Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

Sexuality, Love, & Morality | Episode 5

Islam follows an objective morality defined by God that we must follow and protect no matter how the societies around us change. One of the most difficult topics to discuss that directly challenges this is the fairly new paradigm of sexuality and sexual identity. Why does Allah care about what we do in the bedroom? What’s wrong with people choosing who to love?

Imam Tom Facchine and Dr. Sharif El-Tobgui discuss the history of sexuality and the sexual revolution, the Islamic view of sexuality and love, and common objections to Islamic sexuality discourse.

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Dr. Carl Sharif El-Tobgui

Dr. Carl Sharif El-Tobgui

Carl Sharif El-Tobgui holds a B.S. in Arabic Language from Georgetown University and a Master's and Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from McGill University and currently serves as Associate Professor Arabic & Islamic Studies and Director of the Arabic Language Program at Brandeis. He previously taught for five years at Harvard University as Preceptor of Arabic, and has also taught at the Middlebury College Summer Arabic Language School. Prof. El-Tobgui's scholarly expertise lies in the field of Islamic thought, with a concentration on theology, law, and jurisprudence. He is particularly interested in questions concerning the relationship between reason and revelation in the Islamic tradition and has published on the manifestations of this tension in the fields of classical Islamic jurisprudence and Qur'anic exegesis.

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine (pronounced fa-KEEN-ee) converted to Islam in 2010 as he was finishing his BA in Political Science. For the next few years he studied Islam and Arabic with local teachers while working with Muslim youth, founding and directing youth groups in two different communities. In 2015 he was accepted into the University of Madinah and is now close to completing a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law. In addition to youth group activities, for the past two years Tom has directed an after school program for young Muslims called the Ramadan Academy, which operates out of the GCLEA mosque in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Tom’s academic and personal background brings a unique dual ability to relate to mainstream Western cultural norms and engage them from a traditional Islamic perspective. His unique teaching style is highly interactive and brings high-level concepts to a level that even children can understand. He is passionate about building relationships with Muslim youth and giving them the tools and confidence to live as observant, well-adjusted people of faith in our times.