Religious and Sexual Identity Conflict among Same-sex Attracted Muslim Men: A Conceptual Differences of Life Experience between Western and Muslim Majority Countries

Abstract

Previous studies exploring the conflict between religious and sexual identity among same-sex attracted Muslim men (henceforth, SSAMM) have been largely carried out on ethnic minority Muslims living in the Western countries. Many of such studies seem to indirectly imply that religious adherence to Islam have largely contributed to the identity conflict among SSAMM. Without scrutinizing the difference between Western and Muslim majority setting in which a same-sex attracted men (henceforth, SSAM) lives, other potential factors that may lead an SSAMM to experience conflict between religious and sexual identity are left unexplained. Thus, misperceptions against Islam as the only contributor to the said conflict are left uncorrected. In order to correct the misperceptions, the current paper proposes some conceptual differences between the Western and Muslim majority setting within which an SSAM lives. Malaysia is one of the valid Muslim majority settings suitable to demonstrate the conceptual differences as well as becoming a good breeding ground for studies pertaining to issues of homosexuality among religious SSAMM to flourish. It is hoped that such proposals of differences would be helpful to conceptually counter balance the unfavorable implications previous studies had on religion, particularly that of Islam.