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Amman: Four Arab states and Turkey have signed an agreement with leading firms for setting up a regional centre to help exploit vast oil shale deposits in the five countries, the director general of Jordan’s Natural Resources Authority, Maher Hijazin, said Tuesday.

The accord, also envisaging cooperation with the European Union, was signed Monday by Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey as well as by executives of international firms active in the industry.

“The gathering has the aim of arriving at joint standards for the exploitation of oil shale and attracting investors to this sector within the framework of clean environment objectives,” said Hijazin, who signed for his government.

The coalition is a product of the Euro-Med meeting that was held at Egypt’s Sharm el sheikh resort in February 2009 under the motto of the “integration of the energy markets”, he added.

Hijazin said the signatories stood to gain from exchanging information with European countries with experience in this sphere particularly Estonia, a pioneer in the extraction of crude from oil shale.

Jordan so far initialled agreements with Holland’s Royal Shell and an Estonian firm for the exploitation of the country’s oil shale reserves estimated at 40-70 billion tons.

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Exactly two years ago today, April 19, I went to a meeting in Morocco around resource mobilization for women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Over 100 of the region’s top women’s rights advocates were there and it was the first time I meet them. I was extremely nervous about being an out Arab lesbian in their midst, knowing that most of them saw me as diseased or abnormal, and certainly that all of them believed I didn’t belong in a conference like theirs. My experience at that meeting, however, was life-changing on a personal level, and an important catalyst in what we, at Meem, like to call the queering of our region’s feminist movement.

As soon as I got back from that meeting, I wrote an article for the then-quarterly Bekhsoos entitled “Bringing Vaginas to the Arab Feminist Dialogue.” It was about a speech I gave at that conference, inviting my fellow women’s rights advocates to open up our region’s movement to matters related to sexuality:

“I said that the war against women’s rights is a war against our bodies and it is with our bodies that we must fight. I said that Arab women’s rights activists should talk about vaginas. … I talked about feminism not being feminism without the inclusion of all issues related to sexuality. I talked about deconstructing virginity, legalizing abortion, fighting rape, incest and sexual harassment, and celebrating female sexuality.”

My speech at the time was very popular, and, despite a few harsh and continuous attacks, I became known as the young feminist who pushed taboo topics related to sex at these conferences. Only a handful of people knew I was a member of Meem though – or that I was queer. I would use other organizational affiliations I had in order to get invited and/or to get my point across. Sometimes I would just invent organizations.

Fast forward two years later, I am at a similar meeting, only with fewer participants. It’s 2010 and this time we’re in Amman, Jordan. Again, I am part of a panel designed to discuss taboos in the Arab feminist movement. Again, I have a speech prepared about how we must include women’s bodies and sexualities in our Arab feminist discourses and agendas. But this time, and almost like I had planned it as a marker of our progress over two years, my speech takes a different turn. I find myself blurting out: “What’s the big deal in me being a lesbian?” Sixteen thoughts race through my head in the two-second breath between that sentence and the one I say next:

1. Oh, shit.
2. Did I just come out?
3. Maybe they didn’t notice.
4. Crap.
5. Damn it, Nadz, you always get carried away!
6. It’s ok.. I can just say I meant.. “what’s the big deal about one being a lesbian?”
7. They’re not going to buy that.
8. Oh, shit.
9. It’s ok.. they should have guessed by now anyway.
10. Is there anyone in this room I really shouldn’t come out to?
11. Shit, I’m in Amman.
12. Oh, crap, did all those male interpreters understand what I said? How did they translate it to Arabic?
13. Is everyone going to look at me weird now?
14. Are they going to stop liking me?
15. Fuck!
16. Fuck it. It’s about time.

“What’s the deal with me loving another woman?” I say. And I go on to explain that the big deal lies in the dangers that lesbians (and other queers) pose to heteronormativity, upon which a lot of the oppressive systems are built. But forget that part. Let’s move on to the questions and answers that followed.

A Jordanian psychologist sitting in the back of the room says: Homosexuals are sick and they become so because of sexual violence they experience as children. It is a condition that must be treated.

Most of the faces in the room turn sour as they turn to look at the psychologist murmuring things like: “that’s not true” or “shame on you for saying this.” A prominent Iraqi women’s rights activist stands up and replies: I used to believe that too.. 15 years ago.. and then I educated myself on the matter and now I understand that gay rights are human rights. A prominent activist from Mauritania, probably in her 60s, replies: To me, it is enough that lesbians are women and that they are oppressed for all of us to make room for them in our feminist movement. A legendary feminist from Palestine says: I want to learn more about how to incorporate sexual rights into our work; what are some things we can do?

Overwhelming support from the audience, compassion, protection, respect. In reply to the psychologist, I say two things:

1. It is not true that homosexuals are mentally ill. I challenge you to find any decent medical or psychiatric book published after 1982 that says so. You are simply mistaken.
2. I have experienced a “treating” of homosexuality, as you call it, and it is cruel and inhumane and I think all of us should together start a campaign that puts every psychologist that practices such a “treatment” in jail.

To that, everybody applauds, women from Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Mauritania, Turkey – all over. They applaud and agree and I spend the rest of the conference talking more to them about lesbian issues and how we can work together to achieve gender equality for all women. In the taxi on my way to the airport coming back to Beirut, I try to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened: a lesbian welcomed and celebrated among leaders of the Arab women’s movement. Two years ago, I would have said: no way, not in this decade.

If we were to trace our steps over those two years from the Marrakech conference to the Amman meeting, we would be able to map out Meem’s strategy in pushing Arab women’s organizations to become safe spaces for lesbians, transgenders, and people of alternative sexualities. Although this topic merits many volumes of research and analysis, I wanted to end this article with some quick highlights of the strategies that brought us to where we are today, lest others like us find them useful:

1. We were always kind and patient with homophobic Arab feminists. We knew most of them weren’t homophobic out of malice but out of ignorance. Never underestimate the power of kindness in the face of hatred.
2. We built relationships with key allies to get into strategic meetings and panels.
3. Whenever we could, we went to meetings in large numbers. There is an amazing power in numbers.
4. At every single meeting we went to, we would raise a hand and ask a question about lesbians or transgenders – even if it was out of context.
5. Wherever we could, we would volunteer with women’s organizations.
6. We let prominent feminists know we appreciated everything they’ve done for Arab women.
7. We went into meetings with our own, sincere personalities, and while our sexualities remained hidden to most people, we never pretended to be other than ourselves.
8. We educated each other on women’s issues other than sexuality and trained our members on gender equality.
9. We placed lesbian and trans people’s issues within a broader framework of sexual and bodily rights.
10. We showed respect to everyone, even when our opinions and beliefs were disrespected, and, in doing so, gained the respect of our fellow activists.
11. We gave them copies of Bareed Mista3jil and links to Bekhsoos.
12. We celebrated every progress (like this one), no matter how small, and kept our eyes on the long-term goals.

And, finally, we made friends with amazing Arab feminists from all over the region, but that wasn’t a strategy. It was a bonus we gained along the way.

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Though music has always been big in the Middle East, traditional Arab music has been the most accepted. With the growing integration of the world, Arab music is receiving a shot of internationalism. Arab rap grows in popularity every year and, unlike many of the most popular American rap songs, is often a fusion of entertainment and politics. Last year, the LA Times featured an article highlighting the growing importance of rap in the Middle East:

Another day, another hardship, another inspiration for the young men and occasional woman who turn out the lyrics and rhythms that are rapidly becoming the soundtrack for Middle East youths.

From the 021 to the 961 to the 962, the telephone codes for Tehran, Lebanon and Jordan, the vernacular of American rap music and street culture has infiltrated the lives of young people. These kids of the Middle East have adopted the beats and hyperbolic boasts of hip-hop, but they’ve also reshaped rap to fit their own purposes, tapping into its spirit of defiance to voice heartfelt outrage about their societies.

Iranians rhyme about stifled lives and street-level viciousness born of economic hardship. Lebanese rap subtly about sectarian blood feuds. Palestinians sling verses about misery in refugee camps and humiliation at Israeli checkpoints. Egyptians lament the fragmentation of the Arab world.

Of course, the article notes, rhymes are not limited to politics and often include references to drugs and women. But the stage has become an important means to deliver political messages to the people in the region. Ranging from women’s rights to independence anthems, Middle Eastern rap seems to have found a political niche that is often avoided in the West. Sings Malikah, a Lebanese-woman rapper:

I am talking to you woman to woman./ It’s time to face up / It’s time to plan. / Cry out for freedom . . . / Men have decided to manage your life and destiny. / Don’t live in despair. / Go out and work and earn your dime. / Walk with me along this path.

Even overseas, Middle Eastern political rap has hit the big-time. In an article on the Middle East Channel, Joshua Asen writes about Arab Rap and the political enthusiasm he witnessed at a concert in Brooklyn, New York:

…that’s when it hit me that this new Arab League of Hip Hop all-stars has a very clear objective in mind and it’s not just to endorse or reject negotiations with Israelis, nor to criticize or valorize the actions of the U.S. government in their own backyards. Rather, their mission is to rally their own troops, the footsoldiers of their Hip Hop revolution, the millions (yes, I said millions) of young fans, Arab and otherwise, across the globe, who follow not only their music but the messages contained within.

But, unlike in the US, Middle Eastern rappers do not have complete freedom in their lyrics. The artists are often stifled by authorities who either view rap as a regenerative, corrupting force or want to suppress the messages that often urge political activism. The rap duo I-Voice is incredibly popular in the Middle East and in Europe, yet have a difficult time touring because of their status as Palestinians. The duo – originally from the Palestinian refugee camp Bourj al-Bourajni in Beirut – is welcomed in Europe, but has a difficult time traveling and performing in the Middle East because of the political status of Palestinians in Lebanon. Malikah – the Lebanese rapper – has decided not to record a political song out of fear of censorship; the Arabian Knightz (from Egypt) must be careful to avoid the censorship pen; and Fadi Abu Ghazallah, a Jordanian of Palestinian descent, had a recording destroyed by authorities because it was deemed too political.

(Although rap is not the only kind of music that is facing a tough time in the region. In Egypt, a musicians group is calling for the state to cancel a performance by Elton John because his views on homosexuality are seen as an affront to Islam. From Babylon and Beyond:

“How do we allow a gay who wants to ban religions, claimed that prophet Eissa Jesus was gay, and calls for Middle Eastern countries to allow gays to have sexual freedom,” Mounir El Wassimi, the head of the union, said Sunday.

…The 63-year-old performer recently sparked controversy when he spoke to Parade magazine in February of his belief that Jesus was gay and that all religions should be banned, adding that if a woman tries to be gay in the Middle East, she will be “as good as dead.”

Homosexuality is one of the biggest sins in Islam, which is practiced by nearly 90% of Egyptians. Despite human rights activists’ claims that homosexuality is spreading across the country, the issue remains a social and religious taboo. In 2001, 20 people received prison sentences for debauchery and obscene behavior after police raided what was described by authorities as a “gay disco” on a boat floating on the Nile in Cairo.)

Interestingly, the US has realized the political potential of rap, as the State Department sent a group of rappers on a tour of North Africa and the Middle East last year. The groups preformed in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria (though it failed to appear in Palestine).

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UIC Pride is essentially a group with two main goals: to create a community in which LGBT individuals can feel safe and accepted and to educate UIC and the wider community on LGBT issues that may be overlooked or ignored. It is the second of the above goals that is being fulfilled in this piece.

The Middle East isn’t exactly the best place in the world for human rights in general and LGBT rights in particular. Homosexuality is illegal in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, with penalties ranging from three years in prison to death. In Iraq, homosexuality was illegal until 2003, after the US invasion. In Egypt and Jordan, homosexuality is technically legal but there is absolutely no protection from hate crimes or honor killings; gays are often persecuted under lewd conduct laws, and there are reports of gays seeking asylum elsewhere. The Palestinian Authority has legalized homosexuality and there are even LGBT organizations for West Bank Palestinians . . . However, these organizations are located in Israel.

Amidst all of this oppression, one nation stands up for what is right: Israel. In Israel, homosexuality has been legal since 1963 de facto and since 1988 de jure. Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that allows same-sex couples full adoption rights. It is the only nation in the Middle East that allows gays to serve openly in the military, something even our nation has yet to allow. Israel even recognizes same-sex marriages performed abroad, as there is no civil marriage in Israel.

In 1951 Israel signed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees covenant, guaranteeing asylum for anyone persecuted on the basis of sexual orientation. In concordance with this, Israel’s Interior Ministry has said that any gay Palestinian can apply to remain in Israel indefinitely, making Israel one of the few options available to desperate and oppressed gay Palestinians. Gay Palestinians in the territories are often accused of collaborating with Israel and arrested and/or are pressured into becoming suicide bombers to purge their moral guilt. We showed a film with the UIC Levine Hillel Center this past year with a plot along those lines.

Israel is not perfect. Last year there was a fatal attack at a Tel Aviv gay and lesbian center when an extremist gunman entered and opened fire. Though this attack drew condemnations from all across Israeli society and the highest levels of government, it shows that there are still obstacles to overcome in Israel. That’s what’s so amazing about Israel though; the obstacles can, and likely will, be overcome. Furthermore, although gay Palestinians are able to apply to stay in Israel, many do not. It could either be that they’re unaware of their rights or they fear they’ll be deported if they go through the authorities. They know what will happen to them if they’re sent home and they grew up learning to mistrust the Israeli government.

Despite Israel’s flaws, it is still amazingly progressive when it comes to sexual freedoms. Some organizations that claim to fight for gay rights would do well to remember that. Many of them end up fighting on the side of Israel’s enemies, their enemies, the enemies of freedom, those who would kill them sooner than look at them. While hating on Israel may be fashionable these days, we have decided to stand on the right side of history.

We choose to stand with freedom and democracy, with the only chance for a prosperous Middle East. We stand with those in Arab countries who long for the same rights we have won in America, and even more so in Israel. We stand with the best hope Middle Eastern LGBT individuals have. We stand with Israel.

We pray for peace in the Middle East. We pray for all those throughout the region and the world who are forced to hide who they are and for all those who will be unable to do so and have to face the consequences.

And finally, we wish Israel a very happy sixty-second birthday with many more to come

In Islam, homosexuals (called qaum Lut, the “people of Lot”) are condemned in the story of Lot’s people in the Qur’an (15:73; 26:165) and in the last address of the Prophet Muhammad. However, attraction of men to beautiful male youths has been a part of the culture of some Islamic societies and the attraction is not generally condemned in itself.

With regard to lesbian homosexuality, some have argued that since penetration is not involved, female homosexual acts should be less severely punished. Shari’a (Islamic law) is most concerned with public behavior and outwards, so there is no strong condemnation of homosexuality if it is not displayed in public. 1
Homosexuality in the Qur’an

The following passages are taken from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation of the Qur’an.

“We also sent Lut: He said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. And his people gave no answer but this: they said, “Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!”" (Qur’an 7:80-82)

“Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)! They said: “If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!” He said: “I do detest your doings:” “O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!” So We delivered him and his family,- all Except an old woman who lingered behind. But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 26:165-175)

“Would ye really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant! But his people gave no other answer but this: They said, “Drive out the followers of Lut from your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!” But We saved him and his family, except his wife; her We destined to be of those who lagged behind. And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)!” (Qur’an 27:55-58)

“And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: “Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? – and practise wickedness (even) in your councils?” But his people gave no answer but this: they said: “Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth.” (Qur’an 29:28-29)

“If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way. If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 4:15-16)

Homosexuality in the Sharia

While there is a consensus that same-sex intercourse is in violation of Islamic law, there are differences of opinion within Islamic scholarship about punishment, reformation, and what standards of proof are required before physical punishment becomes lawful.

In Sunni Islam there are eight madhhabs, or legal schools, of which only four still exist: Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali, Maliki. The main Shia school is called Ja’fari, but there are Zaidi and Ismai’ili also. More recently, some groups have rejected this tradition in favor of greater ijtihad, or individual interpretation. Of these schools, according to Michael Mumisa of the Birmingham-based Al Mahdi institute:

* The Hanafi school does not consider same-sex intercourse to constitute adultery, and therefore leaves punishment up to the judge’s discretion. Most early scholars of this school specifically ruled out the death penalty, others allow it for a second offence.
* Imam Shafi’i considers same-sex intercourse as analogous to other zina; thus, a married person found to have done so is punished as an adulterer (by stoning to death), and an unmarried one, as a fornicator, is left to be flogged.
* The Maliki school says that anyone (married or unmarried) found to have committed same-sex intercourse should be punished as an adulterer.
* Within the Ja’fari schools, Sayyid al-Khoi says that anyone (married or unmarried) found to have committed same-sex intercourse should be punished as an adulterer.

It should also be noted that the punishment for adultery requires four witnesses; by analogy, all schools, require four witnesses to the physical act of penetration for the punishment to be applied.But if otherwise any other proof is found through modern methods such as DNA testing or so the punishment can be implimented.

According to the modern Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s summary:

“The jurists of Islam have held different opinions concerning the punishment for this abominable practice. Should it be the same as the punishment for zina, or should both the active and passive participants be put to death? While such punishments may seem cruel, they have been suggested to maintain the purity of the Islamic society and to keep it clean of perverted elements.” 2

History of Homosexuality in Islamic Societies

17th cent. painting of Mahmud and Ayaz (Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art). The love of the Sultan (in red) for his slave (in green) has entered Islamic legend as a paragon of ideal love.

The chaste love of men for youths has been regarded as something sacred in many Islamic socities, as reflected in the romantic love literature of Muslim Spain and in the Qur’an where Paradise contains beautiful male virgins. Occasionally, these literary praises extended to more carnal forms of desire, as can be seen in the poetry of Abu Nuwas and many others. In Islamic teaching, however, while homosexual desire and love might be accommodated, same-sex intercourse is prohibited as a violation of the natural boundaries set by Allah.

Early Islamic cultures, especially those in which homosexuality was entrenched in the pre-Islamic pagan culture, were renowned for their cultivation of a homosexual aesthetic. They reconciled their new religion using a hadith ascribed to Muhammad declaring male lovers who die chaste to be martyrs: “He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr.”

The result is a religion that allows love between those of the same gender as long as they do not have sexual intercourse. Ibn Hazm, Ibn Daud, Al-Mu’tamid, Abu Nuwas, and many others wrote extensively and openly of love between men. However, in order for the transgression to be proven, at least four men or eight women must bear witness against the accused, thus making it very difficult to persecute those who did not remain celibate in their homes.

The intended meaning of “same-sex intercourse” is sexual intercourse between two or more males, or sexual intercourse between two or more females. It does not mean the act of masturbation, nor does it have anything to do with nocturnal emissions, both of which are considered to invalidate wudu and require the Muslim to take a full bath or shower before his or her next prayer, but are not otherwise punishable under Sharia.
Homosexuality Laws in Modern Islamic Countries

Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in five officially Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. 3 It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and in Iraq under a 2001 decree by Saddam Hussein. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria or the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not forbidden by law. However, in Egypt gays have been the victims of laws against “morality”.

In Saudi Arabia, the maximium punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments, i.e. fines, jail time and whipping as alternatives, unless it feels that homosexuals are challenging state authority by engaging in a gay rights movement. 4 Iran is perhaps the nation to execute the largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since its Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4000 people charged with homosexual acts. In Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that it punished with fines and prison sentence, and a similar situation seems to have occurred in Iraq.

Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime. Since 1994 the United Nations Human Rights Committee has also ruled that such laws violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covent on Civil and Political Rights. However (except for nations such as Turkey that were required to change their laws to be eligible to join the European Union) most Muslim nations insist that such laws are neccesary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim, only Lebanon has an internal effort to legalize homosexuality. However, some Muslims have expressed criticism of the legal sanctions used against homosexuality.

Reasons given by Muslims condemning the executions include: the fact that some legal schools (e.g. Hanafi) regard it as unjustified; the argument that the death penalty is not specified for it in the Qur’an; the idea that the punishment is unduly harsh; and opposition to the idea that the state’s laws should be based on religion. The introduction of the AIDS pandemic in the Muslim world has also promoted more discussion about the legal status of homosexuality as the legal sanctions against homosexuality have made it difficult to intiaite any educational programs directed at high risks groups.

While executions and other criminal sanctions curtail any public gay rights movement, it is impractical to give criminal sanctions to all homosexuals living in a Muslim country, and it is common knowledge (to foreigners visiting a Muslim country) that some young Muslim men will experiment with homosexual relations as an outlet to sexual desires that cannot be met in a society where the sexes are often kept segregated. These discreet and casual homosexual relations allow men to engage in premartial sex with a low risk of facing the social or legal sanctions that would occur if they involved in adultery or fornication with a woman that might result in a pregnancy. Most of these men do not consider themsleves to be gay or bisexual.

A related problem to full enforcement of the laws against homosexuality is that while the sexes are often segregated, men are encouraged to developed close friendships with other men, and women are encouraged to develop close friendships with other women. Also, the Islamic law requires a certain number of male and female witnesses to the homosexual act to testify in court. Islam does place a strong value on the right to privacy in the home and thus homosexual relations that occur in private are theoretically outside the bounds of the law, although that is more theory then reality.
Liberal Islamic Stances on Homosexuality

Some self-described liberal Muslims accept and consider homosexuality as natural, regarding these verses as either obsolete in the context of modern society, or point out that the Qu’ran speaks out against homosexual lust, and is silent on homosexual love. However, this position remains highly controversial even amongst liberal movements within Islam, and is considered completely beyond the pale by mainstream Islam.

The tens of millions of Arabic-speaking users of Microsoft’s popular Bing search engine have a problem. When it comes to searching for gay rights in Egypt, breast-feeding information in Algeria or sex advice in Jordan, they are out of luck. Bing is censoring search results in the Arab-speaking world, according to a prominent American research organization. The ban applies to search results in both Arabic and English found using Bing’s Arab portal.

A partial list of banned terms is shown above. But here’s the big problem… all the evidence points to Microsoft voluntarily censoring their search engine. No Arab countries asked them to censor search results. According to the Open Net Institute:

Microsoft’s explanation as to why some search keywords return few or no results is that “sometimes websites are deliberately excluded from the results page to remove inappropriate content as determined by local practice, law, or regulation.” It is unclear, however, whether Bing’s keyword filtering in the Arab countries is an initiative from Microsoft, or whether any or all of the Arab states have asked Microsoft to comply with local censorship practices or laws.

It is interesting that Microsoft’s implementation of this type of wholesale social content censorship for the entire “Arabian countries” region is in fact not being practiced by many of the Arab government censors themselves. That is, although political filtering is widespread in the MENA region, social filtering, including keyword filtering, is not practiced by all countries in MENA. ONI 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 testing and research found no evidence of social content filtering (e.g., sex, nudity, and homosexuality) at the national level in countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Libya.

Meanwhile, MIT’s Technology Review parsed the Open Net report and found something very interesting. It seems that Microsoft is obsessed with the gays:

ONI performed the study by testing the search terms inside the countries. Banned words include “sex,” ” “intercourse,” “breast,” “nude,” and many more in both the English and Arabic language. The investigators also made a curious discovery: Bing engineers remembered to bar ordinary Arabs from searching for the word “penis” but not for the word “vagina.” But they left no stone unturned when it came to blocking words that might lead to sites having to do with homosexuality.

Local portal of Bings in nearly all countries or languages allow users to choose whether to use “safe search” or not. Arabic has the dubious distinction of being the only language in which users are forced to use a “nanny filter.”

Among other Arabic-speaking countries, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Libya do not require search engine filtering at the national level. So, it seems, Microsoft threw internet users in those country under the bridge in order to please Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Andy Greenberg notes that Microsoft is hypocritically a member of the Global Network Initative, which fights against censorship around the world. So why the embrace of sweeping web search censorship? Unlike rivals Google and Yahoo, Microsoft is a prolific pay-software producer with extensive sales in hyperconservative Arab countries. Despite piracy being endemic in the greater Middle East, Microsoft still makes a pretty penny there.

So what is a Bing-loving Egyptian to do when he wants to search for porn? Well, Microsoft strangely decided to filter based on domain destination rather than IP address… the regular US-based Bing page still provides sexxay search results to anyone in the Arab-speaking world who opens it.

It was because of Mustafa A. That I started publishing my opinion stories in Turkish Daily News, now Hürriyet Daily News. Yes, I already wrote for Turkish Weekly and thought that my second article, which was all about Perception of Turkey, was good enough to be published in Turkish Daily. And it was. You can read all those columns here.

Ö and I met with Mustafa since then several times. And I follow him about his writings. I must say, he’s still one of the few Turkish columnists with an original view. Not my view, but he is not so predictable as many other writers/columnists. Sometimes I agree, sometimes not. But at least, he’s open for discussion.

But lately, his columns became more ‘political Islam’ motivated! I know that he takes his religion serious, but on the other hand he describes himself as a free-lance Muslim; he’s not that devote at all in the orthodox sense but rather naïve about the impact of his writings these days.

His last column is all about the cruel killing of a 16 years young girl in SE Turkey. This took the attention of the international press. Instead of totally condemning this terrible happening, I read excuses between the lines of his article. Here my critic and I point to several statements:

1) MA: A 16-year-old girl was buried alive by her relatives simply for befriending boys. Forensic experts found soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that the poor kid was conscious while being buried into the ground. May God have mercy on her soul. And may her killers face punishment in this world and the next..

I don’t think that we must vent our anger about a person who commit a crime by saying; ‘I hope you get the punishment in this life and alter-life’. This reminds me about the Calvinistic and of so inhumane punishments of the middle Ages.

2) The problem is the topography of historical Kurdistan. It is a very mountainous region, which is inhospitable to trade routes, railways and highways. Hence its inhabitants have lived almost isolated from the outside world for centuries and have remained largely untouched by modernity. The same is also true for the ill-famed “tribal areas” of Pakistan, which is, again, very mountainous.

The problem is not topography but culture relativism. Do we see honor crimes in the Himalaya. By the Buddhist monks? In the inlands of Cambodia or Brazil? Do we see these honor crimes in remote areas of Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Sweden?

3) Let me explain. Of course, Islam, like other Abraham religions, has laws and punishments about sexual morality. The Koran, for example, criminalizes adultery, and thus Islamic law, or the shariah, has developed a system of regulating how it will be penalized.

No, only Islam has a set of laws and punishments for these crimes. Only Islam has set of laws, neither Christianity nor Judaism. There are no set of books, like in Islam, how to punish people when they don’t obey religious rules. Only Islam and its Sharia.

4) Dr. Stefanie Eileen Nanes, another academic who studied honor killings in Jordan, agrees. “In fact, this practice predates Islam,” she notes, “and young men who commit these murders have been quoted as saying that in these cases, despite what Islam says, tradition is stronger than religion.” And if they don’t find themselves willing to do that, they should question whether they are, too, under the influence of the patriarchal codes of male-domination, rather than the Islamic norms of justice.

Islam preserved and inherits aged old and barbarian traditions very well, as the only religion, until today, the year 2010. And what shall we do now about people who ‘left Islam’, ‘who are gays’, ‘women who are suffering because genital mutilation’? Where are the fatwa’s against those crimes? Sharia deals with many things, including politics, economics, banking, business, contracts, family, sexuality, hygiene, and social issues.
In fact with my private life. In fact it deals how ‘infidels’ such as me must be treated. How arrogant!

Dear Mustafa, as long as you don’t stand up against these crimes against humanity, and I don’t hear a single woman calling for Sharia law, you will be my target of fair criticism.  Sharia is non discussible.  It’s mediaval.

Egypt

Ahlan-Egypt
8, el-Gorfa el-Togareya Street, Mansheya
Alexandria, Egypt
Tel: +20 3 4830138; mobile +20 18 5166579
email: info@ahlan-egypt.com

Schools in Luxor and Alexandria

Arabic Language Institute (ALI)
The American University in Cairo

Full contact details here.

Summer and full-year intensives. Modern Standard and Egyptian colloquial at all levels.

Arabic Language School
Situated in downtown Cairo

Full contact details here.

Intensive short courses in Modern Standard and Egyptian colloquial Arabic.

Delta University
Demiatta International Road Delta Academy
Al-Mansoura, Egypt

email: klacey@binghamton.edu; tgomaa@binghamton.edu

Fajr Center for Arabic Language
Branches in Nasr City, Dokki and Ma’adi districts of Cairo.

email: info@fajr.com
Full contact details here.

Classical Arabic – various courses

Hedayet Institute
24 Road 107, Hadayek El Maadi
Cairo, Egypt

Tel: +202 5272190; +202 3583915
info@hedayetinstitute.com

Serves students visiting from abroad and the larger expatriate community in Egypt.

International Language Institute
PO Box 13 Embaba
4 Mahmoud Azmi Street
Madinet El Sahafeyeen
Cairo 12411, Egypt

Tel: +202 346 3087
email: ili@arabicegypt.com
Working hours: (Sunday to Thursday 9.00 am till 4.00 pm (GMT +2 hours)

Summer and full-year courses. Modern Standard and Egyptian colloquial.

IQRA Institute
Cairo
Tel: +201 011 68111
cairo@iqrainstitute.com

Languages Abroad
School in Mohandiseen district of Cairo

Contact via website

Jordan

CIEE Arabic Language Programme
Amman, Jordan

Contact via website

For students who already have a solid foundation in Modern Standard Arabic and seek to attain proficiency in the language.

CIEE Intensive summer Arabic programme
Amman, Jordan

Contact via website

For students who have a strong interest in developing a solid foundation in Modern Standard Arabic and seek to begin or accelerate their language proficiency

IQRA Institute
Amman

Contact via website

Languages Abroad
School in Amman

Contact via website

SIT Study Abroad (World Learning)
Amman, Jordan

Contact via website

Summer intensive field-based Arabic language immersion programme

University of Jordan Language Centre
University of Jordan
Amman 11942-Jordan

Tel: +962 6 5355000 ext. 23701, 23707
email: lancen@ju.edu.jo

A six-level intensive programme in Modern Standard for speakers of other languages: beginners (two levels), pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced.

Kuwait

Arabic Language Unit (Kuwait University)
PO Box 2575
Kuwait City 13026
Al Asimah
Tel: +965 481 0325

Year-long programme in Modern Standard. Number of places is limited.

AWARE Centre
PO Box 1613, Safat
Kuwait 13017

Tel: +965 533 5280
email : info@aware.com.kw

Lebanon

Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies
American University of Beirut
PO Box 11-0236 / CAMES
Riad El-Solh / Beirut 1107 2020
Lebanon
Tel: +961 1 350 000 Ext. 3845
email: cames@aub.edu.lb

Summer programme at six levels.

IQRA Institute
Beirut
Tallat Alkhayat, Beirut, Lebanon.
2044-6805 Beirut
PO Box: 113/5086
Tel: +961 368 4376
email: beirut@iqrainstitute.com

Saifi Institute
Chawkatly (Valli &Valli) Building, 3rd floor
Saifi – Charles Helou Ave.
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: +961 1 560738; mobile: +961 70 832099
email: kifak@saifiarabic.com

Specialises in teaching Lebanese Arabic dialect and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to non-native speakers working, studying, visiting Beirut

Morocco

Al Akhawayn University
Arabic and North African Studies Program (ARANAS)
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane
PO Box 104 Hassan II Avenue
Ifrane 53000, Morocco

Tel: +212 535 86 20 12
email: arabic@aui.ma

AmeriSpan
School in Fez

Contact via website

The Arabic Language Institute in Fez
B.P. 2136
Fez 30000
Morocco

Tel: +212 35 62 48 50
email: info@alif-fes.com

Three and six-week courses in all levels of Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial Moroccan Arabic throughout the year.

The Arabic School of Morocco
6, Rue Arabie Saoudite, Avenue Hassan II
Temara Centre – 12000
Morocco

Tel : + 212 19 37 90 38
email : info@arabicschoolmorocco.com

Dar Loughat
Place Moulay Mehdi 8, Rue M’hammed Benaboud
Tétouan, 93000, Morocco

Tel: +212 66 66 8 77 88
email: info@cclc-morocco.org

Courses in Modern Standard Arabic (written and spoken) plus Morccan colloquial

EasyGo Languages
School in Fez

Contact via website

Intensive Arabic Studies Programme (Tangier)
King Fahd Advanced School of Translation
Abdelmalek Essadi University

Modern Standard (at intermediate level), with elementary and intermediate Moroccan colloquial.

Languages Abroad
Schools in Fez and Rabat

Contact via website

Languages in Action
Schools in Fez and Tetouan

Contact via website

Oasis Language School
Bd My Rachid, 75
Ouarzazate 45 000
Morocco

Tel: +212 224 885155

Qalam wa Lawh
3 Ave. Ahmed Balafrej
Souissi, Rabat
Morocco

Tel: + 212 537 75 57 90
email: arabic@qalamcenter.com

Three levels of Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial Moroccan Arabic.

Sprachcaffe
Rabat – Souissi district

Contact via website

Subul Assalam Centre for the Arabic Language
Meknes way, Lotissement Al Hadika, Lot no.Q4/008
Fez, Morocco.

Tel: +212 5 35 63 18 62
email: info@sacalfez.com

Syria

Arabesk Studies in Damascus

Contact via website

Arabic Teaching Institute for Foreigners Damascus
Villat Sharqiyah, al-Mazza
Damascus, Syria
PO Box 9340

Tel: +963 11 613 2646; 613 3151
email: arabicinstitute@mail.sy

Beginning and intermediate classes in Modern Standard.

French Institute
Institut Francais d’Etudes Arabes Damas (IFEAD)
PO Box 344, Damascus, Syria

Contact via website

Modern Standard and Syrian colloquial. Intensive summer courses.

IQRA Institute
Palestine St.
Damascus, Syria

Tel: +963 9 366 6239
email: damas@iqrainstitute.com

IRAMES Group
Muhajerin 63, Afeef,
Sheik Muhiddin Bin Arabi
PO Box 36320
Damascus, Syria

Tel: +963 11 33 25 056; +963 11 334 14 25; mobile 093 520 480
email: maxos@hmaxos.com;hmaxos@yahoo.com; hmaxos@gmail.com; hmaxos@hotmail.com

Arabic language and cultural studies – cultural immersion programme. Spoken and written Arabic.

To Learn Arabic
Maher Alenezi
PO Box 31811
Damascus, Syria

Tel: +963 9 4444 0884
email: info@tolearnarabic.com

Tunisia

Bourguiba Institute of Modern Languages
47 Avenue de la Liberté
1002 Tunis

Tel: +216 71 832 418; +216 71 832 923
email: iblv@iblv.rnu.tn

Intensive summer courses and non-intensive courses the rest of the year. See review.

Learn Arabic in Tunisia
(Languages In Action)
School based in Sousse

Contact via website

Yemen

Badr Language Institute
PO Box 58049
Tarim, Hadramaut, Yemen
Tel: +967 5 418 370

Classical Arabic in a traditional Islamic environment

British Yemeni Arabic Institute
PO Box 16204
24 Hadda Street, Sana’a, Yemen
Phone/fax: 967 1 417 527
email: allardyce@y.net.ye

Center for Arabic Language and Eastern Studies (CALES)
Mahmood Basha Street
PO Box 15201
Sana’a, Yemen

Tel/fax: (967) 1-222275
email: cales@ust.edu or info@calesyemen.com

Languages Abroad
School in central Sana’a

Contact via website

Modern American Language Institute (MALI)
PO Box 11727
Sana’a, Yemen

Tel:: +967 1 441 036 (Saturdays to Wednesdays, 6 am. to 3:30 pm GMT)
email: admin@arabicinyemen.com

Saba Institute
Saila, next to the Mahdi mosque
PO Box 5481
Sana’a, Yemen
Tel: +967 1 273 200; mobile: +967 733 068714
email: contact@saba-institute.com

Sana’a Institute for the Arabic Language

PO Box 5734
Sana’a, Yemen

Tel: +967 1 284 330
email: info@sialyemen.com

Standard Arabic, Yemeni colloquial, specialist courses (e.g. medical, political Arabic), Arabic for Muslims, summer courses, calligraphy.

Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies

PO Box 3671
Sana’a, Republic of Yemen

Tel: +967 1 270 200
email: PAL@ycmes.org

All levels of Modern Standard and Yemeni colloquial.

Yemen Institute for Arabic Language
PO Box 26023,
60 Street,
Sana’a, Yemen

Tel: +967-1-403204
Mobile:+967 777 499 474
YIAL Facebook group
email: info@yialarabic.com; yialarabic@gmail.com

Nine levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Written work from textbooks make up 50% of the programme, while lectures, other materials, and periodic activities account for the rest.

Jordan

* Statute: None.

History

From the ILGA World Survey

“The Penal Code of 1951 makes no distinction between sexual intercourse by persons of the same sex or persons of different sexes.” (Schmitt and Soefer – “Sexuality and Eroticism among Males in Moslem Societies”)

the Pink Book states that homosexuality is illegal. However Soefer would seem more authoritative and we have no reports of any change between the time of his research and the date of the Pink Book

In Islam, homosexuals (called qaum Lut, the “people of Lot”) are condemned in the story of Lot’s people in the Qur’an (15:73; 26:165) and in the last address of the Prophet Muhammad. However, attraction of men to beautiful male youths has been a part of the culture of some Islamic societies and the attraction is not generally condemned in itself.

With regard to lesbian homosexuality, some have argued that since penetration is not involved, female homosexual acts should be less severely punished. Shari’a (Islamic law) is most concerned with public behavior and outwards, so there is no strong condemnation of homosexuality if it is not displayed in public. 1
Homosexuality in the Qur’an

The following passages are taken from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation of the Qur’an.

“We also sent Lut: He said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. And his people gave no answer but this: they said, “Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!”" (Qur’an 7:80-82)

“Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)! They said: “If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!” He said: “I do detest your doings:” “O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!” So We delivered him and his family,- all Except an old woman who lingered behind. But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 26:165-175)

“Would ye really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant! But his people gave no other answer but this: They said, “Drive out the followers of Lut from your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!” But We saved him and his family, except his wife; her We destined to be of those who lagged behind. And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)!” (Qur’an 27:55-58)

“And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: “Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? – and practise wickedness (even) in your councils?” But his people gave no answer but this: they said: “Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth.” (Qur’an 29:28-29)

“If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way. If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 4:15-16)

Homosexuality in the Sharia

While there is a consensus that same-sex intercourse is in violation of Islamic law, there are differences of opinion within Islamic scholarship about punishment, reformation, and what standards of proof are required before physical punishment becomes lawful.

In Sunni Islam there are eight madhhabs, or legal schools, of which only four still exist: Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali, Maliki. The main Shia school is called Ja’fari, but there are Zaidi and Ismai’ili also. More recently, some groups have rejected this tradition in favor of greater ijtihad, or individual interpretation. Of these schools, according to Michael Mumisa of the Birmingham-based Al Mahdi institute:

* The Hanafi school does not consider same-sex intercourse to constitute adultery, and therefore leaves punishment up to the judge’s discretion. Most early scholars of this school specifically ruled out the death penalty, others allow it for a second offence.
* Imam Shafi’i considers same-sex intercourse as analogous to other zina; thus, a married person found to have done so is punished as an adulterer (by stoning to death), and an unmarried one, as a fornicator, is left to be flogged.
* The Maliki school says that anyone (married or unmarried) found to have committed same-sex intercourse should be punished as an adulterer.
* Within the Ja’fari schools, Sayyid al-Khoi says that anyone (married or unmarried) found to have committed same-sex intercourse should be punished as an adulterer.

It should also be noted that the punishment for adultery requires four witnesses; by analogy, all schools, require four witnesses to the physical act of penetration for the punishment to be applied.But if otherwise any other proof is found through modern methods such as DNA testing or so the punishment can be implimented.

According to the modern Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s summary:

“The jurists of Islam have held different opinions concerning the punishment for this abominable practice. Should it be the same as the punishment for zina, or should both the active and passive participants be put to death? While such punishments may seem cruel, they have been suggested to maintain the purity of the Islamic society and to keep it clean of perverted elements.” 2

History of Homosexuality in Islamic Societies

17th cent. painting of Mahmud and Ayaz (Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art). The love of the Sultan (in red) for his slave (in green) has entered Islamic legend as a paragon of ideal love.

The chaste love of men for youths has been regarded as something sacred in many Islamic socities, as reflected in the romantic love literature of Muslim Spain and in the Qur’an where Paradise contains beautiful male virgins. Occasionally, these literary praises extended to more carnal forms of desire, as can be seen in the poetry of Abu Nuwas and many others. In Islamic teaching, however, while homosexual desire and love might be accommodated, same-sex intercourse is prohibited as a violation of the natural boundaries set by Allah.

Early Islamic cultures, especially those in which homosexuality was entrenched in the pre-Islamic pagan culture, were renowned for their cultivation of a homosexual aesthetic. They reconciled their new religion using a hadith ascribed to Muhammad declaring male lovers who die chaste to be martyrs: “He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr.”

The result is a religion that allows love between those of the same gender as long as they do not have sexual intercourse. Ibn Hazm, Ibn Daud, Al-Mu’tamid, Abu Nuwas, and many others wrote extensively and openly of love between men. However, in order for the transgression to be proven, at least four men or eight women must bear witness against the accused, thus making it very difficult to persecute those who did not remain celibate in their homes.

The intended meaning of “same-sex intercourse” is sexual intercourse between two or more males, or sexual intercourse between two or more females. It does not mean the act of masturbation, nor does it have anything to do with nocturnal emissions, both of which are considered to invalidate wudu and require the Muslim to take a full bath or shower before his or her next prayer, but are not otherwise punishable under Sharia.
Homosexuality Laws in Modern Islamic Countries

Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in five officially Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. 3 It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and in Iraq under a 2001 decree by Saddam Hussein. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria or the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not forbidden by law. However, in Egypt gays have been the victims of laws against “morality”.

In Saudi Arabia, the maximium punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments, i.e. fines, jail time and whipping as alternatives, unless it feels that homosexuals are challenging state authority by engaging in a gay rights movement. 4 Iran is perhaps the nation to execute the largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since its Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4000 people charged with homosexual acts. In Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that it punished with fines and prison sentence, and a similar situation seems to have occurred in Iraq.

Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime. Since 1994 the United Nations Human Rights Committee has also ruled that such laws violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covent on Civil and Political Rights. However (except for nations such as Turkey that were required to change their laws to be eligible to join the European Union) most Muslim nations insist that such laws are neccesary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim, only Lebanon has an internal effort to legalize homosexuality. However, some Muslims have expressed criticism of the legal sanctions used against homosexuality.

Reasons given by Muslims condemning the executions include: the fact that some legal schools (e.g. Hanafi) regard it as unjustified; the argument that the death penalty is not specified for it in the Qur’an; the idea that the punishment is unduly harsh; and opposition to the idea that the state’s laws should be based on religion. The introduction of the AIDS pandemic in the Muslim world has also promoted more discussion about the legal status of homosexuality as the legal sanctions against homosexuality have made it difficult to intiaite any educational programs directed at high risks groups.

While executions and other criminal sanctions curtail any public gay rights movement, it is impractical to give criminal sanctions to all homosexuals living in a Muslim country, and it is common knowledge (to foreigners visiting a Muslim country) that some young Muslim men will experiment with homosexual relations as an outlet to sexual desires that cannot be met in a society where the sexes are often kept segregated. These discreet and casual homosexual relations allow men to engage in premartial sex with a low risk of facing the social or legal sanctions that would occur if they involved in adultery or fornication with a woman that might result in a pregnancy. Most of these men do not consider themsleves to be gay or bisexual.

A related problem to full enforcement of the laws against homosexuality is that while the sexes are often segregated, men are encouraged to developed close friendships with other men, and women are encouraged to develop close friendships with other women. Also, the Islamic law requires a certain number of male and female witnesses to the homosexual act to testify in court. Islam does place a strong value on the right to privacy in the home and thus homosexual relations that occur in private are theoretically outside the bounds of the law, although that is more theory then reality.
Liberal Islamic Stances on Homosexuality

Some self-described liberal Muslims accept and consider homosexuality as natural, regarding these verses as either obsolete in the context of modern society, or point out that the Qu’ran speaks out against homosexual lust, and is silent on homosexual love. However, this position remains highly controversial even amongst liberal movements within Islam, and is considered completely beyond the pale by mainstream Islam.

AMMAN (AROL)– The issue of male homosexuality in the Arab world remains a taboo and untapped subject away from national debate.

This tendency is not spoken about openly– though male-male friction is acknowledged. Nor is it legally recognized in these conservative societies.

While the issue of recognizing male homosexuality is not totally different from other countries, male Arab homosexuality has indeed a different notion from that in the West.

Gay activities are frowned upon in Islam but a set of cultural and traditional taboos has played a role in the acquiescence of much of these sexual activities if confined to a certain set of moral conducts.

That is to say, homosexual behavior may be overlooked but experiencing feelings of an emotional nature beyond sex makes a man gay and hence, a potential outcast. In a society where the family bond, “honor” and image are extremely important, many tend to follow the dictates and norms of society, even if this means living in conflict with their inner feelings.

Sex vs. emotions
Many Arab men make a distinction between sex and emotional attachment. Bruce Dunne, author of an article titled Power and Sexuality in the Middle East, believes that sexual relations in the Middle East are about power. He writes: “Sexual relations in Middle Eastern societies have historically articulated social hierarchies, that is, dominant and subordinate social positions: adult men on top; women, boys and slaves below…Both dominant/subordinate and heterosexual/homosexual categorizations are structures of power.”

Having pure, raw sex with another man and being the active partner doesn’t make a man gay. This notion of same-sex is also true in the West. It differs, however, with regard the application.

“Since the concept of same-sex relations does not exist in the Arab world, being ‘Gay’ is still considered to be a sexual behavior,” says Outreach Director of the Gay and Lesbian Arab Society, Ramzi Zakharia, in an e-mail interview. But according to Western definition, “that limits it to ‘homosexual’ behavior, which does not mean that the person is Gay. Just because you sleep with a member of the same sex does not mean you are Gay… it just means that you are engaging in homosexual activity. Once a relationship develops beyond sex (i.e: love) this is when the term gay applies,” adds akharia.

He believes that gays in the Arab world, unlike those in Western societies, “limit their activities to sex and rarely explore feelings beyond that,” experience.

Impressions from a European
European-born Marcus, who has been in Jordan for two months, has already noticed a remarkable difference between the Kingdom and his native country. While he says that the men he has met generally shy away from emotional intimacy mostly because they experience inner conflicts, these same men are capable of justifying a purely sexual experience.

Having sex (discreetly) is alright, and sometimes even seen as an exploit. It is therefore justified.

Men holding hands or walking arm in arm are familiar scenes in Arab streets. In general men are more intimate with each other than they are in the West and a man without a woman at his side is not really seen as strange, Marcus observes.

These scenes would not draw the eyes of passersby, but the same man-to-man intimacy could be outrightly interepreted in the West as a gay relationship.

“It is much easier to meet men and be close to them here,” Marcus says.

(This article focuses only on male homosexuality. This reporter tried to interview females and to tackle the issue of female homosexuality, without results. Arab and Jordanian women are quite reserved and inhibited on this issue, even anonymously, for fear of causing problems to their friends).

Marcus, 29, is gay. He is in the country for the first time learning Arabic. Marcus preferred not to use his real name. Although he says he feels more at ease about being gay in Jordan than he does in his home town, he did not want his colleagues at work to read his name.

Marcus says he feels comfortable approaching a man in Jordan with frankness about his desires. Even though the man may not be gay there is some sort of “understanding” at what is going on, and little or no offence would be taken.

Some men interviewed in Jordan, however, appeared offended at the mention of this topic and they even refused to bring up the issue in general. When they did finally speak about homosexual behavior and gays– which they believed were the same– they spoke with repulsion and with harshness.

But Marcus says he has not yet experienced anything of this sort and life for a gay in Jordan is much easier in some ways. Back in his home, a man cannot easily approach or look at another man. “We have the legal recognition but we have a social taboo,” Marcus says.

Living a dual life
It may be easier to engage in homosexual behavior, but it certainly is not the case when emotions are involved. This Arab distinction of sex versus emotional attachment is largely derived out of a conflict with dualreligion and tradition. Arab men engage in homosexual behavior, and don’t cross the realm of being gay in order not to morally hurt themselves or their families. These Arab men would prefer (though not because they really want to) to fit into society’s mold and they justify their sexual preferences as “something men do”, and not as “something I do because I am gay.”

If these same people were living in Western societies, they would most probably be gay and not only engage in homosexual sex. In the West, those who are gay will cross the homosexual boundaries, even if that means staying in the closet. In the Arab world, only some do. Many, however, live a dual life.

Indeed, several gay Arab men living in the US have said that when they return to their homes for long visits, they adapt to societal expectations of them as men, become “hypocritical” and engage in only homosexual behavior, if they do at all.

“They (Arab men) do not face friends/families or even themselves with the truth of their identity. Rather, the majority will carry on with society’s plans, get married, get the kids… and then either carry on sexual relations on the side… or vent out their sexual frustrations on Alcohol, Drugs, Spouse Abuse, and other negative and destructive behavior,” according to Zakharia.

Homosexuality for Arabs contradicts and even undermines the male, patriarchal image as a “macho” in Arab societies.

A non-typical Arab male?
One 26-year-old Lebanese of Palestinian origin living in Canada explains his conflict, similar to the feelings of many others like him. The following was received from him by e-mail and is printed without editing. He did not want his name used:

I am a non-typical gay Arab male who grew up in Lebanon and then migrated to Canada. Non-typical, I say, because I find myself very different from the gay Arab men (gay men in general) that I know. And I know quite a few. I am able to find a trend in my behavior as I also recognize the common traits that I find in the men I am acquainted with. This leads me to believe that I am different and perhaps they are the norm.

In addressing my homosexuality I try to reconcile many things, namely religion, family, culture and image. Religion , in my mind, tells me not to over indulge. It also is a source of guilt and fear of God. I am Muslim but my friend tells me that my guilt is a Catholic guilt.

My parents raised me with a set of expectations that no matter how much I fight and how compromising my parents get, still is embedded in me. It is inherent that I must succeed. It is inherent no matter what my limitations are. Not to say that my parents will disown me or hurt me. They are very loving. Too loving sometimes. By too loving I mean that they foster dependence to a point that makes me feel controlled most of the time and safe the rest of the time.

Arab culture as I see it is two tier. One side is the culture itself which I love and want and am proud of, the other level is culture in the context of common society. Arabs are perhaps the most hypocritical ( in my view ) when it comes to values. The facade is that of religion and morality. Behind the closed doors is everything else. The two main things I pray one day will happen are that we will become assertive internationally and protect our rights, the other is that we will undo the sexism that we are notorious for.

The last aspect is image. This is personal. We can blame everyone but we must also look within. I look at myself honestly and I see a guy who does not entirely accept himself. This is the number one hindrance to change. I see myself being proud and then I see myself being quiet and complacent. I attribute that to me. I am not being up to the challenge of being gay. I see myself wanting a woman and children whenever I am acquainted with a girl who may be interested in me in the context of marriage.

As I said I am non-typical or I choose to feel this way. I try to reconcile heterosexual values with homosexual life. I go in circles and I find that it all boils down to me as a person. I have to be happy. I find what makes me feel happy, what fulfills me and the rest just falls into place.

In brief, growing up I was a naive and chronically introverted kid with a lot of imagination and no support or anyone to share with. I was never really able to conceive what sex was in its biological sense until I was in Canada and was reading a lot. I did not know about anal sex until I read about it. I never experimented with other boys. The closest I got to that was physical play such as wrestling with my friend.

How do you know the Earth is not flat until you are told it is not? When one looks at it, the Earth looks flat. Similarly society looks heterosexual.

This young man considers himself a non-typical Arab gay, but another young Arab man pointed out in a response to him that he was in fact typical:

I am a non-typical gay Arab male you’re wrong. You ARE the typical Gay Arab male. Your post was very interesting. You reminded me what I was a few years ago, but also I realized that I didn’t advance so much!. When I go home or when I am with my family, I am exactly like you.

Homosexual sex is not new. It has been around in the Arab world for a long time. The problem is love. “Once you decide to explore your identity beyond sexual activity, once you decide to reject your patriarchal role… this is when you get in trouble,” Zakharia says.

In countries such as Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, society is slowly changing and emulating the West. With their proximity to Western culture and thought, and people being exposed to new concepts regarding gender roles and sexuality, platforms for debate on homosexuality are opening up.

In Lebanon, society is slowly shifting from a Patriarchal model to a “nuclear” family model; this year’s attempt to introduce civil marriage is a prime example. Other post-Colonialist countries in the region are following, such as Tunis, Zakharia says.

AMMAN (AROL)– The issue of male homosexuality in the Arab world remains a taboo and untapped subject away from national debate.

This tendency is not spoken about openly– though male-male friction is acknowledged. Nor is it legally recognized in these conservative societies.

While the issue of recognizing male homosexuality is not totally different from other countries, male Arab homosexuality has indeed a different notion from that in the West.

Gay activities are frowned upon in Islam but a set of cultural and traditional taboos has played a role in the acquiescence of much of these sexual activities if confined to a certain set of moral conducts.

That is to say, homosexual behavior may be overlooked but experiencing feelings of an emotional nature beyond sex makes a man gay and hence, a potential outcast. In a society where the family bond, “honor” and image are extremely important, many tend to follow the dictates and norms of society, even if this means living in conflict with their inner feelings.

Sex vs. emotions
Many Arab men make a distinction between sex and emotional attachment. Bruce Dunne, author of an article titled Power and Sexuality in the Middle East, believes that sexual relations in the Middle East are about power. He writes: “Sexual relations in Middle Eastern societies have historically articulated social hierarchies, that is, dominant and subordinate social positions: adult men on top; women, boys and slaves below…Both dominant/subordinate and heterosexual/homosexual categorizations are structures of power.”

Having pure, raw sex with another man and being the active partner doesn’t make a man gay. This notion of same-sex is also true in the West. It differs, however, with regard the application.

“Since the concept of same-sex relations does not exist in the Arab world, being ‘Gay’ is still considered to be a sexual behavior,” says Outreach Director of the Gay and Lesbian Arab Society, Ramzi Zakharia, in an e-mail interview. But according to Western definition, “that limits it to ‘homosexual’ behavior, which does not mean that the person is Gay. Just because you sleep with a member of the same sex does not mean you are Gay… it just means that you are engaging in homosexual activity. Once a relationship develops beyond sex (i.e: love) this is when the term gay applies,” adds akharia.

He believes that gays in the Arab world, unlike those in Western societies, “limit their activities to sex and rarely explore feelings beyond that,” experience.

Impressions from a European
European-born Marcus, who has been in Jordan for two months, has already noticed a remarkable difference between the Kingdom and his native country. While he says that the men he has met generally shy away from emotional intimacy mostly because they experience inner conflicts, these same men are capable of justifying a purely sexual experience.

Having sex (discreetly) is alright, and sometimes even seen as an exploit. It is therefore justified.

Men holding hands or walking arm in arm are familiar scenes in Arab streets. In general men are more intimate with each other than they are in the West and a man without a woman at his side is not really seen as strange, Marcus observes.

These scenes would not draw the eyes of passersby, but the same man-to-man intimacy could be outrightly interepreted in the West as a gay relationship.

“It is much easier to meet men and be close to them here,” Marcus says.

(This article focuses only on male homosexuality. This reporter tried to interview females and to tackle the issue of female homosexuality, without results. Arab and Jordanian women are quite reserved and inhibited on this issue, even anonymously, for fear of causing problems to their friends).

Marcus, 29, is gay. He is in the country for the first time learning Arabic. Marcus preferred not to use his real name. Although he says he feels more at ease about being gay in Jordan than he does in his home town, he did not want his colleagues at work to read his name.

Marcus says he feels comfortable approaching a man in Jordan with frankness about his desires. Even though the man may not be gay there is some sort of “understanding” at what is going on, and little or no offence would be taken.

Some men interviewed in Jordan, however, appeared offended at the mention of this topic and they even refused to bring up the issue in general. When they did finally speak about homosexual behavior and gays– which they believed were the same– they spoke with repulsion and with harshness.

But Marcus says he has not yet experienced anything of this sort and life for a gay in Jordan is much easier in some ways. Back in his home, a man cannot easily approach or look at another man. “We have the legal recognition but we have a social taboo,” Marcus says.

Living a dual life
It may be easier to engage in homosexual behavior, but it certainly is not the case when emotions are involved. This Arab distinction of sex versus emotional attachment is largely derived out of a conflict with dualreligion and tradition. Arab men engage in homosexual behavior, and don’t cross the realm of being gay in order not to morally hurt themselves or their families. These Arab men would prefer (though not because they really want to) to fit into society’s mold and they justify their sexual preferences as “something men do”, and not as “something I do because I am gay.”

If these same people were living in Western societies, they would most probably be gay and not only engage in homosexual sex. In the West, those who are gay will cross the homosexual boundaries, even if that means staying in the closet. In the Arab world, only some do. Many, however, live a dual life.

Indeed, several gay Arab men living in the US have said that when they return to their homes for long visits, they adapt to societal expectations of them as men, become “hypocritical” and engage in only homosexual behavior, if they do at all.

“They (Arab men) do not face friends/families or even themselves with the truth of their identity. Rather, the majority will carry on with society’s plans, get married, get the kids… and then either carry on sexual relations on the side… or vent out their sexual frustrations on Alcohol, Drugs, Spouse Abuse, and other negative and destructive behavior,” according to Zakharia.

Homosexuality for Arabs contradicts and even undermines the male, patriarchal image as a “macho” in Arab societies.

A non-typical Arab male?
One 26-year-old Lebanese of Palestinian origin living in Canada explains his conflict, similar to the feelings of many others like him. The following was received from him by e-mail and is printed without editing. He did not want his name used:

I am a non-typical gay Arab male who grew up in Lebanon and then migrated to Canada. Non-typical, I say, because I find myself very different from the gay Arab men (gay men in general) that I know. And I know quite a few. I am able to find a trend in my behavior as I also recognize the common traits that I find in the men I am acquainted with. This leads me to believe that I am different and perhaps they are the norm.

In addressing my homosexuality I try to reconcile many things, namely religion, family, culture and image. Religion , in my mind, tells me not to over indulge. It also is a source of guilt and fear of God. I am Muslim but my friend tells me that my guilt is a Catholic guilt.

My parents raised me with a set of expectations that no matter how much I fight and how compromising my parents get, still is embedded in me. It is inherent that I must succeed. It is inherent no matter what my limitations are. Not to say that my parents will disown me or hurt me. They are very loving. Too loving sometimes. By too loving I mean that they foster dependence to a point that makes me feel controlled most of the time and safe the rest of the time.

Arab culture as I see it is two tier. One side is the culture itself which I love and want and am proud of, the other level is culture in the context of common society. Arabs are perhaps the most hypocritical ( in my view ) when it comes to values. The facade is that of religion and morality. Behind the closed doors is everything else. The two main things I pray one day will happen are that we will become assertive internationally and protect our rights, the other is that we will undo the sexism that we are notorious for.

The last aspect is image. This is personal. We can blame everyone but we must also look within. I look at myself honestly and I see a guy who does not entirely accept himself. This is the number one hindrance to change. I see myself being proud and then I see myself being quiet and complacent. I attribute that to me. I am not being up to the challenge of being gay. I see myself wanting a woman and children whenever I am acquainted with a girl who may be interested in me in the context of marriage.

As I said I am non-typical or I choose to feel this way. I try to reconcile heterosexual values with homosexual life. I go in circles and I find that it all boils down to me as a person. I have to be happy. I find what makes me feel happy, what fulfills me and the rest just falls into place.

In brief, growing up I was a naive and chronically introverted kid with a lot of imagination and no support or anyone to share with. I was never really able to conceive what sex was in its biological sense until I was in Canada and was reading a lot. I did not know about anal sex until I read about it. I never experimented with other boys. The closest I got to that was physical play such as wrestling with my friend.

How do you know the Earth is not flat until you are told it is not? When one looks at it, the Earth looks flat. Similarly society looks heterosexual.

This young man considers himself a non-typical Arab gay, but another young Arab man pointed out in a response to him that he was in fact typical:

I am a non-typical gay Arab male you’re wrong. You ARE the typical Gay Arab male. Your post was very interesting. You reminded me what I was a few years ago, but also I realized that I didn’t advance so much!. When I go home or when I am with my family, I am exactly like you.

Homosexual sex is not new. It has been around in the Arab world for a long time. The problem is love. “Once you decide to explore your identity beyond sexual activity, once you decide to reject your patriarchal role… this is when you get in trouble,” Zakharia says.

In countries such as Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, society is slowly changing and emulating the West. With their proximity to Western culture and thought, and people being exposed to new concepts regarding gender roles and sexuality, platforms for debate on homosexuality are opening up.

In Lebanon, society is slowly shifting from a Patriarchal model to a “nuclear” family model; this year’s attempt to introduce civil marriage is a prime example. Other post-Colonialist countries in the region are following, such as Tunis, Zakharia says.

Westhampton, MA – October 18, 2009
Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com

According to a new UN report presented in Tunis, Tunisia, on October 20th, Tunisia, Libya and United Arab Emirates are the only 3 Arab nations where famine has been eradicated. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations conducted the survey of 17 Arab states ahead of a global summit on hunger, malnutrition and food security, set for November 16th-18th in Rome. (There are a total of 25 Arab nations, ranging from Morocco in the west to Iraq in the east. Iran is considered Persian not Arabic.)

Certainly this is good news for a few but overall for the majority of the 325 million people in that swath of earth, it’s not. Poverty and hunger are ills that should be resolved by good governance and grass roots organizations to relieve the problems. But these two ‘plagues’ persist in the majority of Arab countries as governments don’t appear to take the suffering of their own people seriously. Leaders would rather buy weapons and tolerate corruption than cure misery.

And it’s a curious fact that these same impoverished lands are also among the most homophobic cultures on the planet–in addition to Jamaica. The range of attitudes and treatments in these countries runs from stigma and rejection to actual death penalties.

Is there any common thread between these two phenomena, between deprivation and discrimination, between the anger within poverty and the anger at homosexuals?
(Photo right: traditional friendship kiss)

Deprivation breeds anger in it victims; deprivation is cruel and unusual punishment for no justifiable reason and renders a victim helpless and hateful. Since an individual can’t strike out against something as amorphous and complex as a government it is more convenient and available to strike out against something particular and local, such as a person caught being sexual with someone of the same gender.

As well, these Arabic countries are also Muslim countries which interprets Islam’s holy scriptures in a way that urges people to condemn and scorn homosexuals. This religious condemnation legitimizes expressions of anger, which ordinarily is suppressed by authorities. But gays represent a legitimate target for this displaced anger and the reaction toward them is often excessive and harsh or murderous (some call it ’spiritual violence’) – even to the point of an honor killing of a family member to redeem family’s shame for have a homosexual among them.

As if privation and religion are not enough drivers of violence, there is another urge against homosexuality in these Arab/Muslim cultures. This is the well-documented ‘open secret’ than many, if not a majority, of pre-marital men experience their first sexual contact with other males.

Usually this natural drive has to be shrouded in privacy, denial and guilt, oppressive forces that evoke silent resentment at having to hide what should be a thrill. Instead it becomes a shame; what should be pleasure is turned into anguish at desiring carnal intimacy. And for genuinely gay Arabs their sense of self is clouded and punctuated with fear and self-doubt.

(That said, not all male-male erotic activity is private: see this CNN video on boy sex slaves.)

At a certain pitch of anguish and frustration all these negative feelings can sometimes be expurgated, purged, by turning individually or in a group to verbal or physical violence against an actual or alleged homosexual who is found out or suspected.

It is a very sad entanglement of poverty, helplessness, social anger, religious conditioning, family shame and personal guilt (or any one of these) that drive homophobia into the blind recesses of most Arab minds.

And it’s not just male homosexuality. In a recent book from Arab Jordan, Bareed Mista3jl, one lesbian recounted this most painful experience of enraged homophobia from her own father:

My father has a bad temper. One day a girl came back home with me after school. We were sitting on the floor of my bedroom kissing. My father walked in on us, did not say a word, and asked the girl to leave. Then he beat me up with his fists and his belt and his cane. “Shut up before I break my fist on your face…you animal…I curse the day you were born…’ I begged him to stop. I begged like I never thought I would beg in my life. I cried out please, please. I screamed with all my lungs. He screamed, ‘you will not learn your lesson unless I bury you. If I ever see you doing so much as looking at a girl I will pluck out your eyes and break your skull.’ I begged and pleaded. No human being should ever have to plead for anything, especially from her own father. It’s been eight years since. He broke so much more than my arm that day. Every time I remember the way I pleaded for him to stop, I start crying and can’t stop… (more about the book)

The rage of homophobia is the rage of deprivation, religious repression, secret shame, family dishonor. Overcoming such rage will take generations of defiance and courage and truth-telling. This is true of many societies around the world, not just the Arab world. Poverty and deprivation and repressive religions and homophobia are everywhere.

A few years ago, I lived in a luxury apartment complex. Across the hall was a great guy by the name of Umar Nazim (who was actually from Jordan now working in California). Umar Nazim was a very well liked guy around town, owned his own business, was attractive, dated several nights a week, and enjoyed most sports. We met while golfing at the complex’s course. He had a great knack for making everyone feel comfortable and ready for fun. A party seemed to follow him where ever he went. We became great, close friends–threw many parties for the complex between our suites, golfed, sailed and worked out together. We “doubled” often and Jon always had a great looking date. I noticed he never seem to click with anyone for any length of time, but there was never a lack of company for him. I liked him immensely. He was a wild little guy, about 5′6″ tall, but very well built and confident. He was also a real practical joker and, if some stunt of his was too much for me, I’d fall back on my college football days and call him a fucking tackling dummy, and try to toss him down. It was never easy to get the best of little Umar physically.

On his thirtieth birthday, I had a surprise party for him. We threw it at my place, and I told all the guests to bring cheap halloween wigs and gag gifts. The one thing he was sensitive about was his thinning hair. You can imagine the laughs we all had watching him open the gifts and trying each one of them on. He got right into the spirit of things and even had us trying them on. But he promised me he’d get me when I least expected it. Weeks later, I came home late from an exhausting day, fixed a sandwich and plopped into bed to tune out in front of the Television. Except for the light from the set, my room was dark. After an hour or so, I got pretty lonely and started feeling myself. I was getting aroused, so I rolled over and began grinding my hips into the mattress. The friction of the sheets as I rubbed my swollen cockhead against them and the pressure of my hard-on against the mattress and my stomach felt fabulous. I was luxuriating in the ecstasy of bringing myself off.

Suddenly the whole bed seemed to erupt beneath me, lifting me up and flinging me off onto the floor. I instantly thought of an earthquake, but the rest of the room was still. I jumped up and looked at the bed. There was that little shit Umar under the bed, the mattress pushed half off by his legs as he lay laughing at me on his back. he was howling, and I did a quick take on how he must have slipped into my apartment, crawled uder the bed, and waiting for just the right moment to knock me off. Then I realized I was standing in front of him with nothing on and more than half hard.

Embarassed, I scream “You fucking dummy”, and yanked him to his feet. He broke loose and ran for the door. A flying tackly brought him down and we wrestled around the room until I finally pinned him down. It was wild and spontaneous, and lying on top of him naked, embarassed at being surprised with a hard-on, really turned me on. He was still laughing. Because I had gotten so hard as we struggled, I felt self-conscious about letting him up. We lay there chuckling and trying to catch our breaths. I could feel his heavy breathing as his chest heaved against my own. With me hard against him I was sure he would notice in a second that I wasn’t just still hot from humping my bed.

So I tried to get up, but he saw how rigid I was and started laughing again. I did too. We fell back together, laughing into each other’s shoulder about my predicament. His hands came up and caressed me at the bottom of my spine, and I half-jokingly mimicked a passionate grind against his thighs. He rubbed both hands over the back of my ass and really seemed to be getting turned on. A nervous chuckle started in my throat, but I swallowed it in a gulp. My cock throbbed against him, and he whispered in my ear “Got you Dave.” I could feel his cock grow hard beneath his pants, and I gulped again. The blood was pounding in my neck and I imagined he must have been able to hear it. I tried to pull away again and drew my knees up, but that pushed my dick across his growing hard-on, and my stomach muscles began to quiver. It was an electric moment. Then he responded–his hands slipped caressingly over my then taut ass muscles and he pulled me harder against him by the back of my thighs.

He raised his hips at the same time to rub the hard ridge in his pants against me. I felt weak. He kissed my neck and I felt his cock throb against mine. The he rolled me onto my back and my rock hard shaft stood up and plopped against my belly. Cupping my balls in his hand, he gripped the base of my cock in his fist. I looked down as he began to stroke my shaft and squeeze its head. He rotated his thumb and forefinger firmly around that achingly sensitive ridge at the base of my swollen glans, and my cock pulsed so hard it lifted his hand. I groaned and he started to slip his free hand under the small of my back. I arched to let his arm go around me, and my legs slid wide apart. As he stroked down to the base of my cock, my thighs stiffened with arousal. I hoped he would want to suck me, He rubbed my balls gently and played with the hair between my legs, then I rolled into him and felt the coldness of his belt buckle against the hot tip of my dick. I ached to explode but didn’t know what I should do next.

Trembling, I reached between us and rubbed his cock through his pants. It was a wild sensation to feel a friend’s hard cock throb against my hand while the moistness of his excitement soaked through the cloth and wet my fingers. We were both kind of stunned. I think at being aroused like this, but we let the excitement play out. “Let’s do this right” he whispered. He took off his shirt, then rolled away and I heard him unbuckle and unzip his pants. He sat up and pulled them off. I watched his bare back muscles flex at the effort. The he lay back and I could see his flat lower abdomen, the dary curly hair at the base of his long, solid cock and the untanned skin of his hips. It was gloriously different to feel him roll naked against me, feel my dick rub against his hot cock, feel my leg slip between his hairy legs and his cool, moist hands cupping my ass and grinding me against him as I pulled him to me. He rubbed his chin through the hair on my chest and nipped the tip of my right nipple between his teeth. A sensational shock ran from there to my groin. I came instantly. In torrents!! I seemed to cum in waves forever, and I continued to throb as he ground his cock to orgasm against mine.

When he came, he moaned quietly as if we might get caught by someone. I told him I needed to clean up and got up and turned on the bathroom light. I pulled the bed together while he got up to wash himself and I began to recover some poise and started to laugh about what had just transpired. “What’s so funny?” he asked, and I walked to the bathroom doorway to explain, feeling a little guilty about what we had done. He was wiping his belly with a washcloth, the water dripped down to his groin and glistened in the hair there. He was still hard, and as he wiped I felt that weak feeling again. I watched him rub the cloth over the shaft of his dick. He had a Huge cock for such a little guy. A tenseness showed in his eyes, and I looked away and stepping into the shower. “Want to do this right too?” I asked.

He ducked under the spray with me. I rubbed our cum from my body. he took my soft prick in one hand and stroked his hardness with the other. I began to get hard again watching him stroke us both. The he knelt in the spray and slid my half-hard cock into his mouth. He sucked me until I was as hard as I had been earlier, concentrating his tongue on the tip of my cock, and all around the tip. I stepped out of the spray and pulled him more into it and knelt before him. I explored his body with my mouth. His hard cock pulsed against my chest and neck as I buried my face in the matted wet hair that ran from his belly to his groin.

I took the shaft in my hand and put my mouth over the tip. It was warm, wet, tautly smooth and solid. He moaned, still softly, and slid his hands around the back of my neck. I thought he wanted me to suck him deeper and I tried to swallow the whole length of his shaft, I couldn’t, so I sucked all around the tip, running my tongue around the firm ridge there as he had done to mine. I could taste a bit of his cum and began to feel hot again. I bobbed my head, sliding his dick into my mouth as far as I could go without gagging. Returning to the tip and then sucking him deeper, I got into it. I sucked and licked him firmly until he began to pump himself to his own special rythm. He came very hard, staggering against me, and moaning loudly, his prick jerking as his come spilled onto my tongue. I swallowed his warm load and then sucked him until his trembling stopped.

He pulled me to my feet, and he whispered “Thanks buddy!” and kissed me deep, sharing the taste of the load he had just given me. We repeated that shower scene many times, and slept together whenever mutual lust presented itself. The ironic thing about my experience with him is that it was my first experience with another man. One I will never forget!!

Bareed Mista3jil, meaning express mail, isn’t just the first queer Lebanese book ever published — it’s also the first queer Arabic book, period, to be published.

A compilation of anonymous personal narratives from Lebanese LBTQ women of all social classes and religions, Bareed Mista3jil addresses coming out, religion, family, emigration, abuse, and activism. MEEM, an activist and support group for Lebanese LBTQ women, publicly released the book at the Al Madina Theater in Beirut last May, attracting an audience of 400 people.

MEEM organizer Shant (who declined to give her full name) described the book as a big step for Lebanese LGBTs.

“We can actually talk about our experiences and show that they touch more than just the lesbian community,” she said.

Shant reports a lot of positive feedback for the book, which is sold at Virgin Megastores in Lebanon, and MEEM is already planning a fourth reprint to keep up with demand.

It’s not surprising that the first queer Arabic book debuted in Beirut, given that Lebanon is known for having a relatively free press (compared with other Arab nations) and a liberal capital city. However, queer activists in Lebanon still have their work cut out for them. Homosexuality is sometimes punished under a law banning “sexual acts against nature,” so coming out is not always safe or even possible (hence the anonymity of Bareed Mista3jil’s writers).

“Some queer women are very out with friends and family and closeted at work; some are out at work but closeted to families. There isn’t the notion of 100 percent out,” said Shant.

MEEM is now campaigning to overturn 534, the Lebanese law used to punish homosexuality, and maintains a monthly e-magazine, Bekhsoos.

You can read excerpts of Bareed Mista3jil at the book’s website, or order it online. And, if you happen to be in the California area next month, MEEM will be having staged readings in San Francisco on December 10th, and and in Berkeley on December 13th. Members of MEEM have already toured Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, Denmark, Belgium, France, and Armenia, making the book’s release a truly international event.