Dear Editor,
We refer to the letter entitled ‘Islam and homosexuality’ (GC 10.6.08) written by a person afraid to sign his/her name and who is possibly a) not a Muslim, and b) a homosexual/lesbian and afraid of this information becoming public. I quote from the letter: “Islam ‘recognizes homosexuality.’
“Abdul Khalik, the Jakarta Post Headlines Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.”
Now it is the height of the lack of ability to reason to conclude that because God created a thing it is acceptable practice in Islam.
By this logic we can say using cocaine is acceptable in Islam because God created it; or that we can consume poison because God created that too, and so on.
It is obvious that the writer of the letter and the people whom he quotes have not read the Holy Quran (English translations are readily available) or they would have read that God destroyed the people of the Prophet Lot because they practised homosexuality.
The penalty for practising homosexuality in Islam is very severe, another fact obviously not known to the experts quoted. Maybe the experts in their enlightenment are now in a position to tell God that He acted incorrectly and unjustly in destroying the people of Lot for their practice of homosexuality and in prescribing severe punishments for those who would practice it after!
Islam does not discriminate against any member of the society; but it does not tolerate the practice of homosexuality, same sex marriages, etc, which are aberrant practices and therefore forbidden.
People with thin voices or other manifestations of abnormality cannot be discriminated against, for example, when employment is being sought and in other areas of normal societal intercourse.
It is patently ridiculous to accuse the hundreds of thousands of Ulemaa’ (Muslim Scholars) over a period of more than fourteen hundred years of narrow-minded interpretations, then to assert that only the geniuses quoted are able to give good interpretations. If the persons quoted were Muslims with a basic level of education in Islamic matters they would be aware of the saying of the Holy Prophet (May the Peace and blessings of God be upon him) that correct guidance resides in that guidance given by the majority of people of learning (Ulamaa’).
Aberrations like this will surface from time to time and are easily recognizable for what they are. All parties concerned must refrain from correcting God, accusing Him of incorrect actions and other irrationalities of this sort.
Yours faithfully,
Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir
General Secretary
CIOG