In Dubai, fear stalks gay relationships

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Gay Middle East

By Dan Littauer and Sami Al Ali

The UAE newspaper The National reported 25 May that a man was accused today, in Dubai, of tying up his colleague and roommate, then stabbing him in the neck after accusing him of spreading rumours that he’s gay.

The Egyptian AM, 27, denied the charge of attempting to kill his compatriot MA, 37, when he appeared before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.

According to records, the two worked at a glass installation company and on the day of the incident, in December 2010, they returned to their apartment in International City for a midday break.

MA told prosecutors that he took a one-hour nap in the bedroom, and when he woke, he saw AM sitting on the bed holding a rope. He said AM convinced him that he wanted to play a game that included tying him up. He testified that AM tied his hands and legs, and wrapped the rope around his body.

"When I told him that my hands hurt, he answered that its better than your heart hurting you," said MA, who then untied himself and followed AM into the living room to ask him what he meant, records show.

AM then told him he heard MA was talking about him behind his back, telling people AM was gay. MA said he denied it, but AM grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the neck while he was watching TV.

Records say AM stabbed him four more times, in the abdomen and face, shouting, "Die, die, die – you scandalized me, all of Egypt knows I'm gay."

MA said he got the knife away from AM, who bit him in the arm. Then MA went downstairs and told the security guard to call rescue workers and the police.

MA said AM followed him down and told him, "You shouldn't die – I am the one who should die."

A police officer testified that when he responded to the incident, he found MA lying bleeding at the entrance of the building and AM sitting next to him saying over and over, "I wish I was in your place."

The next hearing is on June 8.

Sami Al Ali, an LGBT activist in the Middle East commented on this incident as follows:

Perhaps it's not the first incident, and for sure will not be the last in the Arab world. The Egyptian guy's case in Dubai reveals the social fear of gay Arabs even while they are away from their countries, the fear of facing society, and even of accepting their sexual identity.

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Blackmail of gay men "common" in Saudi Arabia, Gulf States

By Paul Canning

Saudi Arabia has been described as a “gay heaven” because strict gender segregation supports what's called a "flourishing" underground gay sex scene, but for those who fall foul of official prohibitions, through being discovered or being entrapped, jail and flogging awaits.

The Philippines Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are looking into cases of 24 Filipino men who were allegedly framed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on charges of being prostitutes.

The men's case only came to light after OWWA was notified by Philippine Ryan Ferrer. Ferer claims that he was blackmailed by his employer into extending his stay in the Kingdom. He says that his employer had him jailed for six months for prostitution and he met the other men in the prison. On release he was stripped of all pay and benefits.

In 2009 72 Philippine men were arrested and lashed after a private party in Riyadh was raided.

Last May the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila issued a memorandum ordering local recruitment agencies to screen Philippine applicants for sexual orientation.

“Officials of recruitment agencies… are strongly advised to screen (applicants) thoroughly. The accreditation of recruitment agencies found to have failed to observe this advisory will be permanently terminated,” the memorandum read.

About three million Asian workers go abroad on contractual jobs each year, mainly in the Gulf and Southeast Asian countries - the Philippines is believed to send 3000 workers every day. However, they can face various abuses including low pay, excessive workload and sexual harassment after spending exorbitant amount of money to find jobs. Asian nations who supply Labour to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states have been criticised for their lack of support for their nationals.

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Video: Film explores homosexuality in the Arab world

Source Bangalore Mirror

By Sudha Pillai

He is young. He is daring. He is of Lebanese/ Palestinian origin, living in Dubai. And...he is a homosexual man.

One can get killed or at least jailed for being homosexual in that part of the world (In Dubai, as in most Arab countries, homosexuality is a crime punishable by a jail sentence ranging from 3-15 years). In this backdrop, Fadi Hindash has pushed the boundaries even further by making a film about homosexuality in Dubai and the hypocratic ways of the Arab world.

One might think that Fadi has a death wish, but then Fadi prefers to live his life and tell his stories with integrity rather than cloak himself in hypocrisy. In his film Not Quite the Taliban, the young filmmaker talks about his own homosexuality and also confronts the modern generation of Arabs who he feels are more conservative than the previous generations.

Fadi Hindash, screenwriter and director of documentary and feature films, talks to Bangalore Mirror. Excerpts

Q: What is Not Quite the Taliban all about?

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In Washington DC, gay Iraqi refugee seeks help

Source: Washington Blade

By Joey DiGuglielmo

Firas Abdulmajeed wants to make one thing clear up front: He’s not looking for a handout, just a job.

The 33-year-old gay Iraqi refugee, who fled to Alexandria, Va. a month ago with his 68-year-old mother after living six years in the United Arab Emirates, has faced an uphill battle most of his life. His home country was ravaged by war for most of his formative years; he lived under the violent regime of Saddam Hussein; and he suffered within a virulently anti-gay society that told him his same-sex desires were demonic.

Things have calmed for Abdulmajeed since he arrived in the U.S., but huge obstacles remain. While fluent in English and possessing the proper papers to work here, he suffered a life-changing gunshot wound in his native Iraq on July 21, 2003, that eventually required a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg.

The loss had an incalculably negative effect on Abdulmajeed’s life. He sometimes wishes the wound had been fatal.

Read more »

Did X Factor 'out' a gay asylum seeker, putting him in danger?

By Paul Canning

The production company for hit TV show X Factor passed the real name to the Sun newspaper of a contestant who is a young Middle Eastern gay asylum seeker, he has claimed in comments published by Manchester's Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) and then Pink Paper.

The Sun subsequently ran an inaccurate article belittling the asylum seeker and this was then picked up in the Middle East, which has put him in danger.

The asylum seeker known as Zac told LGF:

“I was shocked that the paper used my real name and age. I rang them and they said a press release had come from the X Factor’s marketing company.”

LGBT Asylum News has confirmed that the conversation with Sun journalist Chris Robertson took place in the presence of a worker for the Young Person's Advisory Service (YPAS) in Liverpool, of which Zac is a client.

YPAS LGBT Youth Co-ordinator Kieran Bohan told us that Zac had been called by the X Factor 5 July to inform him about the article which was published 3 July. Zac then went to YPAS and Robertson was called. He told Zac that the article was based on a press release.

It is common practice for entertainment news stories to be based in part or entirely on material supplied by public relations companies or departments.

Zac had also been told by X Factor to prepare five songs for an audition in Manchester however later in the day he was called and told that they didn't want him after all. Kieran said that it is his belief that the story was placed "in order to drop Zac."

LGF says that Zac did give his personal details as part of the audition process and “signed a lot of papers” but was assured that his personal information wouldn’t get published.

X Factor producers Talkback Thames have denied that The Sun received a press release, telling us:

There was no press release issued to the sun by the x factor. We did not disclose personal information about this contestant.

The Sun would not discuss the origins of the story with us.

The story published in The Sun was picked up by two news websites in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as social media. This would put Zac in danger of persecution including possible physical harm if his case is rejected and he is returned. But a source in Dubai (via Gay Middle East) suggested to us that the most serious risk to Zac would be that the mention of the family name in the media in connection with homosexuality could also cause problems for family members or cause family members to cause further harm to Zac - even though he now lives in Liverpool.

The Middle East based website 7 Days was one outlet which picked up on The Sun's article, saying “it is unclear why he doesn’t want to return to the UAE” but Zac says:

“They make it sound ridiculous, they don’t realise the harm. I wish I could go back, but as a gay man it’s not safe. I would be killed by my father. The government would jail me, if I didn’t change my behaviour on release. I’d face the death penalty. My religion says I would be killed for having relations with a man.”

"If I went back, I would be arrested at the airport because the paper printed my real name and sexuality. The police would say change, they would beat me, anything could happen. I could be put to death.”

Dan Littaneur, Gay Middle East (GME) Editor, told us:

"If Zac is deported to Abu Dhabi he is very likely to be in serious trouble with the authorities; article 80 of the Abu Dhabi Penal Code makes sodomy punishable with imprisonment of up to 14 years."

"GME has received various reports and there are also news articles that have revealed how the law is typically enforced including imprisonment, forced hormonal and psychological treatments. Most of the inhabitants of Abu Dhabi are strict Sunnis followers of the Maliki school which believe that sodomy merits death by stoning."

"Being gay is seen as one of the worst crimes and offenses against the faith, honour and integrity of not only the accused person but for all his family members and those who have dealings with them."

"A source of GME in the Emirates commented that due to these facts, Zac will be most definitely be socially ostracised and may face abuse, both psychological and physical from his family, the authorities and the general public. He will be unlikely ever to find employment, and his movements will be restricted and monitored. Worse still he would always be in danger of being put to death in some of the other Emirates which uphold the UAE Article 354 of the Federal Penal Code states, "Whoever commits rape on a female or sodomy with a male shall be punished by death.""

"In my view as well as sources of GME within the Emirates, not granting asylum and deporting Zac to Abu Dhabi would mean loss of freedom as well as a serious threat to his well being and even his life."

In 2005, twenty-six young men were arrested at an Abu Dhabi hotel. They initially faced government-ordered hormone treatments.

In January we reported on the arrest of two gay men in Dubai. According to court documents one of the defendants was entrapped by a 'cybercrimes investigator' in an online chat room. One of the men was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

A source in Kuwait (via Gay Middle East) told us that online entrapment by the state in common in countries around the Gulf. "In Oman, for example, they use it to blackmail foreigners into extending their work contracts," he said.

In 2007 Dubai police initially treated sixteen year old French Swiss boy Alexandre Robert who had been kidnapped and raped as a suspect. The worry that a case was being built against Alexandre as an illegal homosexual led his family to leave the country on the advice of the French consul. His mother subsequently set up the website boycottdubai.com

Zac told LGF that the Sun's report was full of inaccuracies. It claimed that he was desperately using the show to stay in the UK and describes him as a “failed asylum seeker” who has had his application “rejected”.

“They say my case has failed, but it hasn’t. They say I ought to be on my way back to the Middle East, but I’ve been told by the Home Office that I’m not allowed to leave the UK”.

“They say I use the programme to get asylum. I didn’t, my case is strong. I auditioned because I love singing. Taking part in the show wouldn’t change anything about my case.”

Zac's legal representative Dr Edward Mynott told us that although his original claim was rejected on the basis that he was not known to anyone who could harm him in the UAE an appeal has been lodged, the asylum tribunal has accepted that Zac is gay and last week's Supreme Court decision on the so-called 'discretion test' "has clarified the legal approach and will be relevant to any consideration of our client's case."

"Our client has never used his involvement in X Factor as a basis for his asylum claim,"said Mynott.

"Our client is shocked by the public disclosure of his personal information and we fear that the disclosure has exacerbated the risk to him." 

Zac grew up in the most conservative Emirate Abu Dhabi but came to the UK with his mother in 2004. He ran away last year when she found out he is gay, then the Home Office relocated him to Liverpool. Here he says he has grown in confidence and is a different person thanks to the support of local agencies like the Young Persons Advisory Service.

Zac told LGF:

“I miss my mum a lot. It’s hard to be without family. I’ve been sick and thought if only my mum was with me, it’s the same when I see kids at college with their parents. I wish I had her support. She’s got a good heart but when it comes to sexuality it’s all wrong.  I don’t blame her – it’s our religion. I’ve tried to change, but I can’t.”

In Liverpool, Zac says he has the “love and support” of a long term boyfriend and good friends, so was horrified to read the negative comments posted by readers of The Sun online such as, “get him out before he takes any more of the government’s money” and “next plane out good riddance”.

Zac told LGF he was dismayed and hurt by the comments:

“I’ve not done anything wrong. I know some asylum seekers aren’t for real. They make me sound like I am an animal. I’m not begging. My mother pays taxes. I would work but the government won’t let us. I try hard to save money”.

LGBT Asylum News spoke with X Factor producers Talkback Thames for comment on Zac's claims and subsequently emailed the following questions:

• Is Zac correct that his real identity was supplied by a marketing company for X Factor to The Sun?
• If this was the case was the danger to him as a gay asylum seeker from the UAE considered?
• If this was the case were any details regarding his asylum case in information released to The Sun?

~~~~~~~~

This interview with Zac was for a film and web project called 'BreakOUT'.

Dubai gay student sentenced to three years

Image via Wikipedia

Source: The National

An Emirati student convicted of public indecency, cross-dressing, homosexuality, insulting a religious creed and consensual homosexual relations has asked an appeals court to keep him away from the general prison population if it upholds his conviction.

The 22-year-old M N was sentenced to three years in jail by Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance in March after he appeared in pornographic pictures that were distributed online. He was arrested at Dubai International Airport on July 20 last year with his male partner, who had been convicted of homosexuality and sentenced to one year in jail.

Yaser al Naqbi, M N’s lawyer, said in today's closing argument that his client should be acquitted because of what he called improper arrest and search procedures. He also called the writ used when apprehending M N into question.

“Police arrested him with an illegal warrant, Your Honour,” Mr al Naqbi told Dubai Court of Appeals. “They further went to search his house with the same warrant that did not clarify when the warrant was issued or when it can be used.”

Pornographic material, of which the defendant was the subject, was recovered by police officers when his home was searched. Prosecutors accused him of circulating images of himself online dressed in a hijab while reading the Holy Quran.

The appellate court is expected to issue its verdict on July 20.

UAE: Too close for comfort: Homosexuality in schools

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Source: Gulf News - Feb 11

By Salam Al Amir

Sharjah: A shocking trend is sweeping across educational institutions in the UAE. It’s called same-sex relationships and it’s worrying officials and parents no end.

A number of students, school employees and others confided in XPRESS that inappropriate intimacy among girls is on the rise on campuses.

“They sit intimately close and touch each other inappropriately,” said Umm Rawan, an employee at the Sharjah University for Women (UOS).

The Emirati woman also had to deal with the demon on a personal level recently – first when her 16-year-old daughter fell for an Indian girl and then when her teenage son started receiving overtures from homosexual male students. Umm Rawan lodged a complaint with the school administration. “I am a divorcee and couldn’t handle these things on my own. I feared my kids would become homosexual so I gave them in the custody of their father,” she recalls.

But Umm Rawan’s startling revelation pales in comparison to the scandalous disclosure made by a girl on Abu Dhabi TV’s Step programme some time back.

Badriya, who prefers to be addressed as Bandar (a male name), shocked television audiences across the nation when she openly spoke of her relationship with another girl, Maha, and expressed the desire to marry her and have children with her through artificial fertilisation. “I love my girlfriend and I want to have children with her,” she said on national TV, adding that she would work to support her family.

Prohibited by law

Homosexuality is prohibited in the UAE and violators face stiff punishment.

Authorities are trying to curb deviant behaviour to better reflect the traditional conservative laws of the UAE. Last year the Ministry of Social Affairs launched an awareness campaign called Excuse me, I am a Girl, directed against what was described as ‘the ‘fourth gender’.

Meant to tackle lesbianism-related issues, the campaign included a series of workshops, TV programmes and lectures at universities and schools and was run by the Sharjah Social Care Centre for Women, an affiliate of the ministry. Samira Al Shair, Security Affairs Officer, Ajman Police, who implemented the campaign at Ajman Educational Zone said lesbianism accounted for 40 per cent of the 70-80 per cent of juvenile delinquency cases reported at Ajman schools.

“I dealt with many cases, almost all of which had one thing in common – the absence of a father,” recalled Samira.

Shocking estimates

Ameenah Ahmad, a UOS student who stays at the university dormitory, said that she estimates that up to one-third of the residents are lesbians. “We were ordered to dress properly even inside the dormitory. Sleeveless dresses and shorts have been banned lately,” she said.

Bakheeta Al Khatri, Manager, women’s dormitory at UOS, which has 8,000 female students including 1,600 in the hostel, denied knowledge of deviant activity, but didn’t entirely rule out the possibility. “If there are such cases, I doubt if the girls involved will talk about it,” she said. But some girls are talking.

Nana Rami, 19, an American University pupil, claims she was approached by a girl during a visit to Sharjah University. “She started flattering my body and sought to seek a relationship, but I turned her down,” said Nana.

Hana Al’adi, a student at UOS also had a similar experience. “Now I exercise caution while interacting with them,” she said.

 Dr Alia Ebrahim, a family and educational issues consultant based in Sharjah and Ajman, said there were several factors responsible for the upswing in same-sex relationships.

“Some theories suggest that gender identity disorder, often overlooked by parents and sometimes promoted by discriminating between genders within the family, is a key factor, “ she said.

Other possible contributing factors, she said, could include being the only girl among male siblings, absence of a father figure and sexual assault.

According to Dr Alia, worried mothers have reported many cases of delinquent behaviour at the Umm Al Mo’mineen Society, Family Bonds Consultation Centre in Ajman, which deals with the issue, adding that lack of comprehensive research makes it difficult for experts to estimate exact numbers.

What’s the solution?

The solution, according to Dr Alia, includes gathering accurate statistics and assigning specialised committees to tackle the problem and setting in motion a mechanism to educate students and create awareness.

She also emphasised the importance of revising the curricula and supervising internet use and other technological tools.

In a TV interview, Saudi Arabia-based consultant psychiatrist Dr Tarek Habib admitted that same-sex relationships existed in universities and schools in GCC countries, but insisted that the numbers were fewer compared to educational institutions in other parts of the world. Habib said there are essentially two types of homosexual females; one who feels womanly but is sexually attracted towards girls, and the other who feels manly and trapped within a woman’s body.

He contended that some girls need a specialist therapist and that the issue falls under the purview of medical science and therefore does not need interference from religious scholars.

Scholar speaks

Dubai-based Islamic scholar Shaikh Ahmad Al Qubaisi, speaking on the issue of lesbianism noted that while it is forbidden (haram), there is no specific punishment as per Sharia law. He said Islam considers a woman's status in society to be important and by publicising such cases, the entire family of the woman feels a sense of shame. He advised that such girls be treated discreetly.

Did you know?

According to Samira Al Shair, Ajman police, student delinquency at schools in Ajman stood at a steep 70-80 per cent, with lesbianism accounting for 40 per cent of this percentage.

Characteristics:

• The Boya: The first type is the girl who turns to sexual delinquency and plays the boy's role.
• The Tomboy: The second type is a girl who is not sexually delinquent.
• The Weaker girl: The third type is the weaker, beautiful girl who gets lured by the first type.

Muslim Law: State Ordered Hormone Injections For Homosexuals in Dubai

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Homosexual resistance

My friend Abdullah likes to laugh. He laughs about mid-term exams that go horribly wrong, weekend parties at his house where way too many things get broken and he laughs when he shouldn’t; when his life, personal freedom and the sanctity of his person are being threatened.

Abdullah is gay. While he remains a student in Canada, this is a statement still to be celebrated.

Abdullah lives with his long-term boyfriend; complete with all the normal trials and tribulations of any ordinary relationship. They love each other and all the wonderful friends that come in and out of their lives. Abdullah works hard to get good grades at the community college he attends in Victoria, B.C., Canada, and brightens the day of all he meets on the campus.

Abdullah came to Canada from Dubai to go to school 4 years ago. After coming out as a gay man and revealing his sexual orientation to his parents, Abdullah realised the full extent of what it means to expose yourself as a homosexual to a country that lives under Muslim Law. Upon hearing the news, Abdullah’s mother flew to Canada to try and convince her son that his homosexual tendencies were nothing more than a disease that needed to be treated. She explained that, rather than become estranged and reviled by family and community, Abdullah should fly back to Dubai and voluntarily get arrested for being a homosexual so he could receive the medical treatment he needed: testosterone injections.

In Dubai, those caught being gay are sentenced to government-ordered hormone treatments, five years in jail and a lashing. While foreigners may be allowed to slip under the radar for being gay in this country, the Muslim citizens are not.

Following this harrowing interaction with his mother, Abdullah applied for political refugee status based on the danger of his sexual orientation. A hearing was set for Nov. 7th, 2008. This hearing had no procedure for appeal; it was a one-shot deal. Either he was accepted as a political refugee, where he could resume his student life and continue on with his goal of completing a post-secondary degree, or Abdullah would be sent to Dubai where he would be imprisoned, lashed and given forced hormone injections.

Abdullah arrived at his hearing without a lawyer. Legal aid had rejected his application. Scared and alone, he thought he could plead to have his case postponed until legal assistance could be secured. His plan was to scrounge money through part-time, under-the-table jobs and beg a lawyer to take his case with minimal funding. As it turned out, none of this was necessary. The hearing didn't need to be moved forward. He was told his case was decided and his political refugee status had been accepted based on the dangers he faced back home. Abdullah could stay. In tears, Abdullah then received a hug from the chairman of the hearing before leaving to return home to his schooling, his friends and his life in Victoria.

Abdullah’s story has reminded me of just how proud and lucky I am to be Canadian.

Gay men arrested in Dubai

Image via Wikipedia

Source: The National

By Awad Mustafa

Two men who allegedly used the internet to offer sexual services appeared separately before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday.

The first man, MN, is charged with prostitution, consensual homosexual sex, producing pornographic material, cross-dressing and insulting religion.

The second, MF, an 18-year-old student, is charged with prostitution.

Homosexuality is illegal in the UAE. Both defendants face a minimum of three years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 15 years if found guilty.

MN, 22, was arrested at the Dubai International Airport in July 20 in possession of homemade pornographic material, according to prosecution sources. He is also accused of uploading and promoting pornographic materials online. MN, who was flanked by two senior police officers in court, denied the charges.

He is being held in solitary confinement at Al Qusais police station to protect him from other prisoners, prosecution sources said.

MN was initially charged with homosexuality, indecency and encouraging prostitution. Prosecutors later elevated the charges.

He is also accused of insulting religion after prosecutors alleged that he circulated images on the internet of himself dressed up in women’s garb while reading the Quran.

“He has insulted the Islamic creed by wearing female make-up, accessories and a hijab-like veil while sitting in front of the Holy Quran and acting like he is praying,” the indictment said.

MN is due to appear in court again on January 20 to present his defence.

The other Emirati defendant is accused of enticing men through internet chat rooms to commit homosexual acts. MF denied the charge.

According to court documents, a cybercrimes investigator met the defendant last September in an online chat room.

The officer alleges that the defendant made arrangements for them to meet to have sex.

“When we arrested the defendant we confiscated his computer and he confessed to us that he has had illicit sex with many persons,” said Sgt Omar Ibrahim of the Dubai Police cybercrimes division.