2011 Reports

The Name Game: Understanding Tensions in Identity and Muslim Homosexuality

Rashid, Hussein

One of the key difficulties we encounter when trying to discuss the status of homosexuality in Muslim thought and cultures is one of definition. This is not to say that the issues are purely semantic. Rather, the tension this paper is interested in is the one between identity and identification. The three areas where we focus our investigation are historical –– primarily through literature –– theological, and contemporary cultural.