Luongo — who details his adventures in Afghanistan, where he attends a “gay party” — agrees with Sharma, saying that while in Europe and America “homosexual desire and acts become the very definition of a person,” in the Muslim world, “homosexual desire and acts are simply one aspect amongst others, something people do but not something that defines a person above all things.” Thus many of the Muslim men the writers encounter do not identify themselves as gay, and ask the latter why they don’t have wives, causing deep confusion, and in the case of Richard Ammon, offence.

Via Kawdess tweets.

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Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Awsam Hanna, an Egyptian psychiatrist who has experience in ‘reparative therapy’ where he is describing the ‘homosexual personality.’

It is also a part of the whole “homosexual personality,” characterized by low self-esteem, lack of social skills, disconnection from body, and emotional isolation from society with varying degrees in different individuals. The isolation is not just because of the hatred and homophobia of society, it is an element in the psychopathology (disease process) of the disorder itself. Of course the homophobia of the society adds to it, but it is not entirely caused by it.

I guess that means there is no such thing as a socially or economically successful gay person.

Via Kawdess tweets

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From Saudi Arabia:

Yes there are many Muslim Lesbians around. I am from Saudi Arabia, the worst country there is for Homosexual yet, I am telling you I have never faced any problems. Ok, I am not very “visible” but it is my choice for a variety of reason one of which is my style and fasion taste. But, dykes are every where. We have a famous shopping mall here in Riyadh with a floor for women only. That place is heaven! Just visit the place on weekends and you will be amazed at the number of “couples” strolling around, window shopping etc. There are a few lesbian spots on the floor as well.

From Malaysia:

How are you? I was born, raised a muslim and I practice Islam well… quite religiously. hehe..

I am out to most of my friends, and most of them are practicing muslims. and they cant be more supportive. Well, two or three have showed negative responds and those two/three were egyptians. But we Malaysians are really quite open about it. They treat me the same if not better.

These supportive friends of mine, they know and love me for who i am. Alhamdulillah, being gay does not change their perspectives on me. I even changed some of their mind about lesbians and homosexuals.

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Members of The Aguda said that the process of notifying the families of the victims, a portion of whom were alone in Tel Aviv hospitals, had been particularly trying as some of the families are unaware of their children’s sexual orientation or involvement with the group.

“Most of these kids are in the closet and their parents know nothing,” Sofer explained. “Meanwhile photographers are chasing the ambulances and the whole country is talking about it.”

“Some of them were trying to prevent the ambulances from taking them because by law the hospitals must notify the kids’ next of kin,” he added. “In the end the parents had to be notified. There was no other way.”

It was rumored that one of the victims was an orthodox Jew, a claim The Aguda and the Israel Police refused to confirm or deny.

Israel is more ‘tolerant’ than those repressed Arabs and their morbid homophobia…while this incident does undermine the hasbara campaign in the link, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this could just as well have been Muslim gay youth in an Arab country suffering a vigilante religious attack, and it would have been just as despicable.

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A story out of Tel Aviv tonight:

Israeli police say a gunman entered a youth club for gay teens in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night and sprayed the interior with automatic rifle fire, killing three people and injuring 11.
….

“This was a hate crime, a premeditated attack,” witness Yaniv Weisman told Channel 10 TV. He said Cafe Noir, the basement club, was popular with youth.

“Those hurt were very young,” he said.

Openly gay Knesset lawmaker Nitzan Horowitz said it was “without a doubt the biggest ever attack on the Israeli gay community, we are all in shock.”

Witnesses told Israeli media that the gunman was dressed all in black, and described the scene as a “bloodbath.”

The gunman fled the scene and has not been caught. May Allah give the victims peace and justice.

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Richard Silverstein tells all:

Make no mistake, this is not a one-off promotion by an odd-ball Jewish gay pornographer. This is part of an orchestrated hasbara campaign spearheaded by groups like Stand With Us, who promoted Israel during the latter’s Gay Pride Festival as a natural ally of gays around the world. The angle for SWU (and there always IS an angle with groups like this) is to trumpet the alleged homophobia of Palestinian/Arab society compared to the alleged freedom and tolerance of “western” Israel towards a gay lifestyle. Never mind that Israel is less tolerant of gays than the average western country. That matters little for the hasbaraniks of SWU.

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Reading Petrelis’s hectoring email string, posted on his blog, one first feels some sympathy for the beleaguered activist at the receiving end of Michael’s incessant demands for details. In the end, however, one starts to wonder why the hell [Chairman] Hili can’t get it together to send even a minimal report…

Iraqi lgbt has now produced an account of its spending here. The group’s statement says its financing of efforts to bring refugees to safety are very sensitive, involve stealth to avoid authorities, and sometimes bribery when authorities can’t be avoided. Recent efforts at outside oversight backfired, putting gay refugees at risk.

“Heartland Alliance [as grant provider] however insisted that our group should meet up with the Lebanese LGBT group, Helem, in November 2008, at that same time that some prominent members of Heartland Alliance visited Syria.”

“The result was disastrous for our group, Iraqi LGBT. Some of our members were arrested by Syrian police in Damascas. With the help of a local lawyer, Iraqi LGBT managed to get these people released. However one of them was later to be deported back to Iraq.”

Last year the group’s coordinator of safehouses in Iraq was murdered in a Baghdad barber shop when militiamen “burst in and sprayed his body with bullets at point blank range.”

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The petition had been staunchly opposed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India’s Muslim and Christian communities who argued that all homosexual acts were “unnatural” and should therefore be banned.

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* Paranoia is rampant: In a recent case, the muttawa arrested a man at a Jeddah shopping mall for homosexuality because his jeans and shirt were too tight.

* Denial is widespread: Among Arabs, it seems, a mix of stigma and machismo causes most gays to identify as “tops.” “It re-enforces this feeling that you’re not really gay. They’re more comfortable with being tops, because it’s easier to negate [the gay stigma].”

* Egypt was once known as the “San Francisco of the Middle East,” but whomping on gays is a great way to steal fire from the Islamists. “One of the ways [Arab authorities] prove they’re bona fide is by cracking down on people that everyone hates.” Hate as an organizing principle of society doesn’t seem any closer to God than war as an organizing principle of society (as in the US).

* Elites imitate the neoconservative mindset in having one set of rules for themselves and another for the ‘little people.’ “I’ve been invited to private parties for gay men in Jeddah, but I never go because I know what would happen if we were caught. Unless it’s a VIP house — if the party is at the home of one of the princes or one of the sheiks then you’re protected.”

* ABC fails to apply post-colonial analysis and observe that all Arab homosexuality is derivative of Western colonization…oh wait, Saudi Arabia has never been colonized. Never mind.

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“Come celebrate the start of Summer with color . . . and in costume!” the May 10 invitation says. “Dress in drag or as a gay icon. All are welcome.” The invitation was attached to what was called an “All Hands Alerts” e-mail.

An embassy spokesman said by way of explanation: “This is an event organized and sponsored by a group of employees. Given the lack of places to meet in Baghdad, the embassy allows groups to use its social facilities for events on a first-come, first-served basis.”

This plays right into the ‘post colonial analysis’ of Iraqi homophobes who claim that homosexuality was imported with the occupation.

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