Educating for sexual difference? Muslim teachers' conversations about homosexuality

Abstract

Homosexuality is widely perceived among many Muslims as a ‘western disease’, a natural outcome of the West's secularity and cultural degeneracy. In spite of the emergence of more liberal attitudes towards sexual differences in modern times, moral issues have not lost their relevance in polemical discourse against homosexuality among many Muslims. The heightened visibility of homosexuals, together with the decriminalisation of homosexuality, lie at the heart of Muslim objection; such movements towards the acceptance of homosexuality are viewed as a concerted and unified homosexual front attempting to squeeze out the hegemonic heterosexual norm. The common response among many Muslims to remedy this perceived ideological corruption is to resort to Islamic doctrine, which prohibits homosexuality and gives merit to heterosexism. This paper reports on some findings from a study by the author which examines how a group of Australian Muslim teachers deliberate on how to include studies on homosexuality as part of a wider dialogue on developing comprehensive sexuality education for Muslim youth. In their deliberations, teachers craft pedagogies which appropriate moral frameworks and expressions of embracing sexual difference. These pedagogical propositions give insight into how teachers generate epistemological, ethical and ontological approaches to critical thought about the subject.

Keywords:

• sexuality education
• homosexuality
• Islam
• Muslim teachers
• curriculum planning
• teaching

Notes

^1. The Holy scripture of Islam, believed by many Muslims to be the final revelation from Allah (God). The Qur'an is regarded as perfect, eternal, and unchangeable. It contains 114 chapters (suras) and 6000 verses (ayats), and serves to address all believers.

^2. There are a number of well-known Hadith, the authenticated sayings or actions of Prophet Muhammad that are considered part of the common domain of Muslim thought. When quoting Hadith, Muslims always end it with a blessing for Prophet Muhammad saying ‘peace be upon him’ (p.b.u.h).

^3. The life history of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h).

^4. Elliot Eisner defines the null curriculum as: ‘the options students are not afforded, the perspectives they may never know about, much less be able to use, the concepts and skills that are not part of their intellectual repertoire’ (2002, 107).