Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: Iraqi Gays in Crisis
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - DECEMBER 30: An Iraqi seller shows a rug bearing a picture of former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein at his shop on December 30, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. Suppoprters of the former dictator are expected to gather at his burial site in Tikrit for the first anniversary of his execution, prompting security forces to be placed on alert. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie /Getty Images)
On Sunday, July 12th Radio 5 Live will be airing a documentary about life as a gay Iraqi after Saddam Hussein. It’s likely to be powerful and disturbing and an article from the BBC gives a preview.
The most shocking finding human rights groups are faced with is that homophobia and gay related murders are on the rise since Saddam’s regime was toppled. The causes are unclear, but the fact is that the repressive regime we have all learned to condemn created a kind of pocket for gay culture in Iraq. Post war, the grip of religious leaders has strengthened and studies estimate that gay related murders since 2003 may be in the hundreds.
This year there are going to be lots of proclamations about successes in Iraq. As troops scale back, government and military personnel are going to be eager to discuss the progress for human rights and economic rights in the country.
The important thing to remember is that progress doesn’t happen in one wave. The Radio 5 documentary serves to remind us that as things take a step forward, human rights often takes a backseat.
I was watching a film about transgenders in Iran. Gays are executed in Iran. Since the time of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (who gave his blessing to gender reassignment some years ago and also the supreme ruler of Iran whose word was the last one at the time similar to that of Ayatollah Khamenei at this time)people in Iran who want to do so to be with the gender of person they want to be with can do so. In fact it is the only way in Iran 2 biological males or 2 biological females can be in a relationship together. One of the men must be reassigned to the female gender and one of the women must be reassigned to the male gender. I watched a film produced in Iran’s national language Farsi (with English subtitles) on this. One person who had surgery was experiencing pain in the kidney area and said that this was just not worth the pain she was experiencing. One woman at the doctor’s office was absolutely furious that she had to change genders to male just to be with the another woman. Another said on the street while being interviewed in pouring rain that she changed her mind and had no intention of changing her gender from her biological female gender even if it meant she had to go through life alone.
A number of people awaited their turn, said later that they were glad they had it done.
But at the price of death if the state believes you to be in a gay relationship and you don’t fit they only mold the republic of Iran approves of, a heterosexual mold.
Morgan’s post is interesting for the information provided about Iran, bu the article here is actually about Iraq, not Iran. In Iraq, gay men are under seige – there have been 600 documented executions of gay men in the last few years. I am grateful to Emma Ruby-Sachs for reminding us of their plight. I am surprised to read her statement that “the causes are unclear” – surely the situation is complex, but it has been widely reported that the murders have followed directly from a fatwa issued by Ali Al-Sistani calling for the killing of gay men. We all need to support Rep. Jared Polis in his efforts to get Clinton & the U.S. State Dept. to try to intervene and stop the killings.
I think we can expect no more from a Muslim run country then we can expect from the Vatican. If the Vatican had their way we would all be eliminated.
It will be interesting to see this documentary for sure. I am sure that we do not know the full extent of what goes on in countries like Iraq and Iran where the freedom to be oneself is completely impossible and out of the question. If nothing else, the documentary should make us more appreciative of the freedoms we do have and reinforce the drive to forge ahead towards our own full equality.
Make no mistake, this wasn’t just a consequence of Saddam’s removal. Washington has been watching this. They know it’s going on, that it has been going on almost since we invaded, and our government has done nothing to stop it. When it comes to gays, this is another area where there’s been no real change from Bush II to Obama. Gay Iraqis are disposable under both Presidents–and please note that the US has refused to allow Iraqis to come to the US to escape the violence we unleashed. Iraqi gays have to put their hopes on countries like Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden, and there are only so many asylum cases any country will accept.
Emma:
When will the human race put aside it’s differences, and get on with man’s progress.
The meaning of life, is life. There is no other purpose. Life is our purpose, first an fore most.
“The causes are unclear,”
I believe the causes are clearly known. Our officials are refusing to say it. Iraq is in economic despair, and there society is in decline….
For folks who want more information about the persecution of gay men in Iraq – Doug Ireland has done really great in-depth reporting on the issue, for Gay City News and on his blog at direland.typepad.com. There’s also a website run by gay Iraqi refugees in Britain at iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com, which is always up-to-date with the news about this continuing atrocity.
During the Bush years, Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin tried to get Condoleeza Rice to intervene on behalf of gay men in Iraq, but she ignored them. Recently, Jared Polis (just elected this last November) has renewed the push to get the U.S. to do something to stop the killings. I suggest we all contact Hillary Clinton – by letter, telephone, or email – asking her to address this U.S.-created horror. The U.S. invasion destroyed Iraqi civil society, and the resultant upsurge in fundamentalist Islam – led by people like Ali al-Sistani and Moqtada al-Sadr – is what’s driving the never-ending deathsquad executions. The U.S. is morally obligated in this situation to pressure the Iraqi government to put a stop to the killings.