A FEW days ago I received an e-mail from a friend which contained a short article on homosexuality and population control.
The writer presented the idea that homosexuality could be a means to control the exponential growth of the human population.
He wrote that homosexuality was instituted by nature to slow down the expansion of the human race.
The article reminds me of another e-mail I received a few years back, also on homosexuality.
The writer said he was a homosexual and never regretted leading his life this way.
Moreover, he strongly believed what had happened was god-given.
However, his well-off parents, who did not know their son was gay, wanted him to marry and raise a family.
To satisfy them, the man decided to find a ‘wife’ and was willing to pay her an attractive amount of money.
He asked whether I could help him find such a woman.
I was shocked and took a few days to answer his e-mail.
I told him in my e-mail that what he intended to do was morally unacceptable.
But most importantly, homosexuality was against Islam.
Besides that, I believed his plan would be an injustice to the woman he planned to marry.
I ended the e-mail hoping that Allah would guide him to the way of truth and I thought everything ended there.
Surprisingly, the man replied to my e-mail and this time he was very furious.
He said what had happened to him was fated.
This was not the life he planned to live, he said.
Thus, nobody had the right to judge him.
Finally, he wrote that as I was a Muslim researcher, I should understand and accept him as he was.
What do these two stories tell you?
Maybe, for some people, they are of no significance at all.
However, I have two strong reasons for sharing them with the readers.
Firstly, they made me wonder about the human tendency to create reasons to justify wrongdoings.
Going back to the first story, using homosexuality as a way to control population growth is definitely unacceptable.
Homosexuality is contradictory to human nature.
It jeopardises the marriage institution and creates gender bewilderment.
In short, homosexuality threatens the five objectives of shariah to protect religion, life, intellect, progeny and wealth.
The Islamic condemnation of homosexuality is based on the Quranic story of Prophet Lut.
This story is repeated several times in the Quran such as in Surah al-A’raaf (verses 80-84), Surah Asy-Syu’ara (verses 160-173) and Surah An-Naml (verses 54-59).
The repetition of Prophet Lut’s story and the prohibition of homosexuality in the Quran prove that this type of lifestyle is detested and must be avoided by all Muslims.
The life of a Muslim is regulated by a set of rules and regulations.
These rules and regulations are intended not to distress him but to guide him to lead a better and harmonious life.
Every law created in Islam was formulated with strong reasons.
Therefore, as Muslims, we should be thankful that we are able to lead a guided, peaceful and promising life.
The second point with regard to the stories I mentioned earlier is that people also tend to focus on the different sides of an issue but not the core of it.
By referring to homosexuality as a means to control population growth, we are neglecting the main issue.
Many Western scholars believe overpopulation is a major problem in the world today.
It is believed to have caused intense pressure on the environment, society and the economy of nations.
However, Muslim scholars rejected this theory.
They argued that the main problem was not population growth but the unbalanced distribution of wealth between rich and poor countries.
Twenty percent of the world’s richest population is consuming 80% of the world’s resources while the remaining 80% is left to use only 20% of the resources.
To survive, citizens of poor countries use whatever means they have.
For example, in Burkina Faso, the people are so poor that they cannot afford to buy wood for cooking purposes and to heat up their homes at night.
So they cut down the forest for wood.
This has contributed to desertification in Burkina Faso which, in turn, has affected the livelihood of its citizens.
We must focus on the underlying problem of population growth and look for better solutions.
Encouraging homosexuality as a method to control population growth is not one of them.
Islam believes every child is a gift and blessing from Allah.
Parents should not worry that their children will live in hunger.
Nevertheless, Islam, which rejects any rigidity, allows family planning.
But birth control must be practised with the intent of spacing out pregnancies or to delay a pregnancy for a specific amount of time based on mutual consultation between a husband and his wife.
Another reason for birth control would be a proven medical problem.
The above explanations show Islamic laws are true and clear.
The laws were practised and followed by the earlier Muslim community.
Until now, the laws remain unchanged.
They are not intended to inconvenience Muslims but to enhance the quality of their lives.
If the earlier Muslim community could obediently follow the laws, why can’t we?
In conclusion, we must not attempt to claim as right what is obviously wrong because Islamic laws are clear and beneficial to mankind.