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LGBT: Is This Our Responsibilty?

  • Asst. Prof. Dr. Siti Noorkhairina Sowtali
  • Jan 5, 2018
  • 7 min read


The issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) has become a social issue in many community including the Muslim. LGBT is associated with sexual disorders and gender issues which require the attention of everyone, including the policymakers and leaders. Many communities did not condone such behavior and various approaches had been tried to overcome or at least minimise this social menace. It is a very sensitive issue indeed that demands research to understand the problem better. We may choose to ignore it and accept it as a reality, but if one our family members or close friend(s) how would we react to it? Will we be worried, trying to understand the problem and help them or just ignore it totally?

Perhaps, in this situation some would try to help out of empathy, love and care. Some may resort to the blaming game and find reasons to explain the phenomena. Can it be a genetic disorder? Or is it as the result of upbringing, influence from friends or social media? Or is it part of qada’ and qadar from Allah as a test from Him? This is actually even worse when one’s faith is jeopardize. Allah has explained about the homosexual problems that occur among population of Luth. Homosexual is a despicable act as mentioned in verses 80 to 84, Surah al-Araf, which means:

And [We had sent] Luth when he said to his people, "Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people." But the answer of his people was only that they said, "Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure. So we saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those who remained [with the evildoers]. "And we rained upon them a rain [of stones]. Then see how was the end of the criminals. Generally, LGBT is rarely accepted by the community over the globe since it is against many religion(s) practice. However, it is not right to accuse or abuse this community without trying to understand the situation and find solution or providing guidance to rehabilitate them. This is especially important for healthcare professionals, be it a nurse, physician, pharmacist, dentist or allied health sciences officers or religious, social worker and academics. You may face this issue throughout life spans either during teenage and adult phase at several institutions such as school, public place, work place or even at the university level. They may be your client/patient, students, neighbours or family members. If you could not manage to help, stop being a critique yet doing nothing.

There are several issues in LGBT that concerned citizen could give attention, such as health related matters and providing outreach program through either through government agency or non-government organization (NGOs) involvement. This is important to ensure the balance between mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of that particular LGBT individual as highlighted in the Psychosocial Health Model. LGBT is not a simple or small issues that should be taken for granted. It is actually a part of macro environment issues which may begin from a dysfunctional families.

It has been observed that parent’s divorce, poor parenting style and neglected children will lead to further major problems in the society. These include illicit drugs abuse/smuggling, vandalism in neighbourhood, crime, threats to safety, injury, school failure, unemployment and financial problems (The facts was actually obtain from several interviews with patients involved in LGBT). Besides that, an individual involves in LGBT may also came from high prestigious and religious background but in between their lifespan, they might be involved in life crisis such as break off with their loved ones, marital problems or crucial issues such as financial crisis. Perhaps they may choose this pathway as an escapism from reality and to earn for living to ensure sustainability of their family members.


LGBT health issues and safety measures

Among health issues that LGBT individuals may be exposed to sexual transmitted disease (STD) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis due to unsafe sexual practice. Therefore, dissemination of health awareness and peer counselling should be delivered if you know that some of your colleagues are involved or having a higher tendency to get involved in LGBT. Do not harass them! If you keep on harassing and stereotyping them, there are higher possibility for them to keep isolated from the normal community. If it happen they are your close sibling(s), family member(s) or friend(s), do not hesitate to get advice from experts such as counselor or religious officer if they are studying in the university. Discipline teacher, counselling teacher or student affairs officer will be the person in-charge in handling such matter at primary or secondary school.


Furthermore, LGBT individual is prone to be abused by their partners/spouse, gigolo/boss or so-called ‘mak ayam/bapa ayam’ especially among transgender and bisexual. Some of them are beaten up and their money or belongings are taken away if they refuse to entertain the ‘customer’. Besides that, if they willingly to serve their customers who might having STD as well, the possibility of encountering communicable disease (also included the STD) is higher if the LGBT individual did not practice standard precaution such as wearing condoms/diaphragm.

Frequent and unsafe sexual intercourse among bisexual may open up the chances of getting pregnant. When this happen, abortion is usually performed if the foetus is still at early stage and sometimes it is a repeated event of the bisexual individual life! Without being taken good care, their reproductive system may be deteriorated easily especially due to re-occurrence of sepsis, genital warts or fungal infection due to unsafe procedure (e.g, illegal abortion service provided by non-license medical practitioner, use of non-sterile equipment etc.). In the long run, they are at higher chance of getting cervical cancer, ovarian cancer or uterine fibroid due to repeated unsafe pregnancy or frequent abortion.

On the other hand, gay(s) are at higher chance of getting rectum cancer by frequent anal intercourse. By ‘fitrah’, nature of intercourse should involve the sexual genitalia of a women and men and doing ‘the other way around’ will definitely affect one’s health. Sometimes, anal intercourse may also causes injury to the rectum which leads to severe bleeding and require medical attention for repair (e.g. surgery). Furthermore, depression are also common among the gay(s) and lesbian(s) if they are facing difficult relationship in their life. There is no guarantee of happiness that their relationship is accepted by the family and society. The loyalty attitude among these group of peoples usually will jeopardize their own mental health especially when they got break-up with their partners. Nevertheless, there are some of the LGBT individuals are actually had the intention of returning back to ‘fitrah’ since deep inside they really know that their way of living is not accepted by norms and religions. However, the harassment they had received from the society makes them feel ambiguous over the risk they will encounter to live back in the normal society. Will they be accepted? If you read this article, please have your mental set change and be HUMAN. We all make mistakes and perhaps a chance should be given and guidance should be allocated for them. THERE WILL ALLWAYS BE A HOPE, CHANCE AND MECHANISM..

LGBT outreach program

An individual with LGBT may have encountered multiple problems in their life including sexual health matters, drug/alcohol abuse and faith/religions matter especially if they are Muslims. If LGBT happens among your spouse/life partner get help from religious department at each state such as Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), Agensi Anti Dadah Kebangsaan (AADK), non-government organization (NGO) such as PENGASIH, Malaysia, or from nearby primary health clinic to refer an individual with drug abused for direct observational therapy (DOTs).

The healthcare provider(s) may assist you in providing behavioral risk reduction counselling and health education for persons at risk for STD such as HIV and syphilis. Local health departments can implement health provider awareness campaigns with a special focus on HIV and syphilis via continuing medical education on the symptoms’ recognition and management recommendations which may include pharmacological approach. In some country, such as in San Francisco, their public health agencies had expanded the outreach and prevention efforts by using the online social media. Their internet-based prevention program comprised of website development, creation of internet links to syphilis testing services, individual outreach in internet chat rooms and public message boards, health-promotional banner advertisements, development of an e-mail list server to distribute syphilis updates, creation of an online syphilis-testing program, and collaboration with officials to develop an internet-based STD educational question and answer service. Conclusion

LGBT is a social problem in the society affecting many families and educational institutions. If you are a Muslim and feel like you are facing this problems, stop being denial as if nothing has happened and get help! Love yourself and appreciate that there is still a chance for you to change your future. You may bring along a trusted friend, siblings, family members or perhaps you would like to go alone to any religious department, you may do so. For non-muslim, perhaps you may refer to any NGO established in your religion line and seek their advice and help.

There is nothing wrong to share your problems although it is embarrassing. Perhaps, getting involved with religious based social service by joining certain NGO such as Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia may help you to feel better as it provides a platform to do do good deeds. As a member of a civil society discontinue harassing these people is the least that one could take, which is a commendable act. Instead of that you may pray and Dua’ so that they get their way back to norms. The choice is yours!


Asst. Prof. Dr. Siti Noorkhairina Sowtali Postgraduate Coordinator Kulliyyah of Nursing International Islamic University Malaysia




Source of information: 1. Nurul Nabilah Ruslan, Postgraduate Student at Fakulti Pengajian Quran dan Sunnah, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Researcher in area of Hadith and Multimedia. 2. Faizatul Najihah Mohd Azaman, Postgraduate Student in Islamic Reveal Knowledge (Fiqh and Usul Fiqh), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Researcher in area of Maqasid Syariah. 3. Nurul Najwa Ismail, Undergraduate Kulliyyah of Nursing Student in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). 4. Afifah Shukor, Kulliyyah of Medicine Student in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). 5. Prof. Ariff Osman, Professor at Kulliyyah of Medicine. International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Researcher in area of Maqasid Syariah. 6. Assoc. Prof. Samsul Deraman. Associate Professor at Kulliyyah of Medicine. International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Researcher in area of Transgender.

References: 1. PENGASIH Malaysia. Available: http://pengasih.org/news/.6 2. Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia. Available: http://www.ikram.org.my/tarbiah/dakwahharakah.html. 3. Rebecca, G.D. (2014). HEALTH. THE BASICS Green Edition. Chapter 2: Psychosocial Health. Available: https://www.lahc.edu/classes/pe/health/health11media/Health_11_Chapter_2_Psychos ocial-PDF.pdf. 4. Saiful Azhar bin Saadon et al. (2015). Hadith Sahih on Behavior of LGBT. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. Department of Islamic Development Malaysia. JAKIM. 5. William W. et al. (2005). Risk Factors for Early Syphilis among Gay and Bisexual Men Seen in an STD

Clinic: San Francisco, 2002–2003. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 32 (7), 458–463.

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