Saudi cleric: ‘Homosexuality not a deviation from Islam, should not be punished’
The cleric, Salman Odah, stated that "even though homosexuality is considered a sin in all the Semitic holy books, it does not require any punishment in this world."
Challenging the Islamic view on homosexuality, a Saudi religious preacher has argued that although homosexuality is a sin, it should not be punishable by law, the Saudi daily Eilaph reported Saturday, citing an interview in a Swedish newspaper.
In the interview, Salman Odah stated that “even though homosexuality is considered a sin in all the Semitic holy books, it does not require any punishment in this world. It is a sin that will accompany its committer in the life after death.”
“Homosexuals are not deviating from Islam. Homosexuality is a grave sin, but those who say that homosexuals deviate from Islam are the real deviators. By condemning homosexuals to death they are committing a graver sin than homosexuality itself,” Odah further said.
Read more at jpost.com
Photo by Benson Kua [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons