Sex is a normal and essential part of life. For Muslims however, the open discussion of sex between non-married people can be frowned upon, usually for cultural reasons but also because in Islam sex is a private matter between and a man and a woman who are married together.
This course will broaden Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists’ understanding of Islamic traditions and laws surrounding sex and sexuality. This understanding will help dispel myths and inform meaningful connections and working practices when engaging members of the Islamic community.
Psychosexual and relationship therapists cannot work effectively with Muslims unless they have an understanding of the etiquette of sexual dialogue, of what is permissible and what is perceived as offensive. Sex is not a closed door in Islam; you might be surprised to discover the following quote from the Quran:
And one of His signs is that He created mates for you, that you may find rest in them, and He envisaged between you love and compassion …
(Quran, 30:21)
According to Islamic tradition, marriage, and as such sex, is deemed to be an essential requirement. Celibacy is regarded as a malevolent condition fraught with evils.
This self-access class is a recording of the live online seminar in June 2023.
About the Trainer
Lohani Noor was born to an orthodox Islamic family in the north of England, the seventh of 10 children. She grew up in a dense, unintegrated Asian community and remained there until her late teens. Lohani’s understanding of Islam is from first-hand experience combined with the wisdom gained from male and female Islamic scholars, Iman’s and Alima’s.
As a second-generation migrant Lohani understands how religious and cultural practices can become frozen or divergent. Equally how second-generation families find themselves hosting a broad spectrum of belief systems within its members from atheists to devout Muslims, all of whom often live peacefully side by side, as family should.
Lohani’s first training was in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, completing the four-year diploma. She then went on to complete a MSc in Psychosexual Therapies. She is accredited with COSRT and Registered with UKCP. Lohani is an LGBTQ Staff therapist and a stopSO therapist and trustee of the board. Further Lohani has a PGDip in Urban Education, a Cert Ed Teaching qualification and QTLS (qualified teaching and learning status) amongst many other qualifications.
