In the Asian region, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, Malaysia and Indonesia have a majority Muslim population. Islam, in essence, does not condemn anyone due to sexual orientation, and the Quran does not prescribe punishments for homosexuality.
However, secondary religious sources such as Hadith, Ijma and patriarchal interpretations of such sources have shaped the attitudes of the global Muslim community regarding men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. As a result, the residing Muslim culture, values and practices have impacted on the lives of MSM, their access to health services and the transmission of HIV.
This discussion paper examines why Islam matters in preventing HIV, what Islam and Muslim scholars say about MSM and transgender people, as well as how this impacts on the lives of MSM and transgender people and their access to health services. Muslim MSM were interviewed to provide some anecdotes for the discussion paper, and desk-based research was undertaken. It provides a number of recommendations aimed at human rights organisations, human rights defenders, gender activists, policy makers, Islamic scholars and Islamic organisations.
The publication was produced by the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health in partnership with IDS Knowledge Services.
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