Serenity Quest

Anthropologist Malek Chebel has assembled a "Le Kama-sutra arabe", an anthology of erotic texts from Islamic history. In an interview with Catherine Golliau, he cites erotic passages from the Koran and calls the puritanism of contemporary Islam, unislamic. "The rejection of the flesh and sexuality amounts to a rejection of the self. But how should someone who rejects himself be able to love anyone else, including God? Islam emphasizes the importance of profane happiness as a passage and invitation to spiritual happiness. Those who see these two forms of happiness as oppositions are 'emotionally illiterate.'"

Taken from signandsight.com

Further reading about Malek Chebel and his book:

Malek Chebel, une voix libérale de l'islam [French] - Yahoo

Algerian Reformist Malek Chebel: 27 Propositions for Reforming Islam [English] - The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)