By Ataul Wahid
Introduction
It is a modern trend to brand anyone who disagrees with alternate lifestyles as homophobic, intolerant, hateful and guilty of denying people their human rights. These types of attacks are designed to put anyone who disagrees with these lifestyles on the defensive and intimidate them into silence.
From the Islamic perspective, the issue is not about human rights, it is about the human race, our physical, moral and spiritual health and the long term viability of the human family.
The Physical, Moral and Spiritual Development of Mankind
In the Islamic tradition, the purpose of the creation of a thing is determined by its highest achievement beyond which its faculties cannot rise. When we take stock of man’s faculties and powers, taken to their highest capacity, we find that he is invested with the faculty of seeking after God so much so that he desires that he should become so devoted to God’s love that he should have nothing of his own and that everything should become God’s. According to the Holy Quran:
I have created jinn (chiefs) and men (common people) so that they should worship me. (Al Quran 51:57)
According to this verse the true purpose of human life is the worship and understanding of God Almighty and devotion to Him.
The physical universe has a multitude of predetermined physical, biological, mathematical laws that when used correctly result in great advancements for mankind, however, when used incorrectly, can lead to the destruction of the human race. Nuclear weapons are a good example.
Similarly there are corresponding laws in the spiritual universe that follow a similar course. When obeyed, they lead to the advancement of mankind, and when ignored, they can lead to destruction. These are predetermined laws that come into effect based on the collective behavior of people or society.
Islam presents about 700 laws that are designed to lift mankind from an animal existence into a civilized being, further advancing him into a moral being and finally lifting him into a spiritual being so he is ready to meet his Creator.
Any behavior that short circuits or disrupts this process is to be avoided and any behavior that supports this process is encouraged. This applies to responsibilities we have towards ourselves, our fellow man and to our Creator and is self evident in our relationships with other people.
Islam dictates a very definitive code of conduct for the interaction between men and women, and regulates that contact to assist mankind to develop physically, morally and spiritually. In this regard, sexual activities are reserved for men and women under the permission of holy matrimony, as is the case in all religions.
Any sexual activity outside of these limits, or the preliminaries that lead up to this activity are considered sexual promiscuity, are strongly condemned and fall into the category of those activities that retard or reverse mankind’s progress towards a spiritual being, in the same way that dishonesty, bribery, injustice, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. do.
We read in the Holy Quran about the people of Lot:
And we sent Lot, when he said to his people, ‘Do you commit an abomination such as no one in the world ever did before you? You approach men with lust instead of women. Nay, you are a people who exceed all bounds.’ (Al Quran 7: 81-82)
Unrelenting Pursuit of Pleasure
All religions have taken measures to discipline the desires of men and women, and particularly men are addressed to contain and discipline themselves. Jesus instructed his followers to not look at women with lust in their eyes. Islamic measures are a step forward in the same direction. In this regard, Islam provides a perfect teaching that regulates these powerful natural desires for the benefit of mankind, in the short and long term.
Islam unequivocally declares that the purpose of all pleasures is a designed purpose and no pleasure is accidental. When we derive pleasure from eating, the purpose of that pleasure is to keep us constantly aware of the requirements of our survival. If there was no pleasure connected to the act of eating, then it would have been difficult for evolution to further progress life, and there would have been every likelihood that animals would have become extinct very early on in their stages of evolution.
Sensual pleasures are not different, they are provided by Nature, or by God as we believe, to serve a certain purpose. The pleasures referred to as sensual pleasures, or the ones preparatory to the act, are all designed by God for a set purpose, and that purpose is the survival of the species. If we allow those pleasures to control us and allow these very powerful forces to run uncontrolled, then there is every danger of chaos resulting from the short circuiting of these desires.
The Holy Quran describes:
Surely we have created men in the best time; Then if he does evil deeds, We degrade him as the lowest of the low, Save those who believe and do good works; so for them is an unfailing reward. (Al Quran 95: 5-7)
If there is no trust left between husband and wife, then the breaking of families and the scattering of society outside of the homes is a natural result. Islam wants the home to be the center of attraction for the family members and a place of peace when they come home after a hard day at work or at school. Islam wants to establish an air of trust and belonging within the family circles, which will allow us to create a sort of heaven on earth.
If homes are more like a motel, a reference place where people can throw their burdens, and then go out to seek satisfaction and enjoy life, then such family units will not survive for long. People from these types of homes go out to the bars and clubs in pursuit of the chase, to satisfy their carnal desires and most often women are men’s target of that pursuit. In this regard women often dress to attract the attention of men and go out well prepared for this game.
Eventually societies’ attention is drawn more and more towards sensual pleasures, which faculty was provided to us in the first place, to ensure the survival of the human species. The pleasure is the byproduct of this, not the ultimate objective. However, when a society becomes decadent, they demand a greater and greater license to satisfy these desires that always run ahead and the byproduct becomes the objective. With the result that more and more promiscuity is demanded and every type of sexual outlet and lifestyle is considered normal.
When we disregard the scheme of things as created by God, or mother nature, and allow ourselves to become lost in the chase of the pleasure and disregard the ultimate objective, then society enters a period of rapid moral decline. Such societies become lost and every discipline and direction is negatively affected. The only purpose of life is to find some type of pleasure, and this is not only confined to sensual pleasures. Alcohol and drug use and gambling increase and all sorts of vain pursuits grow as a natural consequence of these trends, and there is no stopping it. Thus our modern societies are becoming restless, at every level and people have adopted the attitude that no one has the right to restrict my pursuit of pleasure. This pursuit of pleasure is portrayed as the ideal life by the media and Hollywood, and that image is so attractive, yet so unreal. The economic bases of society is thus incapable of achieving those very pleasures which it sees.
The unnatural desire to submit to these pleasures cause people to distance themselves from the hard realities of life. This is causing economic chaos as more and more portion of income is dedicated to this pursuit instead of the necessities of life. This creates a very ugly situation where children are neglected; the duties towards family are sacrificed to this unrelenting pursuit of pleasure. This causes societies’ to become very unsafe, where children are also taught to pursue their pleasures, legally or otherwise.
Crime grows due to this pursuit of pleasure. Responsibilities are forgotten at the cost of this imaginary life of luxury and pursuit of all that is sensual. In this scenario, the Islamic teachings should be seriously studied, as they are ideally situated to teach mankind how to control these desires and establish peace within society and within the home.
Recruiting
The trend of our governments to promote this lifestyle is very disturbing and will severely damage our society physically, morally and spiritually. By introducing these trends into our school system, our politicians are placing our children in great peril. When children are maturing and going through puberty, they go through a stage where they take interest in same sex to compare their development. This is a passing stage. If, during this stage, children are exposed to the ideas of alternate lifestyles by predators and recruiters, they become stuck at this phase with severe negative consequences.
Physical Health Risks
In addition to AIDS, there is a long list of maladies attendant upon the homosexually active population. Of particular concern is anal cancer. According to J. R. Daling et.al, “Correlates of Homosexual Behavior and the Incidence of Anal Cancer,” Journal of the American Medical Association 247, no.14, 9 April 1982, pp. 1988-90, the risk of anal cancer soars by 4000 percent among those who engage in anal intercourse.
Other maladies include chlamydia trachomatis, cryptosporidium, giardia lamblia, herpes simplex virus, human papilloma virus (HPV) or genital warts, isospora belli, microsporidia, gonorrhea, viral hepatitis types B & C and syphilis.
Emotional/Mental Health Risks
Two extensive studies published in the October 1999 issue of American Medical Association Archives of General Psychiatry confirmed the existence of a strong link between homosexuality and suicide, as well as other mental and emotional problems.
Youth who identify themselves as homosexual, lesbian and bisexual are four times more likely than their peers to suffer from major depression; three times more likely to suffer anxiety disorders, four times more likely to suffer conduct disorders, six times more likely to suffer from multiple disorders and more than six times more likely to have attempted suicide.
Conclusion
Islam sets specific limits regarding sexual activities and considers sexual activity outside of these limits as promiscuous and harmful. It considers the promotion of these activities as criminal as it directly threatens physical, moral and spiritual health and the continuation of the human race. Islam presents a well defined plan to help mankind control their natural urges and use them for the collective advantage of the human race. It also presents solutions to retrieve this situation which is now out of control in many countries.
Let me conclude with a recent press release about the issue under discussion by the worldwide Leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. He conveys a word of caution to the Legislative Bodies by saying:
In this era many Parliaments or legislative bodies have felt the need to pass laws that support unnatural acts that are in conflict with God’s laws of nature, whilst in other countries similar debates are taking place. Remember, when nature is challenged in this way then God’s own laws come into action. If God is forced to take action then His laws lead to the destruction and ruin of nations.[1]
Reference
Categories: Americas, Biology, Health, Medicine, Psychology