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Research Paper | English Language and Literature | Turkey | Volume 9 Issue 12, December 2020

Out of the Closet: Queer Love in Arabic Literature and Islamic Society

Hadeel Safa Hadi Al-Bayati

Abstract: When same-sex desire is brought to literature it gives it a new shape. This kind of literature is crucial, urgent, and relevant to today’s world and it has a lasting impact on the human’s sexual experience. Nevertheless, this type of literature is rarely the focus of research, thus it remains undefined and under-explained. Since there are no serious studies on homosexuality in Arabic literature, I find it necessary to address this scholarly gap by shedding light on such an argumentative subject especially in today’s world. Depending on this consideration, this study focuses on the interplay between homosexuality and Islamic culture. Moreover, it explores the manifestations of homosexuality in Arabic literature, considering its epistemic closure in Arabic cultural societies. Accordingly, the study is equipped with specific references to famous Arabic poets, novelists, and short fiction writers, who are qualified to depict the constructions of queer desire and sexual customs of Arabic Muslims. Therefore, the study provides a vehicle for conveying multiple portrayals of homoeroticism in Arabic literature. Looking at the representations of queer social relations, we hope to find both echoes of the Arabic Muslims’ views on queer relationships and indications of the ways in which the conceptual state of bisexuality is evolving in both Arabic literature and its culture. In conclusion, the study offers a monolithic image of homosexuality and Arabic literature with Islamic society. Thereby, it is conceived as a contribution to a wider discussion of sexual queerness in the Middle East.

Keywords: Arabic Literature, Arabic Muslims Epistemic closure, queer love, Same-sex desire

Edition: Volume 9 Issue 12, December 2020,

Pages: 966 - 973