One of the most interesting cases that I had encountered as a doctor was a man who came looking as yellow as a carrot. He was clearly jaundiced and after a physical examination, I asked him questions to weigh his risk factors for getting acute hepatitis. I explained the modes of transmission of Hepatitis B/C virus and I didn’t need to explain much before he told me that he is a homosexual. An urgent liver function test revealed a 30- fold increase of his liver enzymes compared to a normal person. I quickly made a call to the nearest hospital for him to be admitted.
Lately in the social media as well as newspapers, the issues of LGBT is getting more prominent most probably because people are more brave in declaring themselves as ‘not straight’ and wanting the society to recognize their existence in the community.
Well, LGBT is not a new issue because the Prophet of Allah, Lut a.s was also tested by the emergence of this group of people. I have read astounding stories in the media recently one of which a husband divorced his wife after 19 years of marriage after finding out that ‘she’ was born a male. I have also encountered a website for teenagers with LGBT parents where these teenagers call their ‘parents’ as dad 1 and dad 2. Another family has two mothers, one called ‘mama’ the other ‘mummy’. How confusing this is!
Medically, when babies are born, their gender is determined by their external genitalia except in cases of ambiguous genitalia which can be due to various underlying medical conditions. The most common being congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). In these cases, further investigations are done including a scan inside their abdomen to determine their reproductive organs. In the fiqh of medicine, the person will be assigned the gender based on their internal organs because these organs produce hormones which will complete their external sexual development later.
So, can males be trapped in female bodies and vice versa? This is the most common feeling that is described by the people who are confused with their identity. Do homosexuals have lesser hormones than their counter parts who are straight? So far, there are no studies to say that this is the case. So, where does this inclination come from?
Allah swt is EVER JUST and MERCIFUL to His creations. He never made males to regret being males or females being trapped in male bodies. The world of Psychiatry has studied gender confusion and it is found to be a part of a disorder that is usually transient and but needs proper rehabilitation and counseling. Try viewing it this way. Some people are tested by Allah with calamities such as the destruction of their homes and belongings. Others lay for months in hospital beds suffering from terminal illnesses and the list goes on. Allah has said in Surah al Mulk:
He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving
Life is a test, as stated in the Quran. Therefore, I view issues of LGBT as a test from Allah swt to those that are affected, their friends and families. When we come to a conclusion that this is a test from Allah, we will deal with the test in the best manner that will surely invite Allah’s help and mercy. This will eventually lead us to the path of truth and will provide answers to all the internal conflicts. However, if we are influenced by the western or other society which is not based on Quranic values, the arguments are endless. Justifying every ‘human right’ does not make the Western society the happiest society in the world, nor did it achieve the least of problems from its family institutions. I have been in an ethics class in second year of medicine when the issue for discussion was ‘is a human life the same as a cabbage?’ when we discussed about euthanasia and withholding life support.
On the other hand, if we understand life the way that it was meant by the Creator, peculiar topics like these can be avoided. If left to the mind alone, of course the human mind wonders and there can be no limits to it. The human mind has to be guided.
I am sad to read about teenagers with same sex parents as I can imagine their hard life without the natural instincts of a mother and a father. I hope that LGBT issues in Malaysia will be dealt according to the Islamic way for the betterment of human kind. Life is constantly about facing challenges and tests and everyone is being tested in different ways and means. Surely, with every hardship there is ease for those who belief.
Dr Nur Farrah Nadia Najib
https://www.facebook.com/dr.nurfarrah
