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Gay animals & Quran:
an islamic contradiction

by CroMagnon & Tinero Timanfaya

Introduction:
Although human homosexuality is heavily frowned upon (to put it mildly) in Islam and most other religions, observed animal behaviour (see references in the Quotes & links section below) clearly shows that Mother Nature is much more open-minded about it than most humans could have ever imagined.

Has science yet again discovered something that tends to go against any religious comprehension? It seems so. But if we concentrate ourselves on Islam, there appears to be a noticeable contradiction in the Quran.

Quran on animal behaviour:
(animals 'subjection' to Allah's will)
(translations: Yusufali)

Quran 13:15
Whatever beings there are in the heavens and the earth do prostrate themselves to Allah (Acknowledging subjection) ,- with good-will or in spite of themselves: so do their shadows in the morning and evenings.

Quran 17:44
The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory!

Quran 22:18
Seest thou not that to Allah bow down in worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth,- the sun, the moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for Punishment: and such as Allah shall disgrace,- None can raise to honour: for Allah carries out all that He wills.

Quran 24:41
Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise.

Interpretation & implications of these Quran verses:
In these verses the Quran states that all animals act according to Allah's will, all animals praise Him in the just way, all animals 'know' what to do to please Allah.

Quran 17:44 (and to a lesser extend also 22:18) thus implies that humans should look at animals (and all other non-human creations of Allah) to get an indication of the appropriate way to live and please Allah. (Quran 17:44: ... And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! )

BUT: when observing the animal world carefully we notice that same-gender sex (homosexuality) is not at all uncomon (see quotes & links below). Since the Quran states that all animals act according to Allah's will, we can deduct that Allah approves of this homosexual behaviour in the animal world.

And following Quran 17:44 and 22:18 we will be led to the conclusion that, in general, human homosexual tendencies can't be condemned.

In my humble opinion this signals a stark contradiction with those Quranic verses & interpretations that DO condemn human homosexual behaviour.

Conclusion:
Of course this can be explained when we realize that the Quran is not the word of a deity. The Arabs of those days apparently couldn't come close to imagine that animals also display homosexual behaviour. If the Quran really contained the words of an All-knowing Allah, this contradiction wouldn't have arisen.

The author of the following quote might offer an explanation for the homo-phobia of many religions: Religious objections to homosexuality spring from two sources. One is the ancient patriarchal warrior-clan religion on which several modern religions are based. In their clans it was every male's duty to breed, to produce more soldiers, and any who didn't were violating cult taboo: it was taken as a sign of non-male weakness, of "sin" against their warrior Father. The other source of these condemnations has been the need of religious and political leaders, who, in trying to force their religion and its observance on the peoples of their communities, have created mythic polemics that attempt to denigrate and destroy the religious beliefs and practices of others. This is the origin of the myth of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the opprobrious dicta of Saul/Paul.

Quotes & links on homosexual animal behaviour:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Gay Side of Nature
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,23309,00.html

Giraffes do it, goats do it, birds and bonobos and dolphins do it. Humans beings--a lot of them anyway--like to do it too, but of all the planet's species, they're the only ones who are oppressed when they try.

For a love that long dared not speak its name, animal homosexuality is astonishingly common. Scouring zoological journals and conducting extensive interviews with scientists, Bagemihl found same-sex pairings documented in more than 450 different species.

Among bonobos, a chimplike ape, homosexual pairings account for as much as 50% of all sexual activity.

Heterosexual and homosexual dolphin pairs engage in face-to-face sexual encounters that look altogether human. Animals as diverse as elephants and rodents practice same-sex mounting, and macaques raise that affection ante further, often kissing while assuming a coital position.

Humboldt penguins may have homosexual unions that last six years; male greylag geese may stay paired for 15 years--a lifetime commitment when you've got the lifespan of a goose. Bears and some other mammals may bring their young into homosexual unions, raising them with their same-sex partner just as they would with a member of the opposite sex. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Animal Queeries
http://www.rnw.nl/lifestyle/html/gayanimals000808.html

You may have been told about the birds and the bees when you were younger but it's unlikely mum and dad ever told you about the elephants, monkeys, goats and guinea pigs, and exactly what they get up to. Because, contrary to what many people think, it seems group sex, gay sex and lesbian sex is very common among our furry friends.

And, to demonstrate just how common, Artis Zoo in Amsterdam is organising a series of lectures and tours to show off its homo- and bisexual beasts. "The idea behind it is to show that homosexuality is a natural phenomenon," says zoo Director, Dr Maarten Frankenhuis. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beetles mount a strong case for gay behaviour
http://www.sbu.ac.uk/stafflag/zoology.html#Beetle%20mount
(and many more stories)
Biologists have found an evolutionary explanation for homosexual behaviour - at least in a species of beetle where members of the same sex frequently copulate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The "Gay Gene" And Evolution: A Problem?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/genetics/evolution.html

Primatologist George Vasey makes an interesting observation that homosexual mounting occurs rarely in New World (plathrrhine) monkeys but is more frequent and more clearly expressed among Old World (catarrhinc) primates, who are more recently evolved and more closely related to us. Catarrhine males will sometimes show a preferences for a male partner and will compete with other males for such a partner. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homosexuality is biological, suggests gay sheep study
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993008

Sheep are particularly interesting, ...... , because besides humans, they are the only animal where the males may naturally express exclusively gay sexual preferences.. As many as one in 10 rams can be gay.

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Gay animals & Quran: an islamic contradiction

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(email: whatsthisthen@hotmail.com ) Added: November 13, 2002 LycosHit()

Gay animals & Quran:
an islamic contradiction

(email: whatsthisthen@hotmail.com )

Added: November 13, 2002