Katy Greene
April 18th, 2009
In Iraq, there is currently a campaign against gay men, which has already taken the lives of over sixty men since December alone. Recently, posters have appeared on street corners and walls in the Shia suburb of Sadr City, which is in eastern Baghdad. These posters list people who are thought to be homosexual, and threatens to kill them. The men whose names are on these posters have fled underground, and other homosexuals live in constant fear of being found out.
These campaigns have largely taken place in Shia neighborhoods, where it is believed that religious figures have given speeches about the immorality and disgrace of homosexuality. These men face sexual harassment and bullying by civilans and police alike.
Political and religious officials deny the allegations that they have endorsed this horrific treatment of homosexual Iraqis. They claim that the only way that homosexuals can be arrested is if they commit lewd acts in public. They cannot be arrested simply because they 'look gay.' However, the police often attack anyone whom they suspect might be homosexual. Some officials believe that it is the victim's families who are killing them, as they are shamed by their sexual orientation. Recently, Amnesty International wrote to the Iraqi government, and urged them to prosecute the offenders in order to protect the gay community.
I think that it is the duty of the Iraqi government to ensure that all of their citizens are protected from harassment and murder. Iraqi homosexuals deserve the right to safety and happiness, without having to fear for their lives.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8005420.stm
1 comment:
You would think that a country with so many other things to worry about would push this issue to the side, but hate mongering is an easy release for them I suppose. It's truly disheartening to hear things like this happening in Iraq, but it's hard to focus on the violence there when we have huge amounts of homophobic violence here in America to begin with.
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