Free course

Diversity in religion: Islam

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In this short course, Diversity in religion: Islam, you will explore how attitudes and opinions within a single religious tradition can be internally diverse. You will look at Islam in particular, considering the diversity of Muslim attitudes to same-sex relationships. This will focus mainly on relationships between men because Muslim legal experts did not pay nearly as much attention to lesbian sex and did not prescribe specific punishments for it.

Interested in taking your learning further? You might find it helpful to explore the Open University’s Religious Studies courses and qualifications.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

understand the range of attitudes towards same-sex relationships among Muslims
recognise change and diversity in Islam and in religion in general.

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First Published: 24/01/2023

Updated: 24/01/2023

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Average rating 3.6 out of 5, based on 18 ratings.

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Sheida Eshraghi kia 18 September 2026 4:09PM

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Ultimately, this text adopts a sociological and historical perspective to demonstrate that laws and attitudes toward homosexuality in the Muslim world are shaped by historical factors (such as colonialism), political motivations (such as identity-building against the West), and social changes (such as the evolution of rights movements), rather than being solely the product of fixed religious texts. The author emphasizes that Islam is a living religion and, like any other, undergoes change and diverse interpretations across different times and places.

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Elijah Montgomery 9 August 2026 10:25PM

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Very informative regarding Muslim culture, recommend for anyone to gain knowledge regarding different sexuality beliefs in Muslim countries

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Diversity in religion: Islam

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