Navigating (Queer) Sexuality in Islam

Purpose of Review: The purpose of the current paper is to review the state of the literature around sexual health and queer identities within Islamic cultures broadly. We sought to explore how individuals who identify as Muslim, particularly queer people, view and discuss sexuality, and to move away from focusing solely on the stigma of sexuality and queerness within Islam. Recent Findings: Through this review, we found that literature on this topic in both the USA and internationally is quite limited and is largely focused on difficulties related to Muslim individuals’ sexuality. The majority of research found that Muslim individuals struggle with feelings of shame, guilt, rejection, and isolation related to sexuality and sexual orientation. However, some literature demonstrated that Muslim individuals are able to have healthy and positive relationships with queerness and sexuality as a whole, through community and finding alternate interpretations of the Quran. Summary: Future research should continue to delve into the topic of sexuality in Muslim individuals and attempt to elucidate how Muslim people have healthy and positive relationships with sexuality. The negative lens within research contributes to further stigmatization around sexuality and the view that Muslim individuals cannot have healthy sexuality or queer identities due to their religious beliefs. Furthering research in this area can help Muslim individuals reconcile their own relationship with their faith and sexuality, and guide clinicians on how to help Muslim clients have positive relationships with themselves as sexual beings.