Arabo-Islamic Texts on Female Homosexuality, 850 - 1780 A.D.

by Samar Habib

Increasingly in mainstream discourse and rhetoric, there only seems to be one very serious and conservative face to Islam, Muslim communities, and their governments. Mainstream modern Islamic hermeneutics condemn homosexual orientations, sometimes with punishments as severe as death. Nevertheless, there were also instances in Muslim history, culture, and society where religiosity was playful not punitive, where the sexual body was inscribed with markers of pleasure not those of perdition. Exploring instances within the Arabian Islamic Empire that negate impressions about Muslim cultures as eternally monolithic, conservative, and orthodox, we can come to a better and more nuanced understanding of the complexities of former and contemporary Muslim civilizations. The question of gay and lesbian human rights in the Muslim world is a topical and pressing one, and the need now for alternative ways of approaching Islam in the modern world is more important than ever. The answers to today's modern crisis in human rights for LGBTIQ people lies in looking at the past and highlighting elements that can assist in the creation of a more equitable future. This publication discovers and brings to the English reader an array of surviving texts penned by Muslim scholars discussing female same‐sex desire. From the tolerant days of the Abbasid caliphate to the celebratory text of Yusuf Tifashi in the thirteenth century and onwards toward growing strictures and greater intolerance, Arabo-Islamic Texts reveals a dynamic and lively discourse on sexuality in the Arabo-Islamic empire. The English translation of a lecture delivered in Arabic in Haifa by Samar Habib is also included in this book.

Genres: History, Islam, Nonfiction, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, Religion

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tuscany Bernier · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is worth noting that the author's usage of the word "Islamic text" is extremely and exceptionally far from the actual legal religious sources. In fact, I was left feeling a sense of immense disappointment in many ways after reading this book.

Very early on in the book, for example, the author seemingly speaks over the lesbians of Palestine by asserting what she thinks they should be doing and feeling as a Arab-Australian woman raised abroad. The women tell her they do not find freedom in openly declaring their sexuality and that they value the communal aspect of their community over individualism - she tells them that they're misguided to feel this way about their own lives and hopes to change their mind (see page 13 onwards).

Also, if you tell me a word in Arabic means something, I want to see the actual Arabic word as proof - otherwise, it feels like mere hearsay. How do I know to trust this translation and how do I know if you have excluded something? I know these are based on lectures, but still - it is a book and there should be more included towards a direct refutation of something if that is what one is aiming for.

Lastly, it is poor writing to ever use the f-word in an academic text. If one can not find one of the thousands of ways people have discussed intimacy in a more sophisticated way over hundreds of years, then this is simply poor writing. There is no benefit in being crass in a text meant to seriously question something academically. (This word, in particular, is what I am objecting - I am aware of the inherent nature of the book where sexual matters are discussed frankly. Not seeking puritanical writing, just good writing.)

[Heather Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely valuable sourcebook of medieval Arabic texts discussing female homosexuality, the social and legal attitudes towards it, and glimpses of the lives of the women under discussion. The book also includes the text of two lectures by the author that provide a context and background for the historic material.