documentary film ''[[A Sinner in Mecca]]'' was released. It was directed by [[Parvez Sharma]]. The film chronicles Sharma's [[Hajj]] pilgrimage to [[Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]] as an openly gay [[Muslim]]. The film premiered at the 2015 [[Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival]] to great critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press|url=http://asinnerinmecca.com/press/|website=A Sinner in Mecca|access-date=7 May 2015|archive-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010033125/http://asinnerinmecca.com/press/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film opened in theaters in the US on 4 September 2015 and is a New York Times Critics' Pick.<ref>{{cite news|title=In 'A Sinner in Mecca,' a Gay Director Ponders His Sexuality and Islamic Faith|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/movies/in-a-sinner-in-mecca-a-gay-director-ponders-his-sexuality-and-islamic-faith.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/movies/in-a-sinner-in-mecca-a-gay-director-ponders-his-sexuality-and-islamic-faith.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The New York Times|date=3 September 2015 |access-date=7 October 2015|last1=Webster |first1=Andy }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In 2015's ''How Gay is Pakistan?'' [[Mawaan Rizwan]] traveled to Pakistan, his country of birth, to film a documentary which explored the issues faced by other LGBTQ Muslims living under Islamic law that deems homosexuality illegal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wyatt |first1=Daisy |title=How Gay is Pakistan? BBC3 - TV review |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/how-gay-is-pakistan-bbc3-tv-review-the-only-offensive-thing-here-was-the-imam-s-outdated-views-a6701576.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/how-gay-is-pakistan-bbc3-tv-review-the-only-offensive-thing-here-was-the-imams-outdated-views-a6701576.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-status=live |website=The Independent |accessdate=12 April 2020 |language=en |date=20 October 2015}}</ref> The documentary was televised internationally, including on [[ABC2]] in [[Australia]], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] in [[Canada]] and in various markets via [[Amazon Prime Video]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Leigh Andrew |title=Mawaan Rizwan asks 'How Gay is Pakistan?' on ABC2 |url=https://www.outinperth.com/how-gay-is-pakistan/ |website=OUTInPerth - LGBTIQ News and Culture |accessdate=12 April 2020 |date=30 March 2016 |archive-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412183405/https://www.outinperth.com/how-gay-is-pakistan/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=CBC |title=How Gay is Pakistan? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/how_gay_is_pakistan |website=CBC |accessdate=12 April 2020 |archive-date=25 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825070856/https://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/how_gay_is_pakistan |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Prime Video |title=How Gay is Pakistan? |url=https://www.amazon.com/How-Gay-Pakistan-Mawaan-Rizwan/dp/B01N0SNFQL |website=www.amazon.com |accessdate=12 April 2020 |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214120842/https://www.amazon.com/How-Gay-Pakistan-Mawaan-Rizwan/dp/B01N0SNFQL |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 2016, [[Vice News]] released a short documentary ''Blackout: Being LGBT in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan'' in which they showed different members of the LGBT community in Lahore. Young men who are sex workers were shown in the video and they explained the difficulties of being gay in Pakistan. The documentary also focused on some underground organisations that work for basic human rights for the LGBT community. In the film, there is a short clip shown of a young boy getting beaten up and is later sodomised with a tree branch after he was caught in homosexual acts by conservative religious society members. It also displayed how gay and transgender people use social media apps like Tinder to get in contact with other people of the community.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/blackout-pakistan/|title=Blackout: Being LGBT in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan|date=9 June 2016|website=VICE News|language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-05|archive-date=2018-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915145942/https://news.vice.com/video/blackout-pakistan|url-status=live}}</ref> However, this documentary, made in collaboration with [[Google|Google's]] technology incubator [[Jigsaw (company)|Jigsaw]], has been criticised by some for its sensational approach and blatantly showcasing Google's agenda of juxtaposing empowerment through digital technologies such as [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]] and the collective backwardness and oppression as shown through the blurred video of the young boy being beaten.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mokhtar|first=Shehram|date=2020-06-15|title=Aberrant sexualities: Others under the gaze of transnational documentary|journal=Sexualities|volume=24|issue=3|language=en|pages=456–473|doi=10.1177/1363460720931339|s2cid=225662867|issn=1363-4607}}</ref>
* [[Gay Muslims]] is a six-part documentary on Channel 4 about the LGBT among Muslims, broadcast in the UK in January.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upf.tv/about-upf/|title=About UPF – UPF (Unity Productions Foundation)|work=UPF.tv|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-date=2 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302011512/https://www.upf.tv/about-upf/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Muslim Debate Initiative (MDI) is made up of Muslims "with experience in public speaking, apologetics, polemics, research and community work." One of its aims is "to support, encourage and promote debate that contrasts Islam against other intellectual and political discourses for the purpose of the pursuit of truth, intellectual scrutiny with respect, and the clarifying accurate understandings of other worldviews between people of different cultures, beliefs and political persuasions."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thedebateinitiative.com/about-2/|title=About MDI|date=26 December 2009|website=TheDebateInitiative.com|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-date=19 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419034044/https://muslimdebate.org/about-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Terminology===
* [[Bacha bazi]] – Afghan slang term (lit. "boy play")
* [[Hijra (South Asia)|Hijra]] – South Asian transgender society
* [[Khanith]] – term for Arab "effeminate" men
* [[Khawal]] – Egyptian cross-dressed male dancers (often used as an anti-gay slur)