In 2100 B.C., the city of Sodom, at the southern shores of the Dead Sea, was buried under the stones, which were rained on the people of the city as a punishment from Allah (swt),for their un-natural and indecent sexual behaviour.
The Sodomites were arrogant and perverted, and their madness made them lose every sense of decency and had them sunk lower than the animals. They out rightly rejected the good advice of Lut (asws), the Messenger of Allah (swt) sent to them. The people of the city were homosexually inclined, and they openly accepted it. Aggressively exhibiting their homosexual proclivities, the elites of the town were the first to rush towards the guests of Lut, as they always took it to be a normal and natural way of life.
While momentum has been building up for this cause since several decades now, the twenty-first century is faced with a dire situation wherein32 countries of the world have legalized same-sex marriage, with Netherlands being the first to legally approve it as early as in the year 2000.
This is, indeed, a matter of concern for all the Muslims of the world. Although many countries initially restricted homosexuality, and considered it to be a crime and a mental illness, they have slowly, yet steadily, been made to change, by changing the public opinion towards this indecent human behaviour.
How did the change happen?
At first, American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ in 1952, as a psychological disorder. This list was scrutinised and another research funded by National institute of Mental health was conducted, which consistently failed (or was it made to fail?)to prove homosexuality as an illness, and thereupon it was considered a natural and normal form of sexual behaviour.
Steps were taken to remove the stigma associated with homosexuality with endorsement coming in from the World Health Organization (WHO) as well. Thus, the consensus of so-called scientific research and clinical literature proved right: the un-natural and abnormal behaviour of some humans was now seen as normal and compatible with social adjustment.
A PEW research on the survey done to find acceptance of homosexuality, shows that it is widely accepted in the places where religion is less central in people’s lives. Countries like North America, the European Union, and much of Latin America have a widespread gay community.
Another eye-opener from the survey is that, the rich and developed countries of the West have fallen to the trap of homosexuality compared to their poorer counterparts, which could, in turn, influence the younger generation who are mimicking the west in every aspect.
The media, too, has played a great role in changing the attitude of people towards homosexuality; it has promoted acceptance with television shows, and gravely enough, there have been increased occurrences of ‘gay’ characters and themes in children’s shows —in channels like Disney as well — rendering the innocent minds confused about natural human tendencies. Apart from television, music, art and fashion shows have popularly depicted the sinful acts of the community as a matter of pride and support.
Indeed, we are living in the most challenging times, may Allah (swt) protect our Iman, and of the generation to come.