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Mudhakkarat
Mudhakkarat is a form of Arabic poetry about homosexual love, especially that between mature men and adolescent men and boys. It is a common theme in poetry of the classical period of Islamic literature, particularly in the works of Abu Nuwas.
The practice of same-sex love may at first glance seem a contradiction of Koranic law, which forbids homosexual relations, until one considers that the concepts and definitions of homosexuality among the peoples and cultures of western Asia, which are predominantly Muslim, may differ substantially from the concepts and definitions of the term in the West. In many of these cultures, only males who are passive partners in sex, or who affect feminine mannerisms and dress, are considered homosexual. As with the ancient Greek practice of paiderastia sexual relations between men and boys may not usually involve actual intercourse but instead consist of frottage or mutual masturbation. Quite a few men may express their affection for a handsome boy through nothing more than kisses, embraces, and caresses. Most mudhakkarat verse does not even concern physical contact between men and boys, but instead concerns longing and admiring gazes upon a youth's beauty. Along with Abu Nuwas, Omar Khayyam and Hafiz are known to have written poems praising the beauty and caresses of the wine boys. Mudhakkarat doubtless has pre-Islamic origins, as sexual relations between young men and older males were known throughout much of the ancient world. Such relations continued into the Islamic era throughout western Asia and up to the present time. Monarchs such as Muhammad al-Amin and Abdur Al-Rahman are known to have kept boy lovers, and the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II is said to have indulged in same-sex love with his boyhood friend, Radu III of Wallachia, who served as Mehmed's vassal during the twelve year exile of Radu's brother, the notorious Vlad Tepes. The keeping of young male companions, or ashnas, by wealthy men in Afghnaistan continued to be practiced in the twentieth century until it was banned by the Taliban regime. Yet once their regime was ousted in 2002, the practice became common once more.
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