Week 7

I suppose the common western conception of homosexuality in the Middle East is simply that is not tolerated. Roscoe and Murray's article was a really interesting exposition of the nuances of homosexuality in the Islamic world--well, I guess that's not the right term since, as Roscoe and Murray point out, there are many Islams and many Islamic societies. It's true that when I think of homosexuality and Islam, my mind jumps to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his denial of homosexuality's existence. It's interesting that Murray argues that homophobia is an import from the west--a place that views itself on a high horse of tolerance and diversity that sets them superior to the harsh and unforgiving east. It's just nuts how much of this stuff we're studying all boils down to a western superiority complex.

The separation between sex and emotion, between just having sex with members of one's own sex and identifying as "gay" was very interesting as well. Homosexuality is such a wide reaching term. It is an umbrella term that includes men who, barred from the pristine and protected woman before marrying her, turn to the unguarded male. It also includes those who squirm in their forced courtship to women, who define their sexuality more concretely than the men who separate sex from duty. Comparing American/"Western" notions of homosexuality to "Eastern" ones is difficult because so much is shrouded in secrecy. Is there really such a thing as homosexuality at all in the east? Or at least, is the term "homosexual" too far-reaching and general? These are the questions that this reading provoked for me.

Something that really caught my eye in the Murray article was the reference to the "veil of secrecy" (15). It relates back to Mernissi's discussion of the concept of hijab, the separation of public and private. That is such a prevalent theme in Islam that I would like to explore. I sense a research paper topic developing...