You're right that on the whole Islam is MUCH more intolerant of homosexuality than either Christianity or Judaism. Which is somewhat ironic, because some scholars feel that the Qu'ran, while condemning of homosexuality, is less damning than the Bible or the Torah:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_views_of_homosexualityWhile homosexuality as an attraction is against the Sharia (which governs the physical actions, and also the inner thoughts and feelings), it is only the physical action of same-sex intercourse that is punishable under the Sharia.
Thus, homosexual desire and love are accommodated, but same-sex intercourse is prohibited, as Islam teaches that such intercourse is a violation of the natural boundaries set by Allah.
Historically the punishment has been less severe compared to its Abrahamic counterparts: Judaism and Christianity. The Qur'an states that if a person commits the sin they can repent and save their life, though there are hadiths that later prescribe the death penalty. Early Islamic cultures, especially ones where homosexuality was entrenched into their Pagan culture were renowned for their cultivation of a homosexual aesthetic. They reconciled their new religion using a hadith ascribed to Muhammad declaring male lovers who die chaste to be martyrs, “He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr”.
The result is a religion that allows love between those of the same gender as long as they do not have sexual intercourse. Ibn Hazm, Ibn Daud, Al-Mu'tamid, Abu Nuwas, and many others wrote extensively and openly of love between men. However, in order for the transgression to be proven, at least four men or eight women must bear witness against the accused, thus making it very difficult to persecute those who did not remain celibate in the privacy of their homes.
That said, within even mainstream Islam, homosexuality is near-universally condemned.
Is it something inherent in the religion? I don't buy that, given that Jewish and Christian texts are equally condemning of homosexuality, if not more. The fact is nearly every religion in the world has held up an ideal of male-female marriage and coupling and homosexuality has yet to find acceptance within the wide mainstream of any religion. There are, however, liberal movements in Christianity, Judaism, and within Buddhism and, to a lesser extent, Hinduism that have been more accepting of homosexuality. So why the difference? Acceptance of homosexuality is a pretty recent phenomenon of the past thirty years or so and only in developed, Western states. There is some growing acceptance in Japan and Korea, but in both nations, there still remains the Confucian marital ideal and a tradition of deferring to authority that makes reform slower.
My guess is that movements to recognize homosexuality as something acceptable within Islam will occur in North America and somewhat in Europe. Between the two, North America is more likely, given that American and Canadian Muslims and their children are pretty well integrated into society. In Europe, that isn't the case, so many second and third-generation Muslim Europeans remain isolated from the rest of society and are often more reactionary.
Beyond that, nearly all GLBT-rights movements have occurred in developed and democratic countries. I doubt you'll see a change in attitudes towards homosexuality in Islamic countries for the better part of this century. Remember, acceptance of homosexuality in the West is VERY recent, historically speaking. It'll likely happen even in Islamic countries faster than the fundies would like, but it won't be until you have a peaceful, democratic Muslim world that is economically prosperous and integrated with the rest of the world. Those were the preconditions for Western acceptance of homosexuality. That may take awhile in Arab and Muslim countries. Nevertheless, it should be pushed, because it's not going to go anywhere quick if the GLBT community and their allies just wait it out.
As for your statement about evolution in Christianity and none in Islam - your question of "Where are the reform Muslims?" There's actually a well-developed philosophy in Islam known as
itjihad which embraces the reinterpretation of scripture, encourages the pursuit of knowledge and "truth":
http://www.ijtihad.org/I don't want to oversell this, because currently there is very little of this. However, keep in mind that worldwide Islamic fundamentalism and political Islam is actually a very recent phenomenon from the late 1970s. Islam hasn't for centuries had a central authority (although there did remain a Caliph in the form of the Ottomon Sultan), which means that talk of an "Islamic Reformation" is a little inapplicable. Even in the Arab world, up until the 1970s, the dominant political movements were secular Arab nationalism, Communism, and Socialism. Islam played little political role in most Arab or Muslim countries. Wearing the veil became very uncommon in many countries like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Even Saudi Arabia appeared to be loosening up until the mid-70s. In the last 30 years, with the collapse of Socialism and Communism and with the failure of Arab nationalism, the dominant political ideology in the Middle East became Islamism and there has been a resurgence in religiosity as well as a reversion to more hardline and conservative religious views in many countries. With globalization, there is an increasing sense of "brotherhood" among Muslims even in places like Malaysia and Indonesia which, combined with funding by Saudi Arabia of Wahhabi religious schools, has led to greater religious orthodoxy all over the Muslim world and a surge in popularity for political Islamism.
But to answer your question, here's a link to a progressive Muslim group that accepts homosexuality: The Progressive Muslim Union of North America. Here's some background information about the group:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Muslim_UnionHere's the group's website:
http://www.pmuna.org/PMU Statement of Principles
The Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMU) is a grassroots organization that aims to provide a forum, voice, and organizing mechanism to North American Muslims who wish to pursue a progressive intellectual, social and political agenda.
Our work is guided by the following principles:
1) We affirm that a Muslim is anyone who identifies herself or himself as "Muslim," including those whose identification is based on social commitments and cultural heritage.
2) We affirm the importance of celebrating the arts, culture, and the pursuit of joy in our daily lives. We believe the restrictions imposed by some on instrumental music and the depiction of human forms in paintings and sculpture contravene the rich Muslim cultural heritage from around the globe.
3) We affirm the validity of Islamic ritual and practice as an expression of love for God, while acknowledging that specific forms of ritual and practice are individual choices and should never be imposed through coercive means.
4) We affirm the equal status and equal worth of all human beings, regardless of religion, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We oppose any restrictions on women's full participation in society and believe that separation and segregation of men and women is contrary to the equity among genders enshrined in the Quran. We endorse the human rights and liberties of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual individuals. We believe that Muslim women and men, gay and straight, of all nationalities, ethnicities, and races should work together, shoulder-to-shoulder, in their effort to rejuvenate our community.
5) We affirm that justice and compassion should be the guiding principles for all aspects of human conduct. Islam holds that these qualities are characteristics of God as revealed in the holy Quran, divine qualities that are the ethical virtues to which all human beings should aspire to emulate.
6) We affirm our commitment to social and economic justice and our opposition to the culture of militarism and violence. We will support efforts for universal health care, public education, the protection of our environment, and the eradication of poverty around the world.
7) We reject the authoritarian, racist, sexist and homophobic interpretations of our faith as antithetical to the principles of justice and compassion.
8) We affirm the diversity of inspirations that motivate people to embrace a commitment to justice and compassion, including a profound faith rooted in religious traditions, ethical imperatives developed throughout the centuries, and secular and humanist values shared by many Muslims today.
9) We call for critical inquiry and dynamic engagement with Islamic scripture, early Muslim sources, the Islamic intellectual heritage, and traditional and current Muslim discourses.
10) We endorse the separation of religion and state in all matters of public policy, not only in North America, but also across the Muslim world. We believe that secular government is the only way to achieve the Islamic ideal of freedom from compulsion in matters of faith and that the separation of religion and state is a necessary pre-requisite to building democratic societies, where religious, ethnic, and racial minorities are accepted as equal citizens enjoying full dignity and human rights enunciated in the 1948 UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights.
11) We recognize the growing danger of religious extremism and view the politicization of religion and the intrusion of religion into politics as twin threats to civil society and humane civilization. We vow to resist the intrusion of religion into politics and the exploitation of religion for political ends.
12) Recognizing our participation in the broader human family, we seek to engage with and contribute to other philosophical and spiritual traditions and progressive movements.
Here's a link to the progressive Muslim online magazine WakeUp!:
http://www.muslimwakeup.com/Obviously, a general look at Islam would show it to be quite regressive as practiced today with no acknowledgement of GLBT rights. But there are people out there who are trying to change that, and given the trend of history, change will probably come. It may not be totally clean, but neither has Western acceptance of GLBT rights.
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