There appears to be a desire not to “re-interpret” holy scripture – to accommodate homosexuality – because of the divinity of its origin.
Many interviewees draw upon holy scripture as the basis of their views regarding homosexuality. It’s what the God revealed to the Prophet so it’s the truth and that’s my belief system. It says it in the Koran that it’s wrong and sorry I’m not the one who made it. In substantiating these attitudes people often draw on holy scripture. Muslims of various ages, education levels and socio-economic backgrounds have participated in my studies and generally perceive homosexuality in negative terms. In my research into attitudes concerning homosexuality among samples of first and second-generation British Muslims of Pakistani descent, I found that attitudes tend to be largely negative.Īlthough research into attitudes towards homosexuality in the general population points to demographic variables, such as age and level of education, as key determinants of the nature of attitudes, this has not been the case in my own work with British Muslims.
