Dr. Serena Tolino
Ph.D. student (scholarship holder 10/2008 - 01/2012)
Dissertation defense: 27.04.2012
Predicate: summa cum laude
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Paul
Homosexuality in Islam
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Paul
Nowadays homosexuality is considered a sexual orientation. The project is a research on the Islamic stand regarding it. Homosexuality, for Isl…m, is a major sin and a subversion of the natural order as established by God. The existing debate on this topic in the various juridical schools has never questioned this point. But what is the juridical status of the homosexual? And what are the similarities and the differences between it and zina?
It seems that for the Islamic jurisprudence the homosexual orientation isn't a problem until it comes into sexual acts: the law is concerned about deeds, not intentions. On the other hand, the society can accept homosexual intercourses, but it can't accept the concept of sexual orientation itself, which is a revolution in the traditional social system, based on marriage and reproduction. The modern concept of sexual orientation is now a given fact and a challenge for the Islamic world: the research studies the evolution of the situation, taking into consideration the legislative point of view and the social difficulties encountered by homosexuals in Islamic countries.
Education
| 2008-until now | GSAA Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg PhD Student, subject of the research: "Homosexuality in Islam" Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Paul |
| 2007-until now | University of Naples "L'Orientale" PhD Student in "Near East and Maghreb: Cultural specifities and intercultural relations" Supervisor: Prof. Agostino Cilardo |
| 2005-2007 | University of Naples "L'Orientale" Master Degree in "Sciences of Languages, History and Cultures of Mediterranean and Islamic Countries" |
| 2005-2006 | Pontifical Institute of Cairo, Dar Comboni Baccalaureate in Arabic studies |
| 2005 | University of Cairo, Faculty of Arts Scholarship from the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs to study Arabic Language and Literature in Cairo |
| 2002-2005 | University of Naples "L'Orientale" Bachelor Degree in "Languages, History and Culture of Islamic Countries" |
| 1998-2002 | Liceo Ginnasio Statale "Anco Marzio", Rome Diploma di Maturità Classica (Latin, Greek, History, Italian Literature, Philosophy, English, History of Art, Sciences) |
Work experiences
| 02/2007-02/2008 | Italian Ministry of Social Solidarity, Civil service implemented in Cospe Egypt, Cooperation for Development of Emerging countries. Project assistant in the implementation of a project about the integration of children with special needs in Minia (Upper Egypt) |
| 01/2006-01/2007 | Italian Institute of Culture, Cairo Italian teacher |
| 10/2005-01/2006 | Italian school "Don Bosco", Cairo Italian teacher |
| 06/2005-01/2006 | Centre for Intercultural Dialogue and Translations, Cairo Gather different explanations given by translators of Arabic terms in former issues of Arab-West Report (AWR) |
Publications
- "The anti female genital mutilation discourse in Contemporary Egypt", in Islam and Bioethics, Proceedings of the "Third international conference on Islam and Bioethics", ed. by Berna Arda and Vardit Rispler Chaim, Ankara University, Ankara, 2010, pp. 207-219
- "Le tutela dei minori in Egitto: il Qanun al-tifl alla luce degli emendamenti del 2008 e il ruolo delle organizzazioni non governative" (the protection of children's rights: the Qanun al-tifl after the 2008 amendments and the role of non-governmental organizations", proceedings of the "Conference on the protection of children of Islamic culture in Mediterranean area: social, juridical and medical aspects", ed. by Agostino Cilardo, forthcoming
- "L'omosessualità nei paesi arabo-islamici", Arduino Sacco Editore, Roma 2009
- Homosexuality and Egyptian law, Special for Arab-West Report, Januar 2006
Published translations:
- La sposa ribelle, Hanan al-Shaykh, Piemme, Milano 2010
(Novel, transl. from Arabic to Italian of Serena Tolino, Ashraf Hassan) - Mio signore, mio carnefice, transl. from Arabic to Italian, Hanan al-Shaykh, Piemme, Milano 2011
(Novel, transl. from Arabic to Italian of Serena Tolino, Ashraf Hassan)
Languages
Italian (mother tongue), Arabic, English, Spanish
Language courses:
2003:Institut des Langues Vivantes "Bourguiba", Tunis: Intensive course of Arabic
2007:American University of Cairo; Toefl Preparation Course