Book on LGBTQIA+ and Islam Launched: A Critical Islamic Perspective on Queer Theory and Sexual deviations – IndiaTomorrow
By Anwarulhaq Baig
NEW DELHI: Renowned biologist and genetics expert Dr. Mohammad Rizwan launched his new Urdu book on “LGBTQIA+ and Islam” at Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) headquarters. Published by New Delhi-based Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers, the 286-page book critically examines deviant sexual orientations through psychological, social, and Islamic lenses.
JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini presided over the event, joined by top figures Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, JIH Vice Presidents S Ameenul Hasan and Prof. Salim Engineer. Priced at Rs. 200, the book marks a first-of-its-kind contribution in Urdu scholarship on this hot, contentious issue.
JIH President Defends Family Values, Urges Restrictions on Sexual Freedoms for Social Protection
Presiding over the event, JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini commended Dr. Rizwan for addressing a sensitive issue with scholarly depth. He emphasized that the book analyzes deviant sexual orientations from an Islamic perspective, presenting well-reasoned arguments in a time when the LGBTQIA+ movement is being aggressively promoted, particularly in Western countries.
The JIH President noted that this movement is not only ideological but also being institutionally enforced. Citing personal observations from Western countries, Mr.Husaini described how even school admission forms require children to select from 13 or 17 gender identities. Any objection to these ideas, he said, is treated as a legal offense, with some children even facing police intervention. He noted that Muslims in the West are facing these challenges now. He expressed concern over similar ideological shifts beginning to take root in India, emphasizing the urgent need for critical examination.
Dr. Rizwan’s work, according to the JIH leader, meets this need by covering the subject comprehensively, drawing from biology, genetics, sociology, medical science, experiences, and case studies to present a multi-disciplinary critique. He asserted that this issue is not just about individual behaviour but is symptomatic of a larger civilizational crisis.
Islamic vs. Western Civilizational Values
Mr. Husaini contrasted Islamic civilization, which is built on responsibility and social cohesion, with the Western model, which is increasingly dominated by hedonism — the pursuit of individual pleasure. He argued that in the West, individual desires are given precedence over societal values, leading to the breakdown of family structures. This sexual revolution, he said, began by undermining the necessity of marriage, promoting live-in relationships, and eventually normalizing homosexuality and now even advocating for non-human or artificial or machine alternatives.
Calling this trend a threat to human civilization, the JIH chief emphasized that Islam categorically rejects such ideologies. Rights, he argued, are not absolute but subject to broader civilizational goals.
Mr. Husaini illustrated the need for restricting certain rights using a powerful analogy. “I may claim it is my right to travel anywhere in the world — to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., or any other country, but that right is not absolute. I must apply for a visa, and if the U.K. denies it, I cannot go. Why? Because states believe that protecting national security sometimes requires limiting individual rights.”
He argued that while Western societies accept such restrictions to safeguard the state, they fail to recognize the need for similar limitations to protect the more fundamental institution of society , the family. “Just as states confine individual rights to preserve sovereignty, sexual freedoms too must be restricted to preserve the institution of the family,” he stated.
The JIH chief stressed that sexual relations must be confined to marriage between a man and a woman, as there is no other way to sustain and protect the family system. He emphasized that such restrictions are not targeted at LGBTQ individuals alone, Islam imposes boundaries even between man and woman relationships. Any sexual behaviour, even between husband and wife , that threatens the integrity of the family is deemed impermissible.
He remarked that LGBTQ advocates not only demand the fulfilment of their unrestricted desires but also expect society and the state to actively support and facilitate them. However, such a model, he warned, does not safeguard human society. It threatens the very survival of humanity. “That is why Islam firmly opposes this concept,” he concluded.
Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan: Homosexuality Is a Western Construct
Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, former Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission, supported Dr. Rizwan’s thesis by contextualizing homosexuality as a modern Western concept. He noted that in much of Africa and Russia, it continues to be strongly rejected, and that for most of recorded human history, roughly 7,000 years, homosexuality was widely condemned.
According to Dr. Zafarul Islam, the modern normalization of homosexuality began only after the French Revolution two centuries ago, which advanced the concept of absolute individual freedom. This led to the eventual legalization and gradual promotion of same-sex relationships in Western countries. He highlighted that in these societies, even gender transition is now legally permitted, and critics of LGBTQ ideology are labeled as “homophobic” or anti-human.
He warned that although India has remained somewhat resistant to these trends, active efforts are underway to promote such ideologies through legal means and public demonstrations like the annual ‘Gay Pride’ parades in Delhi and other cities since 2008.
Dr. Zafarul Islam also noted that the Western narrative on LGBTQIA+ is far from collectively accepted, even within the West. A significant segment of the population remains opposed to it, which is why many voted Donald Trump, specifically because of his stance against such ideologies.
Dr. Rizwan: Queer Theory Challenges Traditional Norms
In his introductory remarks, Dr. Rizwan Director of Centre for Study and Research (CSR), highlighted the rise of deviant sexual behaviors in contemporary times, along with their causes and underlying factors. He noted that even in English academic discourse, there has been a lack of comprehensive and serious work on this subject from multiple dimensions.
Dr. Rizwan traced the roots of this discourse to the “sexual revolution” of the 1950s, stating that Queer Theory has since shaped a worldview where the traditional binary understanding of male and female is considered outdated. He said, “The book delves into this entire movement and the narrative it has created. It discusses how, beyond the gender attraction between men and women, an entirely new world of knowledge and research has emerged, which is labeled as Queer Theory. This theory is fundamentally different from the traditional binary understanding of man and woman.”
According to Dr. Rizwan, proponents of Queer Theory are trying to convince traditional binary thinkers of three things: that all of these orientations are normal, that they are natural, and that the LGBTQ+ community has no special effects on humanity. Additionally, proponents of Queer Theory are claiming that the entire ethical system based on the traditional binary relationship between man and woman is relative and subjective.
Dr. Rizwan also pointed out how Queer Theory proponents have shrewdly clubbed mental disorders, developmental disorders, and biological disorders, which have purely biological and clinical causes, under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and are now pushing for society to accept all of these as correct. Furthermore, they are blurring the lines between sexual rights and human rights, thereby mixing the fight for human rights with the fight for sexual rights.
Referring to post-1953 research initiated by Charles Kinsey, Dr. Rizwan pointed out that a unified ideological and academic structure has emerged under Queer Theory, which his book thoroughly critiques from an Islamic perspective.
In the book, Dr. Rizwan addresses contemporary scientific narratives, psychosocial interpretations, the concepts of marriage and family, identity discourse, and how Islamic teachings relate to each of these areas. He also analyses gender dysphoria and similar deviations, and surveys academic and practical responses from the Islamic world.
He stated that while many religious adherents in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism outright reject Queer Theory as mere propaganda, some centrist or accommodative voices seek partial acceptance. However, he stressed the importance of a nuanced approach, “Those who actively indulge and enjoy in such lifestyles should be condemned under Islamic law. Those struggling with psychological or biological disorders deserve compassion and support. Those confused or misled require guidance and clarity.”
Dr. Rizwan called for a thoughtful response, rather than a blanket rejection, emphasizing the need for scholarly engagement and empathetic outreach.
Islamic Scholars Emphasize Binary Nature of Gender and Moral Boundaries of Sexuality
JIH Vice President S. Ameenul Hasan praised the author, Dr. Rizwan, for presenting a powerful counter-narrative to the Western concept of LGBTQ for the first time in Urdu academic literature. He noted that the effort to normalize homosexual behaviour and deviant sexual orientations has been ongoing for over a century, and more recently, these ideas are being cloaked in academic legitimacy.
Calling it a “satanic campaign” and a significant ideological Fitna of the current era, he warned that such concepts go directly against the divine worldview. Citing the Qur’an, he reiterated that Allah created everything in pairs, including humans, animals, plants, and even things unknown to humans, highlighting that only Allah is without a pair, as He is unique and singular.
JIH Vice President emphasized that the binary system of creation is a divine structure, and any effort to alter or redefine it is a deviation from the natural order.
Dr. Muhiuddin Ghazi, Secretary of the Tasnifi Academy, Delhi, provided a detailed Islamic perspective on gender, following a brief overview of the prevailing gender theories. Quoting the Qur’an, Dr. Ghazi stated that Allah has created all things in pairs, either male or female.
According to Dr. Ghazi, the concept of a third gender in Islam is viewed as a biological or psychological irregularity, not a naturally separate category. Even individuals born with indeterminate sexual characteristics (eunuchs) have the right to marry, but only after their gender is clearly determined.
He declared, “Just as oxygen is essential to sustain life, the male-female pair is essential to sustain humanity.”
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