Islamic homosexualities : culture, history, and literature

The Dramatic Impact Of Islamic Fundamentalism In Recent Years Has Skewed Our Image Of Islamic History And Culture. Stereotypes Depict Islamic Societies As Economically Backward, Hyper-patriarchal, And Fanatically Religious. But In Fact, The Islamic World Encompasses A Great Diversity Of Cultures And A Great Deal Of Variation Within Those Cultures In Terms Of Gender Roles And Sexuality. The First Collection On This Topic From A Historical And Anthropological Perspective, Homosexuality In The Muslim World Reveals That Patterns Of Male And Female Homosexuality Have Existed And Often Flourished Within The Islamic World. Indeed, Same-sex Relations Have, Until Quite Recently, Been Much More Tolerated Under Islam Than In The Christian West. Based On The Latest Theoretical Perspectives In Gender Studies, Feminism, And Gay Studies, Homosexuality In The Muslim World Includes Cultural And Historical Analyses Of The Entire Islamic World, Not Just The So-called Middle East. Essays Show Both Age-stratified Patterns Of Homosexuality, As Revealed In The Erotic And Romantic Poetry Of Medieval Poets, And Gender-based Patterns, In Which Both Men And Women Might, To Varying Degrees, Choose To Live As Members Of The Opposite Sex. The Contributors Draw On Historical Documents, Literary Texts, Ethnographic Observation And Direct Observation By Both Muslim And Non-muslim Authors To Show The Considerable Diversity Of Islamic Societies And The Existence Of Tolerated Gender And Sexual Variances. Introduction / Will Roscoe And Stephen O. Murray -- The Will Not To Know : Islamic Accommodations Of Male Homosexuality / Stephen O. Murray -- Precursors Of Islamic Male Homosexuality / Will Roscoe -- Muhammad And Male Homosexuality / Jim Wafer -- Woman-woman Love In Islamic Societies / Stephen O. Murray -- Vision And Passion : The Symbolism Of Male Love In Islamic Mystical Literature / Jim Wafer -- Corporealizing Medieval Persian And Turkish Tropes / Stephen O. Murray -- Male Love And Islamic Law In Arab Spain / Louis Crompton -- Male Homosexuality, Inheritance Rules, And The Status Of Women In Medieval Egypt : The Case Of The Mamlūks / Stephen O. Murray -- Homosexuality Among Slave Elites In Ottoman Turkey / Stephen O. Murray -- Male Homosexuality In Ottoman Albania / Stephen O. Murray -- The Balkan Sworn Virgin : A Cross-gendered Female Role / Mildred Dickemann -- Some Nineteenth-century Reports Of Islamic Homosexualities / Stephen O. Murray -- Gender-defined Homosexual Role In Sub-saharan African Islamic Cultures / Stephen O. Murray -- Institutionalized Gender-crossing In Southern Iraq / Sigrid Wesphal-hellbusch ; Trans. Bradley Rose -- The Sohari Khanith / Stephen O. Murray -- Two Baluchi Buggas, A Sindhi Zenana, And The Status Of Hijras In Contemporary Pakistan / Nauman Naqvi And Hasan Mujtaba -- The Other Side Of Midnight : Pakistani Male Prostitutes / Hasan Mujtaba -- Not-so-gay Life In Pakistan In The 1980s And 1990s / Badruddin Khan -- Two Islamic Aids Education Organizations / Stephen O. Murray And Eric Allyn -- Conclusion / Stephen O. Murray And Will Roscoe. Stephen O. Murray And Will Roscoe ; With Additional Contributions By Eric Allyn ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The first anthropological collection that reveals patterns of male and female homosexuality in the Muslim World The dramatic impact of Islamic fundamentalism in recent years has skewed our image of Islamic history and culture. Stereotypes depict Islamic societies as economically backward, hyper-patriarchal, and fanatically religious. But in fact, the Islamic world encompasses a great diversity of cultures and a great deal of variation within those cultures in terms of gender roles and sexuality. The first collection on this topic from a historical and anthropological perspective, Homosexuality in the Muslim World reveals that patterns of male and female homosexuality have existed and often flourished within the Islamic world. Indeed, same-sex relations have, until quite recently, been much more tolerated under Islam than in the Christian West. Based on the latest theoretical perspectives in gender studies, feminism, and gay studies, Homosexuality in the Muslim World includes cultural and historical analyses of the entire Islamic world, not just the so-called Middle East. Essays show both age-stratified patterns of homosexuality, as revealed in the erotic and romantic poetry of medieval poets, and gender-based patterns, in which both men and women might, to varying degrees, choose to live as members of the opposite sex. The contributors draw on historical documents, literary texts, ethnographic observation and direct observation by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors to show the considerable diversity of Islamic societies and the existence of tolerated gender and sexual variances.