WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/28265

Attention, Mr. Nuruzzaman Manik;

Thanks for reading my essay.

The topic of homosexuality (including lesbianism, sodomy) has been discussed
at length in part-6 of ‘Sex and Sexuality in Islam’. If you are reading the
Bengali rendition of this series, then you have to wait for this part, as it
is still being translated into Bengali by Khelaram Pathak.

Islam’s stand on lesbian women (that is; lesbian love, lesbian sex) is not
very clear. In the holy Qur’an, I could not find any reference of
lesbianism, although many Qur’an ‘experts’ conjecture that verse 4:15, which
refers to the lewdness by women, might be construed as lesbianism. I
seriously doubt that this verse actually mentions the lesbian women or
lesbian sex. This verse stipulates that those women who engage in lewdness
should be confined (incarcerated, possibly?) until death.

But in verse 24:2, the punishment for adultery (for a married person) is
lapidating. Most Qur’an scholars consider this verse (24:2) as the updated
(or amended) law of verse 4:15.


In Sharia too, there is very scarce mention of lesbian sex. In Shafii law
(Umadt al-Saliq, The Reliance of the Traveler), lesbianism is considered as
an act of adultery, the punishment of which should also be lapidating (if
any or both parties are married women), I guess. If any one is an unmarried
woman then she should receive 100 lashes, sitting.

Here are some comments on lesbianism from Sharia law (s) (?):

From Sharia the Islamic Law by Abdur Rahman I. Doi
Same as adultery---p.242
The Prophet (S.A.W.) further said this about unnatural relationships between
two men or two women:

“If a man commits an act of sex with a man, they both are adulterers and if
a woman commits such acts with a woman, then both of them are adulteresses.”


Form The Reliance of the Traveler:
Shafi law number p17.2
Sodomy and lesbianism considered as adultery…p17.2

I could not find any law in Hanafi or Maliki which deals specifically with
the sexual crime of lesbianism. However, they do stipulate that severe
punishment be meted out to those who commit the act of sodomy and/or anal
sex (this might even include the anal sex with ones wife!).

My contention:

In a 7th century desert, Bedouin society, ruled solely by men, it was normal
to view sex and its various modes of expressions only from the standpoint of
uncultured, barbarian Bedouin men. They had very little idea about female
sexuality, the least of it being the act of lesbianism—that there are some
women, though very feeble in number, who would like to have sex with women
or love women. Therefore, during Muhammad’s time, homosexuality was viewed
mainly as sodomy between two men, or to perform anal intercourse with a
minor boy.


Apparently, sex is the greatest taboo in Islam, discussing about it is sure
to raise much consternation, agitation, rage and pure hatred towards any
writer who delves into such a taboo. As an Islamic reward, for writing such
a 'terrible' stuff, I had my share of plenty of hate mails, some of them
even call for my murder. But the truth about sex in Islam must be told, come
what may.


For more on this please read part-6 of ‘Sex and Sexuality in Islam’.


AK