Homosexuality and the Middle East
It’s taboo that the Arab community shuns out completely. A topic that is whispered about and can evidently be seen around town, albeit it is prohibited both religiously and lawfully. Homosexuality in the Middle East
and specifically in the Gulf states is heavily frowned upon, mostly due to
religion, as Islam considers homosexuality to be“haram,” or sinful. But it is an obvious fact that there is a LGBT[1]
community everywhere no matter how much the topic is disregarded.
“Shari’a law” is a law based on Islamic morality and on what is written in the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an. The 21st century Shari’a-based laws vary from Saudi Arabia’s “all women must be covered” law to
a more lenient “if found drinking alcohol, Muslims will be lashed.” The latter,
Qatar’s law, combines the modern culture with that of the traditional Muslim
one.
In October 1997, 36 Filipino men working in Qatar were deported for being accused of homosexuality. While this is the case for any expat homosexuals being caught “in the act,” there still remains a big number
of gays and lesbians in Qatar that are living under the radar trying to keep
their sexual orientation hidden from officials and society alike.
To understand what it means to be homosexual in the Middle East, and specifically in Qatar, the term homosexual must be defined. Speaking to various Qatari citizens, other Arabs and even
expats, one can notice the manifold definition of homosexuality. First of all,
there are those who commit to sexual acts with the same gender because they
have no “contact” with those of the opposite gender; however, they continue
life with a partner of the opposite sex once they are able to marry. “To a
certain extent the segregation [in society] here between both genders can be
the cause to more cases of homosexuality,” stated Sally* a senior at our
school. She believed that most of the stories she has heard in Doha ever since
she moved here, six years ago, relate to the fact that teenagers spend most of
their time being away from the opposite sex.
Sally said that she knew a few homosexuals here and one in specific did not “hide it well at all.” When asked whether or not she thought it was against human-rights that homosexuality was illegal here she responded
that “No, I don’t believe it’s human rights related. I personally don’t have a
problem as long as they keep it to themselves but it’s more a cultural issue
here and therefore I don’t think it’s a human rights issue.” Ironically enough,
Sally deems the imprisonment of homosexuals to be “extreme” because “a warning
is enough; sending someone to jail for that is just sad.”
Then there are those who are extremely “metro-sexual”, or feminine, tailoring down their thobes[2] to outline a perfect silhouette of their bodies and waxing their eyebrows.
“Even many [police] officers are gay here. Just before they go home they act
like men,” stated Ahmed*, a Qatari senior at our school to illustrate the
secluded society of homosexuals here.
But with whatever definition the society here establishes on homosexuality, there is only one that the legal system takes into account. If anyone is found in the “act of homosexuality” they will be subject to up to
five years imprisonment, and if a non-Qatari citizen commits the act, he or she
will be deported after completing their term. Most often, non-Qatari citizens
are deported before the trial commences.
While countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia have stricter laws considering homosexuality, other Middle Eastern nations, such as Lebanon are more lenient on this subject. According to normal"">Al-Bab newspaper, in 2006 Lebanese police protected Arab
homosexuals in the first ever “gay pride movement” in the Middle East. While authorities
allegedly did not approve of this meeting they also did not stand in its way.
Evidently, many Arabs and particularly those of a more religious stature were
extremely appalled by this meeting.
Homosexuality is an apparent community in the Arab world and religion has not stopped the LGBT community to inhabit Middle Eastern states. This controversial topic has spurred up imminent debate between expats and other
Arabs with some deeming homosexuality to be “a freedom of speech and basic
right” and some who believe that homosexuals “have no right to be here in
Qatar, because it is a Muslim country.”
Whatever the definition or interpretation of homosexuals in the Middle East, the taboo remains evident and the prohibition remains in place.
*All names of people mentioned in this article have been changed.
[1] LGBT is an acronym for Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender
[2] Traditional dress worn by Men in the Middle-East and specifically in the Gulf states
Tags: middle_east
Replies to This Article
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Permalink Reply by Jalid Vadillo on -
Well I am a Muslim and I live in Cape Town where there is quite a big population of male homosexuals. I don't really see gay people in the greatest of light as I do feel that it is haraam but I don't really have a problem with them.
I do feel that if I was living in Lebanon when there was a gay pride parade that I would protest against it because I feel that in the same way that I am obliged to tolerate gay people that they should also obliged to show some respect for my religion.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Reese on
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Dear Natasha,
I applaud you for broaching this topic; sadly, as you point out, in many parts of the world a person's life is endangered even if she or he is "accused" of being homosexual. Unfortunately, I feel most of the comments in the article reinforce stereotypes about homosexuality and I would suggest wider reading of the vast literature that exists on the topic. I have yet to find a gay person who would say he or she "became" gay because of external factors such as gender segregation or permissiveness in society; rather, most gay people will tell you being gay is a central part of who they are--just as being heterosexual is for straight people.
Jim Reese
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Permalink Reply by Rebeka Fergusson-Lutz on
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One of the things that I have learned from living and working overseas is that gender is socially constructed. Yes, brain chemistry does play a role in the determination of our sex and sexual orientation (for a marvelous look at this, read Jeffrey Eugenides's novel Middlesex!) but I think that the social and cultural expectations of gender and gender relations are much stronger determinants of behavior.
I believe that the notion of "becoming gay" is just as valid as the notion of "just knowing from a young age," which is a common argument in North America and western Europe. Americans love scientific proof, and we believe that science can change the world and provide us with the absolutes that we need to collectively ground us. Here in the Middle East, the power of science is less highly valued; tradition trumps discovery.
The innate nature of homosexuality is used to further the case for gay rights because it gives homosexuals in the Western world a leg to stand on, but the reality is that people do sometimes become gay -- and that those who become gay or choose homosexuality deserve the same protection in terms of human rights.
Or do they? Here again I trod the dangerous ground of cultural imperialism. Maybe what I term as "protection of human rights" is actually "condoning of socially deviant behavior"? Where are the absolutes? Where are the human universals? Ahhhh! . . .
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Permalink Reply by Paul Freund on -
Interesting. I think it's safe to say that most people here probably lean towards a liberal viewpoint on this matter, and Jalid brings up an interesting viewpoint. Religion is a touchy part of society, and I think alot of the time it is forgotten that this is a religious issue. Another interesting thought brought up in the article was that there seems to be a difference in how the society views homosexuality as compared to the law.
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Permalink Reply by ISBangkok on -
This is both an interesting and important topic. Here in Thailand homosexuality is relatively culturally acceptable, hopefully this view will become more common. Omri
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Permalink Reply by ISBangkok on
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This is a well researched article, you provide many aspects to the issue and I think its also great that you got your fellow students opinions as well. Living in Thailand, where a gay and transgender community is flourishing, homosexuality is part of the norm; and it's interesting to see such a different perspective on the issue coming from another strongly religious country. - Katie
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