This has simply got to be the weirdest claim to pop up this week. Dr. Mariam Al-Sohel, pictured above, was interviewed on Scope TV in Kuwait about her gay cure. There she claimed that ….
…she has developed an anal suppository based on the “Prophetic medicine” of the Prophet Muhammad. Dr. Sohel claims that the new suppository cures homosexuality by exterminating the “anal worm that feeds on semen.” Showing examples of the suppositories, she claimed that this treatment has been subjected to modern research and testing. She referred to homosexual men as “the third gender” and to “butch lesbians” as the “fourth gender” and said that the new treatment “cures” both. She also claimed to have developed a balanced diet as part of the treatment that includes plenty of bitter foods and root vegetables, the consumption of which she said increases masculinity in men. Dr. Al-Sohel was presented as a “Human Development Advisor,” and on social media she identifies as a Reiki Master, and a member of Toastmasters International. She said that she received an honorary doctorate in “Sex Management,” homosexuality, and sexual harassment from the International Union of Universities in Turkey.
I have quite honestly no idea how she thinks that there are 4 genders, or for that matter, how anal worms that feed on semen explains lesbians. Quite clearly the word “clueless” is a rather foundational aspect. Just to drive that point home, she also claims to be a Reiki Master.
Her claim is of course utter nonsense, and while you know that, there are many gullible people who will buy into this.
Conversion Therapy
Just to ensure that you grasp that this is not about bashing a specific variation of belief, I do feel obliged to point out that right across the US the concept of “Conversion Therapy” still prevails within some minds. Anybody who pops up with a supposed gay cure is promoting quackery.
Yes, the bible declares being gay to be an abomination and so on that basis religious fundamentalists justify their bigotry and intolerance. Interestingly enough, that same bible also declares eating shellfish to be an abomination, yet those that use the bible to justify their own bigotry don’t seem all that bothered about people eating shellfish.
What does Science Tell us about “conversion therapy”?
In May 2001, Robert Spitzer presented “Can Some Gay Men and Lesbians Change Their Sexual Orientation?” …
- In 2012, Spitzer renounced and retracted this study, stating “I was quite wrong in the conclusions that I made from this study. The study does not provide evidence, really, that gays can change. And that’s quite an admission on my part.”
“Changing Sexual Orientation: A Consumer’s Report”, a peer-reviewed study of 202 respondents demonstrated that …
- 88% of participants failed to achieve a sustained change in their sexual behaviour. 3% claimed it worked and the remainder reported either losing all sexual drive or attempting to remain celibate, with no change in attraction.
If there is no evidence for it, then why do some people continue to promote it?
What can I say except that’s the way belief operates. When we invest in an idea emotionally, then often no quantity of evidence matters, or for that matter, the complete lack of any credible evidence.