Is Gay Marriage Allowed in Islam?
Is gay marriage allowed in Islam? This article examines the Muslim view of same-sex marriage and the views of public opinion in Muslim majority countries. While Muslims are opposed to gay marriage, there is no evidence that the practice is prohibited by Islam. In fact, many Muslim scholars believe that homosexual tendencies are not prohibited by Islam.
Muslim opposition to same-sex marriage
Muslim opposition to same-sex marriage varies a lot from country to country. Although the degree of religiosity of Muslims has been shown to correlate with their opposition to same-sex marriage, it does not necessarily explain their views on homosexuality. This finding complicates arguments against Islam based on the premise that Islam generates illiberal views on gay rights.
Islamic law prohibits homosexual relations, including same-sex marriage. However, there are Muslim activists who have contested this traditional understanding of same-sex marriage. These groups include the Muslim Alliance and the Al-Fatiha Foundation. They have also argued that same-sex couples deserve equal rights in society.
Canadians who identify as Muslim are likely to be more opposed to same-sex marriage than Muslims from other religious backgrounds. The difference is much smaller when religious groups are taken into account. While Jews and Catholics have been more positive about same-sex marriage, Muslims have not changed their attitudes much.
Public opinion in Muslim majority countries
According to Inglehart and Norris (2003), public opinion on homosexuality in Muslim majority countries is generally negative. While most Muslims are against it, a substantial minority of Arabs are more accepting of gay people. The figures shown in figure 2 are based on the average position of respondents in World Values Survey, which asked them to situate their views on homosexuality on a scale from one to ten. The colors of the points represent different regions of the world and the size of the Muslim population.
There are also many restrictions on the practice of homosexuality, such as bans on gay bars and limited access to the internet. In countries with restrictive laws, public opinion about homosexuality is likely to be negative. In these countries, it is highly unlikely that a government would allow gay marriage.
There are two main trends affecting public opinion about gay marriage in Muslim majority countries. First, the level of education of respondents is strongly inversely related to opposition to same-sex relationships. Higher-education Muslims are more likely to support gay marriage than their less-educated counterparts.
Evidence that same-sex marriage is allowed in islam
Historically, Islam has disapproved of homosexual acts. But in recent years, this has changed, as more Muslims have come out to show that they can be religious and gay. Many of them avoid talking about the Quran and instead emphasize that Allah created us all to be different and that we should not judge each other based on our sexual orientation. They also point to Muslim resources on PFLAG.
While the Qur’an does not explicitly mention lesbian acts, there are some Hadith that condemn lesbian acts. One such Hadith warns women not to touch a naked woman. Traditionally, Islam viewed marriage in strict hierarchical terms, with men having rights over women but not vice versa.
In some Muslim countries, same-sex marriage is legal, and Muslims have expressed support for such rights. A recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C., suggests that Muslims have a more liberal view than others in the West. However, the results from the survey do not reflect the views of all Muslim Canadians, and the results are not conclusive.
Opinions of muslims on same-sex marriage
The opinion of Muslims on gay marriage is not much different from that of other religious groups. The majority of Muslim respondents are opposed to same-sex marriage. Although a number of Muslim respondents are not regular attendees of religious ceremonies, they remain opposed to gay marriage. As a result, they are more likely to be opposed to legal recognition of same-sex relationships than other groups.
The primary source of Muslim objections to homosexuality is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from the Old Testament. This story has undergone several interpretations over the centuries. The most prominent Christian interpretation of the story argues that the story relates to attempted male rape, not gay marriage.
Some classical Islamic jurists struggled with the same-sex marriage issue, but they displayed a more progressive attitude than do contemporary Muslims. While many Muslims still reject the practice of gay marriage, there are also many LGBTQ Muslim affirming outlets that help sexual minorities reconcile their religious beliefs and lifestyle. One of these outlets is the PFLAG website, which has a collection of resources on LGBTQ Muslims.