Including LGBTQ Voices in Interfaith Work

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-stedman/including-lgbtq-voices-in-interfaith-work_b_3274143.html

First Muslim Congressman Named Vice Chair of LGBT Equality Caucus

Folks, this is HUGE!! Keith Ellison has been highlighted as a
mainstream moderate Muslim voice by every major Muslim organization in
the United States. His support for LGBT rights, now in SUCH a public
way, will be VITAL in building bridges and creating dialogue with the
mainstream Muslim community!

Subhanallah! I could've never imagined that this would happen!

-Faisal

http://www.keithellison.org/lgbtcaucus.htm

Keith Ellison is Proud to be Named Vice-Chair of Bipartisan
Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus

"I am proud to join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman
Barney Frank (D-MA) today in launching the Congressional LGBT Equality
Caucus," Congressman Ellison said.

The mission of the Caucus is to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) equality. The Caucus will work toward extending
equal rights, repealing discriminatory laws, the eliminating
hate-motivated violence. The Caucus is dedicated to the improved
health and well-being for all, regardless of sexual orientation or
gender identity/expression.

"I am honored to join this caucus because of my lifelong commitment to
fighting all discrimination. I believe when my gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgender neighbor suffers from discrimination, then I suffer,
and so does our whole community. Every member of our society
contributes to the health, wealth and generosity of our community.
Only when we recognize, protect, and, celebrate that will we realize
all our citizens' potential," Ellison concluded.

A Jihad for Love Comes to Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, San Diego and Many More Cities!

Fourteen centuries after the revelation of the holy Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad, Islam today is the world's second largest and fastest growing religion. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma travels the many worlds of this dynamic faith, discovering the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims. Produced by Sandi DuBowski (Trembling Before G-d) and Sharma, A Jihad for Love was filmed in 12 countries and 9 languages and comes from the heart of Islam. Looking beyond a hostile and war-torn present, it reclaims the Islamic concept of a greater Jihad, whose true meaning is akin to 'an inner struggle' or 'to strive in the path of God' - allowing its remarkable subjects to move beyond the narrow concept of Jihad as holy war.

Los Angeles, CA	Outfest	July 17, 2008
Santa Rosa, CA	Rialto Cinemas Lakeside	July 17, 2008
Wilmington, DE	Theatre N at Nemours	July 18 - 24, 2008
Lake Worth, FL	Lake Worth Playhouse	July 18 - 24, 2008
Columbus, OH	Wexner Center for the Arts	July 25 & 26, 2008
Chicago, IL	Siskel Film Center	July 25 - 31, 2008
Los Angeles, CA	Laemmle Sunset 5	August 1 - 7, 2008
Palm Springs, CA	Camelot Theaters	August 1 - 7, 2008
Denver, CO	Starz Denver	August 1 - 7, 2008
Tempe, AZ	Valley Art Theatre	August 1 - 7, 2008
Huntington, NY	Cinema Arts Centre	August 5, 2008
Austin, TX	Landmark Dobie	Opens August 8, 2008
San Diego, CA	Landmark Ken	August 8 - 14, 2008
San Francisco, CA	Landmark Lumiere	August 22 - 28, 2008
Berkeley, CA	Landmark Shattuck	August 22 - 28, 2008
Philadelphia, PA	Landmark Ritz at Bourse	August 22 - 28, 2008
Milwaukee, WI	Milwaukee LGBT Film Festival	September 4 - 14, 2008
Washington DC	Landmark E Street	September 5 - 11, 2008
Seattle, WA	Landmark Varsity	September 5 - 11, 2008
Fresno, CA	Fresno Reel Pride	September 17 - 21, 2008
Berkeley, CA	JCC of the East Bay	September 18, 2008
Atlanta, GA	Landmark Midtown Art Cinema	September 19 - 25, 2008
Tampa, FL	Tampa Int'l Gay & Lesbian Film Festival	October 2 - 12, 2008
Minneapolis, MN	5th Minneapolis Arab Film Festival	October 16 - 19, 2008
Charlottesville, VA	Virginia Film Festival	November 1, 2008

Director, Parvez Sharma and Producer, Sandi Dubowski - are making personal appearances in many of the cities!

For more information check out the following sites:

http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/jihadforlove_synopsis.html
www.ajihadforlove.com
www.ajihadforlove.blogspot.com

www.queermuslimrevolution.blogspot.com

Documentary Explores Homosexuality in Islam

Refugees from Iran, where the presence of homosexuality is officially denied, share a bittersweet moment.

Full Article from the Boston Globe - June 27, 2008

Heinous Vilification, Persecution of Homosexuals

From Malaysiakini - July 3, 2008

Heinous vilification, persecution of homosexuals

Nellsen | Jul 3, 08 4:15pm

Malaysia's sodomy law is not applied equally. It has been selectively and systematically enforced to vilify and persecute homosexuals. In Malaysia's Penal Code Section 377, the sentence for conviction of sodomy is flogging, plus up to twenty years in prison. Victims are flogged with a section of bamboo that is split into several strips. When bamboo is split, it has extremely sharp edges, which slice the skin like knives. Flogging is quite bloody and leaves permanent scars.

In addition to Section 337, just to prevent any homosexual from escaping conviction, Section 337A provides for a male to receive up to two years in prison for any act of 'gross indecency with another male person.' This vague wording allows prosecution for any kind of erotic interaction between two males. This law is explicitly applied only to homosexual behavior among males, but lesbians also suffer discrimination.

The US State Department 2006 Country Report on Malaysia concluded that these anti-gay laws 'exist and were enforced. Religious and cultural taboos against homosexuality were widespread'. There is much other evidence that shows the particularly strong and heinous vilification, discrimination and persecution that is happening to homosexuals in Malaysia today.

In 1998, homophobia and Malaysian politics intertwined when deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim made a major break with then premier Dr Mahathir Mahathir due to his economic policies, and pressured him to institute democratic reforms. The prime minister responded by charging that Anwar had sex with two men.

Anwar refused to be intimidated by what he called an untrue smear, and led protests against the dictatorial policies of the government. Mahathir then used the existence of the sodomy law to have his major political rival arrested.

The two men testified at the trial that Anwar had sex with them. But both of them later recanted their stories, and admitted that they had been pressured by government officials and police to make the accusation of sodomy.

Mahathir obviously believed that the charge of homosexuality would be so damning that most people in Malaysia would withdraw their support for Anwar and his call for democratic reforms would be discredited. While many Malaysians supported the deputy prime minister, and joined protests on his behalf, most of them did so only because they believe he did not really commit homosexual acts.

In response to mounting international criticism, the government established a National Human Rights Commission. The commission defines human rights solely as those provided for in the Malaysian constitution, and this does not include rights for homosexuals. There is no challenge to Malaysia's sodomy law, which criminalises all those who engage in same-sex relationships.

Gay people have no one to speak up for them in Malaysia. Without any public discourse on the subject of equal rights for homosexuals, there is little opportunity for changing the attitudes of the public or government authorities.

Therefore, since homosexuality is considered an affront to Islam, any news relating to gay and lesbian rights, especially including calls for ending discrimination against homosexuals, is suppressed.

Police raiding, aided and abetted by a scandal-hungry media, continues. For example, at 7:30pm on Nov 4 last year, police raided a gay party in Penang, and brought along reporters who took pictures of the gay men at this party. The police claimed there was sex going on at this party, though all of the photos that were made as soon as the police burst into the scene showed the men all fully clothed. P

Participants said that it was a purely social gathering, and denied there was any sex going on. Whether there was sexual behavior or not, what is important is that this was a private gathering of consenting adults in a closed private business.

The extensive publicity regarding government condemnation of homosexuality has sent the message to the police and others that persecution of homosexuals is acceptable. All my recent research shows that conditions for homosexuals in Malaysia are quite precarious. Things are getting worse rather than better, and there is no evidence of any turnaround potential for the forseeable future.

The negative attitudes, discrimination and persecution being experienced by Malaysian gay people today is a direct result of religious attitudes and governmental policies. Defining homosexuality as criminal 'sodomy,' imprisonment, censorship of media discussions of the issue, and police oppression, together constitute a pattern of government-sponsored persecution that is impossible to deny.

With this being the case, I think it is time to organise a massive campaign to end unjust laws (Section 377) and discriminatory policies in those nations that persecute sexual minorities.

Please spread the word, and let's begin a campaign to produce change for homosexuals being persecuted in the Muslim world. I remain an optimist, and having seen such dramatic change in China, as well as in other countries, I feel that change is possible in the Islamic world as well.

There are some Muslim nations that are not actively persecuting homosexuals, and they can be the model for change by the homophobic governments. But though I am ultimately optimistic I also know it will be a long struggle.

In the meantime we owe it to the poor people who are being discriminated against to do everything we can to help them escape from the oppressive conditions under which they have to live.

I am proud to have made my contribution in this area, and call upon all other rational people who oppose discrimination to do likewise. Lives of millions depend on this. Please do your part. Repeal Section 377.

A Plea for Muslims Who Are Gay

From the Kansas City Star - June 10, 2008

A plea for Muslims who are gay

A Jihad for Love" is a documentary about young gay and lesbian Muslims' struggles with their faith. Jihad means "struggle" in Arabic and particularly the struggle we have within ourselves to do the right thing.

The movie will be shown as part of the weeklong Kansas City Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which starts June 27.

When I previewed it, I had two overwhelming and paradoxical reactions.

The first was how incredibly beautiful Islam is. I would not expect most non-Muslim viewers to have this reaction. But I have been to some of the sacred sites the movie shows, and I have participated in some of the Muslim rituals.

I cannot get out of my mind the tenderness and devotion of a lesbian couple who trace calligraphy in stone of a passage from the Qur'an as they seek to find their place in their faith.

In a way, the film parallels, say, some Roman Catholics who love the church with its music, liturgy and sacraments, who follow a loving Jesus, for whom the warmth of family embrace is molded by reverential practice of the faith, but who are officially "disordered" because they love someone of their own sex.

My second reaction was grief at seeing devout young people suffering, with their lives threatened in the name of their faith. I don't like hearing an imam talk about stoning and beheading as punishment for loving another human being.

As the film follows individuals and pairs in their jihad for love, we see fear, curiosity, anguish, grief, lamentation; but because they are unwilling to abandon their faith, the anger is restrained.

Parvez Sharma made the film in secrecy and obscures some of the faces. The stories unfold in India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France, with an escape to Canada. We learn about the harsh traditional Islamic law but also Islamic interpretations that permit, and even legitimize, same-sex relationships.

It is ironic that Islam contains a long and at times honored tradition of same-sex relationships. The film includes a Pakistani holiday celebrating one such couple. But when the West colonized many Muslim countries, anti-gay laws were adopted.

The 81-minute movie shows at 4:45 p.m. June 29 at the Tivoli Cinemas. After the film, in cooperation with OpenCircle, I will lead a panel and audience discussion. Panelists are Josef Walker (Christian), Ahmed El-Sherif (Muslim) and Lynn Barnett (Jewish).

I'll ask, "How does the jihad you see portrayed in this movie compare with struggles you know about that people in your own faith have dealt with?"

Gay Arabs Party Here (NYC), Risk Death Back Home

From the Village Voice - June 17, 2008


Upstairs at the Stonewall: Habibi heats up
Cary Conover

By Trent Straube

It's Saturday night, and Sami is feeling the Middle Eastern dance tracks of DJ I.Z.'s set at Habibi. Upstairs at the Stonewall Inn for the monthly roaming party, he pushes through a thicket of men and hits the makeshift dance floor, where he and an Egyptian friend break into freestyle belly dancing. A gay Muslim Moroccan, Sami loves Arabic pop music but rarely gets to dance to it.

But Sami (like most of the people in this article, he requested that his real name be withheld) does go dancing often. Sure, he frequents Splash, Therapy, and other homo hot spots, where the Habibi devotees blend into the city's multicultural stew pot. Yes, they arrive from diverse—and sometimes harrowing—backgrounds. And yes, they've experienced various degrees of anti-Arab fallout from September 11—but most remain closeted to some degree, and once in a while, they just want to hang with their homies.

Finding other gay Arabs wasn't always so easy. In the early '90s, Jennifer Camper, a first-generation Lebanese-American, sought out other lesbian Arabs. The first she met ominously whispered: "I have a list of seven names." At that time, few Arab immigrants self-identified as gay; finding them in the pre-Internet age posed a challenge, since there was no official lesbian social group, like Assal for women, or places like Habibi.

What did exist was a local branch of the national Gay & Lesbian Arab Society (GLAS). The group met twice monthly at the LGBT Community Center. Immigrants were terrified to attend their first GLAS meetings, lest someone see them and tell their family. Even today, Arab families—the primary, all-important social unit—place immense pressure on their children to marry. It's still common for gay Arabs to do so, then take an out-of-town job while sending money back home. Those who are able to attend college abroad enjoy a reprieve—but once back home, they face an arranged marriage.

Politics and religion exert more pressure to stay in the closet. In most Arab countries, homosexuality is not only illegal, but the penalties for it are also harsh—including torture and death. The infamous "Cairo 52" were arrested by police who broke up a boat party on the Nile River in 2001; the men were beaten, exposed, publicly humiliated, and imprisoned for up to five years. In Islamic-fundamentalist nations like Iran, gay men are allegedly hanged.

Although Islam remains the dominant religion in the Middle East, it accounts for only half of our Arab immigrants. Most others are Christian, with a smattering of Jews. "A lot of people not from the Arab community don't understand the large role religion and ethnicity play in the typical Middle Easterner," says current GLAS president Nadeem Ghali, himself an Iraqi immigrant. That's why the group employs a rule: No religious or political discussions. For GLAS members struggling to reconcile their religion and sexuality and requiring additional guidance from their peers, the organization directs them to specialized support networks like the gay Muslim group Al-Fatiha and the gay Catholic group Dignity.

Even within those very strict boundaries, the meetings could become unexpectedly emotional and therapeutic. Ghali recounts leading a gay discussion group a few years back. Thinking it'd be a neat icebreaker, he asked the guys to describe—without going into graphic detail—their first same-sex encounter and what made it special. "About 10 people were in the discussion," he recalls, "and for three of them, their first experience was being raped. I was like: 'Whoa, OK—I guess we'll have to talk about this.' "

In 2005, GLAS discontinued its meetings. By then, the women had splintered into Assal, and most men socialized at Habibi. But another demographic was making itself known in the gay Arab-American world: "hummus queens"— gay men attracted to Arabs. Not that all hummus queens were on the make: One attended to seek advice on how to help his closeted Arab partners come out.

The real death knell for GLAS meetings was the Internet, which offered anonymity, safety, and thousands of friends. A local LGBT Arab online forum thrives on Yahoo (subscribers can join at glas.org); discussions range from the struggles of coming out and the newbies in town to relevant entertainment—such as the first gay Arab film, Toul Omri (All My Life).

Even in the Internet age, a savvier new breed of immigrants must deal with violence from the old country and family pressures.

Kamar, a Lebanese immigrant from a liberal family, effortlessly assimilated into American culture. When he settled in New York, he didn't care to cultivate friendships with other Arabs—yet he recalls being afraid to come out to his parents because of a childhood incident in his native Beirut. He, a brother, and his mom were walking outside when gunfire erupted: "She threw us into a corner and shielded us with her body, so if a bullet came it would hit her instead of us," he recalls. "I can remember every detail of that day—her dress, everything. My mom was willing to die for me. I couldn't come out to her. I didn't want to upset her. How could I?"

Happy ending: Kamar has come out to his family, and after the usual disappointments and drama, they've drawn much closer.

Post-9/11, the U.S. government mandated that all immigrants must be registered—and the newly formed Department of Homeland Security was especially on the lookout for Arabs. Many people required legal counsel and turned to Assal and GLAS, which had always helped their members on matters involving immigration, health care, housing, and HIV.

The FBI even questioned GLAS founder Ramzi Zakharia, allegedly for dubious online postings, but the inquiry ended when agents learned that he was openly gay. Others weren't so lucky. Blue-collar workers and devoutly religious Arabs—men who wore beards and women who covered themselves—found themselves laid off and the victims of random violence. They turned to GLAS and Assal for help.

Within months after September 11, queer Arabs knew they had to show the world that they remained a proud part of New York City. In June 2002, GLAS joined the Pride March down Fifth Avenue for the first time. Viewed by hundreds of thousands and broadcast internationally, the event was a double coming-out— as Arab gays and as Arab-Americans. GLAS invited gay non-Arab Middle Easterners—Iranians, Turks, and Armenians—to join its members as they blasted Arab pop from boom boxes, waved banners, threw candy, and, yes, belly-danced.

They couldn't have been more visible— which is why many others opted to stay home. Ironically, openly participating in the Pride March was one way that asylum seekers could prove they were gay: The U.S. grants asylum based on the sexuality, but many immigrants missed the window (up to one year after first arriving) to apply.

Group meetings became safe havens from an America that equated Islam— and, by default, all Arabs—with terrorism. For Camper, being around other Arab lesbians meant "your shoulders come down, you relax, and you don't have to explain yourself." They could talk about an unaccepting family without having the comments taken as proof that all Arabs are rabidly homophobic.

Habibi and Assal—which translate to "Dear one" and "Honey"—still serve that function. Assal is especially important, because social and religious activities in Arab culture are often segregated by gender; women foster strong and intimate bonds away from men. At a recent Assal dinner, excitement swirled around a member's pregnancy and the discussion topic: "How to tell your Arabic parents you're having a baby—with your female roommate!"

Like their American counterparts, many queer Arab immigrants simply don't want to join gay social networks or activist groups; they're too busy working, playing, and just living day-to-day lives. For instance, Zakharia—a Palestinian- American who's been in the U.S. since 1982—works at an advertising agency, has been out to his family, and lives with a longtime partner. For immigrants like him, "being here makes it much easier," as Sami puts it. "There are so many things around you that make you feel welcome. You can do whatever you want—have a life, a job, whatever—and be gay." You can even dance to Arabic pop music in the arms of another gay man.

Asian LGBT Groups Meet in Indonesia to Discuss Human Rights

From the Jakarta Post - June 9, 2008

Asian gay, transgender groups fight for their rights

Irawaty Wardany ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 06/09/2008 10:29 AM  |  Bali

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups in Asia have agreed to develop an international network to advocate protection of their rights in their respective countries and at the regional level.

Bali hosted a conference of the groups from June 2 to 6 in the tourism enclave Nusa Dua. The conference was attended by 21 participants from eight countries -- Indonesia, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and Thailand.

"We agreed to make some kind of international network to advocate protection of LGBT rights in our countries," Rido Triawan, head of Arus Pelangi, an Indonesian non-governmental organization that fights for LGBT rights, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

He said it would be like an open communication channel connecting LGBY communities in different countries, so that when there was a problem in one country the communities could work in unison to apply political pressure on the government in question.

Generally, Rido said, LGBT communities in Asia faced similar problems.

"We are all at this time suffering from stigmatization, discrimination, persecution from religious groups and discriminative government regulations," he said.

"For example, the 2004 regional regulation in Palembang, South Sumatra, categorizes LGBT as a form of prostitution," Rido said.

He said religious-based persecution was the most difficult problem LGBT groups faced in Indonesia.

"Those religious doctrines are then being integrated into the formal education curriculum. Naturally, the curriculum educates the students that the only 'normal' and accepted sexual orientation is heterosexuality," he said.

Consequently, other sexual orientations are considered as not "normal" and unacceptable.

This has resulted in students and communities discriminating against members of the homosexual and transgender community.

"There are many cases of discrimination experienced by members of the LGBT community. One example involved a man who openly acknowledged his sexual orientation of being gay. Suddenly, his company fired him for no apparent reason," Rido said.

He said other gay workers faced varying levels of hostility from co-workers.

"They suddenly keep a distance or, even worse, socially isolate him just because he is gay," he said.

He said upholding the rights of the LGBT community was a significant issue since sexual orientation was also part of human rights.

Rido said the LGBT community in Indonesia just wanted to be acknowledged and treated the same as the other Indonesian citizens, who enjoyed the right to education, health, work and all the other basic human rights.

"It is still very hard for people to accept the fact that LGBT are also human beings, who should be treated humanely," said Arus Pelangi secretary general, Yuli Rustinawati.

A Sri Lankan LGBT activist, Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, said the situation in Sri Lanka was worse than in Indonesia.

"Being part of LGBT communities in Sri Lanka is similar to committing a criminal offense. That's the reason why people with LGBT sexual orientation prefer to be invisible," she said.

She said members of the LGBT community in her country who fell victim to criminal acts often didn't report their cases to the police, because the treatment they would receive could be worse than the perpetrators of the criminal acts.

She said she participated in LGBT conferences and seminars around the world to learn about human rights instruments that could be used to advance the struggle in her country. 

Muslims Discuss Views on Homosexuality (in Boston, MA)

From India New England

Issue Date: June 1-15, 2008, Posted On: 6/9/2008

Muslims discuss views on homosexuality

By KARA BECKER

Muslims talk about being gay and religious at a forum at the MFA in Boston. Courtesy photo.

Imtiyaz Hussein says that coming out as a gay man who is also a Muslim was never a problem. But for Mohammed El-Khatib, whose parents hoped he would pass on the family name, it was. Saadia Toor, on the other hand, said she feels that gay Muslims face challenges similar to all religious followers — stereotypes, misunderstandings and resistance.

The three spoke on May 18 about what it means to be "Queer and Muslim" during a panel discussion at the Museum of Fine Arts  in Boston that was hosted by the Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association. The talk followed a screening of the documentary "A Jihad for Love," a film about the hidden life of being Muslim and gay.

Hussein, who is the founder of the Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association, said that he reconciled his faith and his sexual preference early on.

"I was always as certain of my faith as my sexuality," said Hussein, a native of Tanzania who is of Indian descent.

"There were never really any negative messages growing up, I was kind of left alone to see if I could personally reconcile with having the two things as part of my identity simultaneously."

After he came to terms with his identity, he said, being gay and Muslim was never a problem for him.

Toor, however, said that homosexual Muslims often deal with stereotypes and misunderstanding from others.

"Being a Muslim queer is always scary because you carry this burden of representation; you're always in this position of worrying that whatever you say is being represented correctly —  you always have to contextualize and qualify everything," said Toor, who was Muslim but left the faith to become a communist. A native of Lahore, Toor is a member of the Pakistani political-action group Women's Action Forum and teaches sociology and women's studies at The College of Staten Island, City University of New York. She said that panel discussions, such as "Queer and Muslim" can overlook the fact that homosexual followers of Judeo-Christian religions can face challenges just like gay Muslims do.

El-Khatib suggested that the Muslim faith has provided him both problems and solutions. The son of a Lebanese mother and a Palestinian father, he said that he grew up in a homophobic household, even though his parents are secular.

"I actually turned to Islam and the Muslim religion for answers, and they were more open to the idea than I had originally thought," said El-Khatib, who was born in Lebanon and moved to the United States in 1999. His father, however, opposed homosexuality and viewed it as a "disease" and felt that that gays "should be burned."

When he first came out to his mother, he said, the first thing she said was that he had to get married. Procreation and the passing on of the family name were important to his parents, he said. Because he was family-oriented, he said, their reaction was a difficult one.

The other panelists also said coming out was a challenge. "I always wondered, why do people care so much about who I choose to sleep with?" said Toor. "At the heart of it is concern about existing kinship structures and where they fit in. It has to do with the perpetuation of structures of power, which are usually patriarchal. It's all about who has the power to say things and who gets circulated and heard."

Hussein agreed that coming out can be difficult and noted nuances of doing so among his Muslim peers. The Muslims he knows, he said, accept that he is gay, until his lifestyle violates the family norms of the faith.

But why? asked El-Khatib. "Our sexuality is but one frame of the entire picture. Why does it matter if I'm gay? I eat with you, I pray with you, I go to mosque. Instead of turning away, we should do the opposite; we will fight and stand by our faith, regardless of what people think."

Village Voice Review of A Jihad for Love

Click on the article for a close-up shot of the review.

THE VILLAGE VOICE – May 21^st, 2008

New York Sun Review of a Jihad for Love

From the New York Sun

Gay Muslims Fight Uphill Battle at Home

Movies  |  Review of: A Jihad for Love

By S. JAMES SNYDER

May 21, 2008
 
If heterosexual, non-Muslim Americans were, until recently, mostly unaware of the prevalence and intolerance of homosexuality in the Middle East, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, probably cleared up some confusion when he visited Columbia University last year. Speaking on the subject, Mr. Ahmadinejad said: "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon."

Such a laughable comment helped bring the issue of gays in the Muslim world into stark relief. It also helps us to understand the considerable dangers facing director Parvez Sharma — not to mention his interview subjects — as he set out to make a documentary about the countless repressed homosexuals in Arab nations, many of whom are considered monsters who should be put to death by their families, friends, and neighbors. During the course of three years, Mr. Sharma amassed about 400 hours of footage with various subjects, distorting most of their faces with gray blots for fear of violent reprisal.

 From the outset, Mr. Sharma's "A Jihad for Love," which opens today at IFC Center, makes one thing clear: It is not, as some might expect, a story of alienation. Unlike other recent documentaries that have tackled religious and moralistic themes — such as Tony Kaye's "Lake of Fire," which lent a soapbox to every side of the abortion debate — "A Jihad for Love" is not about irreconcilable differences or two groups that regard each other with disdain.

Mostly, the film presents men and women who are passionate about their faith, who have tried to live life as prescribed by their parents and spiritual leaders, but who cannot ignore the fact that their source of love and comfort, of lust and consolation, is a person of the same sex. Their story is not one of alienation, but of determined reconciliation.

Mr. Sharma has said repeatedly in interviews that he believes Islam has been "hijacked" by a minority of extremists who have dictated to believers how the Koran is to be interpreted, and who have established an array of punishments incorporating physical violence and social ostracism. In several scenes, we see the ways in which homosexuals try to wrestle the interpretation of their holy book back from the extremists.

They point, for example, to the brief passage about the ancient town of Sodom, where foreign men were raped by local men, arguing that the condemned act is not consensual sex between two men, but the forceful rape of another.

Whatever the argument, there's no denying that these couples are fighting an uphill battle. Early in the film, Mr. Sharma plays a radio talk show concerning gay culture, and we listen as caller after caller demands death for every gay man and woman.

Similar stories of threats and intimidation — even from one's own family — spring up throughout the film. As Mr. Sharma keeps crossing borders to talk to his subjects, it becomes clear that most have had to flee their homelands, seeking the artificial amnesty of anonymity in foreign communities. One man speaks happily about his marriage to his male partner, but turns sober when describing what happened when the filmed footage of the wedding became public. Another deeply conflicted man phones his mother, devastated in his state of exile, but relieved finally to have an apartment of his own and eager to start a new life. It's this back-and-forth that makes "A Jihad for Love" both haunting and inspiring as it chronicles the horror stories even as these devout Muslims refuse to abandon their religion.

There's an inherent limitation to "A Jihad for Love" — a title that Mr. Sharma says uses the traditional definition of "jihad," which is not "holy war," but that of a personal religious struggle. With so many interview subjects fearing for their safety and living abroad, he is primarily interviewing anonymous sources in anonymous lands. As such, there is a glass ceiling to what the film, wrapped in secrecy, can capture. For the time being, though, it is a passionate, essential first step — an attempt to cut through the rhetoric spouted by the likes of Mr. Ahmadinejad and expose the plight of a severely underappreciated stratum of the Muslim world.

Islam 'Recognizes Homosexuality'

Islam 'recognizes homosexuality'

Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 03/28/2008 1:38 AM |

Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus
permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.

Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject
homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and
homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on
narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings.

Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace
cited the Koran's al-Hujurat (49:3) that one of the blessings for
human beings was that all men and women are equal, regardless of
ethnicity, wealth, social positions or even sexual orientation.

"There is no difference between lesbians and nonlesbians. In the eyes
of God, people are valued based on their piety," she told the
discussion organized by nongovernmental organization Arus Pelangi.

"And talking about piety is God's prerogative to judge," she added.
"The essence of the religion (Islam) is to humanize humans, respect
and dignify them." Musdah said homosexuality was from God and should
be considered natural, adding it was not pushed only by passion. Mata
Air magazine managing editor Soffa Ihsan said Islam's acknowledgement
of heterogeneity should also include homosexuality.

He said Muslims needed to continue to embrace ijtihad (the process of
making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the Koran and
the Sunnah) to avoid being stuck in the old paradigm without
developing open-minded interpretations.

Another speaker at the discussion, Nurofiah of the Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU), said the dominant notion of heterogeneity was a social
construction, leading to the banning of homosexuality by the majority.

"Like gender bias or patriarchy, heterogeneity bias is socially
constructed. It would be totally different if the ruling group was
homosexuals, " she said.

Other speakers said the magnificence of Islam was that it could be
blended and integrated into local culture. "In fact, Indonesia's
culture has accepted homosexuality. The homosexual group in
Bugis-Makassar tradition called Bissu is respected and given a high
position in the kingdom.

"Also, we know that in Ponorogo (East Java) there has been
acknowledgement of homosexuality, " Arus Pelangi head Rido Triawan said.

Condemnation of homosexuality was voiced by two conservative Muslim
groups, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and Hizbut Thahir Indonesia
(HTI).

"It's a sin. We will not consider homosexuals an enemy, but we will
make them aware that what they are doing is wrong," MUI deputy
chairman Amir Syarifuddin said.

Rokhmat, of the hardline HTI, several times asked homosexual
participants in attendance to repent and force themselves to gradually
return to the right path.

Struggles of Gay Muslims

From the New York Blade - May 17, 2008

Parvez Sharma's documentary 'Jihad for Love' follows gay Muslims in 12 countries. It opens May 21 at IFC Center in New York City.

Struggles of Gay Muslims

Local filmmaker Parvez Sharma discusses homosexual Muslims—and the trouble with U.S. activists who try to help them.

By TRENTON STRAUBE
Friday, May 09, 2008

Parvez Sharma's documentary, "A Jihad for Love," traverses 12 countries and nine languages as it follows the lives of disparate Muslims who try to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. Produced by "Trembling Before G-d"'s Sandi DuBowski and shot during five years, "Jihad" offers a rare glimpse into a complex and controversial world.

After debuting in 15 countries, the film plays in New York starting Wednesday, May 21. Sharma, a gay immigrant Muslim from India now living in New York, spoke with The Blade about misperceptions Americans have about the world's fastest growing religion (Islam is also the second most popular religion, after Christianity).


"Jihad" covers a variety of Muslims, from those living under extreme sharia law to those practicing the mystical Sufism. Is it a challenge for American audiences to put each person's story in its proper cultural context? Even the term "jihad" is usually interpreted in the U.S. as "holy war" though you're reclaiming it to mean "inner struggle."

My primary audience was a Muslim audience, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make a film that was respectful of Islam. I knew that if I could get to Muslims, I could open doors to other audiences. That's what the film has been doing: Educating people tremendously about the complexities of Islam.

I try to present Islam with a little bit of sanity and with a perspective only an insider Muslim can have. I tried hard not to attack Islam. If I did, it would have been an angrier film and would not have won any credibility with any Muslims.

This is not a traditional coming-out film. We're all coming out as Muslims. The primary identity of all these people—including the filmmaker—is religion.

That begs the question, Why stay in a religion that condemns you?

Answering that was my primary impetus to make the film. So many of us as queer people have abandoned religion completely. Islam calls upon you to be part of a family and culture outside of the mosque. So abandoning religion is a difficult choice—you're abandoning religion, family, culture, a lot of things that go with being a Muslim.

In your film, a gay South African Muslim challenges the anti-gay interpretations of scripture, saying, as many liberal Christians do today, that Sodom and Gomorrah isn't about homosexuality, but about rape or hospitality. Are more Muslims open to newer interpretation of the Koran?

Scholars of all descriptions are engaged in looking at the Koran in light of the 21st century. Islam maybe has more ground to cover in a modern context [compared to Christianity and Judaism]. But a lot of it is happening.

The last battle that remains to be won—around marriage—is true of all religions. In my lifetime, I don't see the Christian church or Vatican or Islam saying homosexuality is okay. What I think is going to happen is people will look at the religious text, for example of Sodom and Gomorrah, and come up with readings that are different.

You've shown the film around the world, recently in Canada, Australia and Turkey. Have reactions varied?

Toronto reacted from point a view of knowing a little more about Islam than Americans. In Sidney, as they were celebrating the hedonistic celebration that is Mardi Gras, people became aware of how hard it is to be gay in other places. And then in Turkey, which is 99 percent Muslim but also secular, young people said the film should be more critical.

Critical of Islam?

In Turkey, extremist Islam is making a comeback and a lot of people living in big cities like Istanbul feel threatened. They'd rather be part of the European Union than be an Islamic country that implements the headscarf. [Their criticism of the film] comes from that place that's fearful about Islam.

A lot of people make the case that the spread of Islam is bad for gay rights and human rights in general.

I don't agree with that at all. Islam is exactly the same for gay rights as Christianity or Judaism. There are only six Islamic states that implement sharia (Islamic) law, and this is where it starts becoming a problem. It is when the state starts interfering in personal sexual life. But again, I want to stress that a majority of Muslims are living outside sharia law.

Paradoxically, under even the extremist regimes, same-sex sexual encounters are not uncommon, correct?

Definitely. There's greater level of fluidity. You're not talked about if you're holding hands with another man. Or a woman with a woman. Certainly the avenues for having same-sex contact in a purely sexual context are much more easily available because many times the sexes are segregated. Sexuality is fluid and very open in most Islamic societies. The act is not associated with guilt. In Christianity, there is a lot of guilt around sex and reproduction. But if you're taking on a political identity like having a gay bar or gay pride or gay marriage, you start having a problem.

I take issue with a lot of Western activists, the ones who are bashing Iran for example, who have the arrogance to assume their models of gay liberation can be applied to this context. I know for a fact that they cannot.

Two lesbians in your documentary mention online dating. Is the Internet a popular and safe mode of gay liberation and communication?

Absolutely. Iran has the worlds' richest blogosphere. But what's also happening is that a lot of content is monitored in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. A lot of activism is happening through the Internet, which has huge advantages and disadvantages. In Egypt, the government used the Internet to entrap (and imprison) gay men. So the Internet can be freeing, but [the users] have to use judgment with whom they talk to and how they talk.

Let's talk about asylum-seekers. "Jihad" follows an Egyptian who fled to France and Iranians who head for Canada via Turkey.

People have felt the film portrays the West in more positive light, like the West means freedom automatically. I don't agree with them. You see in the film how much the Egyptian has had to struggle. It's an uncertain freedom if you seek asylum in the West post-Sept. 11 where being a Muslim refugee of any color is a problem and having a Muslim name is a problem.

Is claiming homosexual persecution a viable reason to seek asylum?

Increasingly, it has been viable because there has been a wave of gay immigration cases. I'm afraid to say not all of them are genuine.

The question is: When people from Iran start seeking asylum in a Western country, does that give the opportunity in this climate to take that agenda of Iran bashing even further? I feel that a lot of this agenda picked up by gay activists in the West is Islamophobic and Iranphobic as well. I'm not the only person saying that. Even the Human Rights Watch has exercised a lot of judgment in how these individual cases are perceived in the press.

How would you rate Western gay press' coverage of LGBT issues in countries like Iran?

The U.S. gay press for the most part has been fairly immature. It's not entirely the fault of the gay press in U.S. It's part of a climate of ignorance. The sensationalism of cases out of Iran has been problematic. We are in political and social climate in which it is fashionable to attack Islam or to attack regimes that are seen as problematic regimes. When we attack these regimes, we make it more difficult for people living within those regimes. For example, when you accuse [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad of carrying out a systematic campaign against homosexuals you make that issue visible and force them to react a certain in which they weren't doing in the past.

There needs to be a greater responsibility exercised in criticizing regimes like Iran of carrying out pogroms against homosexuals. That is not the case. Ahmadinejad has bigger fish to fry.

Ahmadinejad was publicly ridiculed in the press for his infamous statement last fall at Columbia University.

I thought that was irresponsible reporting around the semantics of his comments, which was sensationalized profoundly. What he said was, "We don't have gays like you have in the West." The statement that was reported was "We don't have gays in Iran." He's quite right because of the different context of being. How do you explain these complexities? It's going to take a huge effort of responsibility not just of the press, but of filmmakers, activists, everyone, to do that.

Are Americans receptive to learning these complexities?

I think so. I've lived in the states for eight years. I'm as proud to live here as much as I've been alarmed. But Americans are definitely responsive to learning. The release of the film will engage them. I've seen that in so many countries. I see no reason for that to not happen in a city as rich as ours.

"Jihad for Love" opens Wed., May 21, at IFC Film Center, 323 Sixth Ave. @ Third St. Visit ajihadforlove.com for details, including special events featuring the director, producer and Muslims from the film.

Being Both Queer and Muslim Proves Fodder for Discussion (in Boston)

 From the New England Blade

Being Both Queer and Muslim Proves Fodder for Discussion
Conversation Comes as MFA Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Ends

by Blake Evans
May 14, 2008

Using the film "A Jihad for Love" — screening Sunday as part of the MFA Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival — as a starting point, Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association (MASALA) will sponsor a panel discussion on what it might mean to be Muslim and Queer, especially in 2008 in the context of an increasingly globalized world, on Sunday, May 18.

The panelists, coming from South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, represent to some extent the range of diversity within Islam as well as what it means to be Muslim (and Queer), from practitioners and agnostics to atheists and those who simply identify culturally as Muslim.

Panelists will include Imtiyaz Hussein, Saadia Toor, and Mohammed El-Khatib. Dr. Rakshanda Saleem, a local activist involved in a range of social justice issues including LGBT rights and those focused on South Asia and the Middle East, will moderate the discussion. Hussein founded MASALA in 1994 in an effort to connect his "Indian-ness" with his "gayness." Formerly chair of the Board of AIDS Housing Corporation, he worked in a number of community organizations before going to business school and moving into the corporate world. He doesn't see any conflict in being gay and Muslim.

"Allah created all of us and loves all of his creatures," said Hussein.
Toor is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at The College of Staten Island, City University of New York. She believes there is a divide: "When I was Muslim I was not queer," she says, "now I'm queer but not Muslim."

El-Khatib y works with the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston. Raised in a secular setting, he came out to himself at 17 and found faith as a way to reconcile with his homosexuality.

"Islam gave me the strength to face a homophobic home and social life," he says, though he also agrees with Toor that bringing together the two sides of himself has been difficult. "The irony is that since coming out, I've found it harder to practice Islam without feeling like I'm in personal conflict with my identity as a gay man."

"A Jihad for Love" screens at 3:45 p.m. in the Remis Auditorium. The panel discussion follows immediately after in the Riley Seminar Room at the Museum of Fine Arts.

        
   

A Jihad for Love Launches U.S. Theatrical Release on May 21st at IFC Center in NYC

Please forward far and wide, especially to folks in NYC.  Apologies in advance for any duplicate emails.

Thanks!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sandi DuBowski <sandi@filmsthatchangetheworld.com>
Date: Thu, May 15, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Subject: A Jihad for Love Launches U.S. Theatrical Release on May 21st at IFC Center in NYC
To: Alam.Faisal@gmail.com


If you have problems viewing this, please click here:  http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=97908375&message_id=490160&user_id=FILMS

A Jihad For Love Premieres in New York on May 21st. Be a part of it! Dear friends and colleagues, The U.S. theatrical release of A Jihad for Love launches at IFC Center in New York on Wednesday, May 21st! Two weeks only! May 21st- June 4th. Buy your ticket online at http://www.ifccenter.com After Premieres in 15 countries and five awards, the film comes to the U.S. and NYC. Please bring friends to see this incredible work directed by Parvez Sharma and produced by myself and Sharma. If you come the first five days, you can significantly impact the film's theatrical life in the U.S. and other countries. Joining Parvez and I in the cinema are Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the first openly gay imam from Cape Town, South Africa and Mazen from Egypt/France, featured stars of the film. We will turn the cinema into a town hall - for debate, change and transformation. Click here for our dazzling line-up of Q & A's and forums on Islam, Human Rights, South Asian Sexualities, Interfaith... Looking forward to Q & A's and to celebrate with you! With your incredible support, Trembling Before G-d played in NYC theaters for over 4 1/2 months - let's ensure A Jihad for Love has long-lasting impact. Get involved! Right Now: Forward this email to 5 or more friends, colleagues, and family Purchase tickets online for The IFC Center Post a link to www.ajihadforlove.com and www.ajihadforlove.blogspot.com on your blog Hit the streets: Download the flyer and hang it in your local cafe, store, gym, restaurant, house of worship or studio Join our NYC Street Team to distribute postcards, flyers across the city Connect us with journalists Put an announcement in your newsletters Post information about the film to websites, your newsletters, blogs, etc. Support The Cause: Donate to our International Muslim Dialogue Project Watch the trailer, and read what Time Out New York had to say about the film. Best, Sandi DuBowski Producer, A Jihad for Love Director/Producer, Trembling Before G-d Parvez Sharma Director/Producer, A Jihad for Love Parvez Sharma is blogging at www.ajihadforlove.blogspot.com *Please feel free to use the film description below to help spread the word online. A Jihad for Love U.S. Theatrical Premiere at IFC Center Opens May 21st – Two Weeks Only "LIFTS THE VEIL OF SECRECY...FRANKLY BRAVE!" -NPR Talk of the Nation "REVEALING AND MOVING....A GIFTED FILMMAKER!" -Wall Street Journal "COURAGEOUS!" -The Guardian Fourteen centuries after the revelation of the holy Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad, Islam today is the world's second largest and fastest growing religion. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma travels the many worlds of this dynamic faith, discovering the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims. Produced by Sharma and Sandi DuBowski (director of the award-winning Trembling Before G-d), A Jihad for Love was filmed over 5 years in 12 countries and 9 languages and comes from the heart of Islam. Looking beyond a hostile and war-torn present, it reclaims the Islamic concept of a greater Jihad, whose true meaning is akin to 'an inner struggle' or 'to strive in the path of God.' In doing so the film and its remarkable subjects move beyond the narrow concept of 'Jihad' as holy war. For showtimes and tickets please visit www.ifccenter.com For more information, visit ajihadforlove.com and ajihadforlove.blogspot.com.	Buy your ticket at www.ifccenter.com. Box Office: 212.924.7771 323 Sixth Avenue (at W. 3rd St.) Kick-off Bollywood dance party this Saturday night, May 17th for A Jihad for Love – visit www.sholayevents.com. Movie poster and T-shirt giveaways! A Jihad for Love New York Premiere Events May 21st - May 29th Show Times: 11:20am, 1:15pm, 3:10pm, 5:05pm, 7:00pm and 9:30pm Q & A's and forums with Parvez, Sandi, Muhsin, Mazen, Faisal, and others after 7pm & 9:30pm shows Wednesday, May 21st, 7pm Opening Night Premiere Thursday, May 22nd, 7pm Special evening with Sholay Productions and Al-Fatiha Friday, May 23rd, 7pm Dialogue with Progressive Muslims Meet Up Group Saturday, May 24th, 7pm Human Rights Watch and Scott Long present in association with A Jihad for Love: Before the Crusade Passes By: Trapped in the middle of a "clash of civilizations." Sunday, May 25th, 7pm Q & A on Films For Change Tuesday, May 27th, 7pm Interfaith dialogue with Imam Muhsin Hendricks and Bishop Zachary Jones, Rev. Edgard Danielsen-Morales, Rabbi Steve Greenberg, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum; co-sponsored by Unity Fellowship Church, MCC, CBST Wednesday, May 28th, 7pm Q & A on HIV/AIDS and Islam with GMHC Thursday, May 29th, 7pm Panel on South Asian, Diaspora, gender and immigration issues; sponsored by IAAC and Breakthrough Click here for more! To make a donation, please visit: www.ajihadforlove.com and feel free to contact us and share any ideas of foundations, donors or fundraisers.
Join our Facebook Groups, A Jihad for Love and Films That Change The World And visit ajihadforlove.com, ajihadforlove.blogspot.com and filmsthatchangetheworld.com

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A Jihad for Love - Documentary on LGBT Muslims Opens Nationwide in the United States SOON!!

A Jihad for Loves Opens in NYC May 21.

A Jihad for Love is the world's first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma has gone where the silence is loudest, filming with great risk in nations where government permission to make this film was not an option. Parvez enters the many worlds of Islam by illuminating multiple stories as diverse as Islam itself. Filmed in twelve countries and nine languages, the film travels a wide geographic arc presenting us lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it.

Watch a sneak preview and trailer of the powerful documentary at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow4Gnw2c6Kk&feature=related

Keep up-to-date by reading Parvez Sharma's blog at http://ajihadforlove.blogspot.com

Check out the film's websites: http://www.ajihadforlove.com and http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/jihadforlove_synopsis.html.

Upcoming Dates:

Philadelphia, PA	Equality Forum	May 2, 2008
Miami, FL	Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival	May 3, 2008
Great Barrington, MA	Berkshire Film Festival	May 15 - 17, 2008
Boston, MA	Boston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival	May 18, 2008
Pleasantville, NY	Jacob Burns Film Center	May 20 & 23, 2008
New York, NY	IFC Film Center	May 21 - June 4, 2008
Norfolk, VA	Naro Cinema	June 18 - 22, 2008
Houston, TX	Angelika Houston	June 20 - 26, 2008
Ft. Lauderdale, FL	Sunrise Cinemas Gateway	June 27 - July 3, 2008
Brookline, MA	Coolidge Corner Theatre	June 27 - July 3, 2008
San Francisco, CA	Frameline Film Festival	June 28, 2008
Los Angeles, CA	Outfest	July 10 - 21, 2008
Columbus, OH	Wexner Center for the Arts	July 25 & 26, 2008
Los Angeles, CA	Laemmle Sunset 5	August 1 - 7, 2008
Palm Springs, CA	Camelot Theaters	August 1 - 7, 2008
Denver, CO	Starz Denver	August 1 - 7, 2008
San Diego, CA	Landmark Ken	August 8 - 14, 2008
San Francisco, CA	Landmark Lumiere	August 22 - 28, 2008
Berkeley, CA	Landmark Shattuck	August 22 - 28, 2008
Washington DC	Landmark E Street	September 5 - 11, 2008
Berkeley, CA	JCC of the East Bay	September 18, 2008

Please support this documentary and the upcoming Muslim outreach project - which aims to reach mainstream Muslims across the United States and around the world.  Donations can be made here - http://hartleyfoundation.org/jihad-for-love

Gays in Egypt Besieged by Wave of Suppression

From the International Herald Tribune

Gays in Egypt besieged by wave of suppression

By Daniel Williams
Bloomberg News

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

CAIRO: The young men who loitered at the west end of
the Qasr El-Nil Bridge in Cairo spied the blue pickup
truck, a sign they should scatter.

"They're police," said Ahmed A., making a two-finger
gesture on his shoulder to indicate epaulets. "They
park and the pigs come out and grab everyone they
can."

For three months, the Egyptian police have embarked on
periodic sweeps of streets in central Cairo to clear
them of presumed homosexuals. The raids, independent
observers and human rights activists say, reflect not
simply official disgust. They're part of an effort by
governments throughout the Middle East to out-moralize
Islamic parties that have denounced the perceived
depravity of Arab societies under autocratic rule.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt, though it is a
convenient target, said Hani Shukrallah, executive
director of the Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism
in Cairo.

"Meaningless crackdowns have become a regular thing,"
Shukrullah said. "If not gays, devil worshippers. If
not devil worshippers, apostates. The government needs
to outbid Islamic opponents as guardian of morals."

In January, six men in Morocco were accused of
homosexual conduct, a crime in that country, after a
video circulated that showed one dancing at a wedding
dressed as a woman, according to Amnesty
International.

The men were sentenced to jail terms of 4 to 10
months. "Persons imprisoned solely on the basis of
their alleged or real sexual orientation are prisoners
of conscience and should be immediately and
unconditionally released," Amnesty, which is based in
London, said in a statement.

In December, the Kuwaiti Parliament passed a law that
criminalized "imitating the appearance of the opposite
sex." Subsequent roundups netted at least 16 suspects,
Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York,
reported March 31, adding that three detainees were
beaten.

The suppressive wave created another stir among human
rights activists in February when the Egyptian
morality police arrested two men on a Cairo street.
One said he was infected with HIV, the virus that
causes AIDS. The police threw both men in jail and, by
inspecting their mobile phones, found the numbers of
10 acquaintances, whom they also arrested. They forced
all of them to submit to HIV testing, according to the
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, based in
Cairo.

Four of them were sentenced to a year in prison for
debauchery, a crime that Egyptian law defines as
having sex for money or with a number of partners over
an extended period. Five of the remaining eight face
trial April 9 on the same charge even though they were
found to be free of disease.

"From a public health perspective, this is dangerous,"
said Suha Abdelati, an EIPR official. "It forces
people underground. "

On April 7, 117 human rights organizations from 41
countries sent a letter to the Egyptian Health
Ministry and a government-sponsore d doctors' union
condemning the crackdown and participation of medical
personnel. "Doctors must put patients first, not join
a witch hunt driven by prejudice," Joe Amon, director
of the HIV/AIDS program at Human Rights Watch, said in
a statement.

The Egyptian government's National AIDS Program
provides testing and treatment. When asked to comment
about the impact of the arrests, Zein El-Din Abedeen,
an official, said, "We're not allowed to talk about."

Ashraf El-Enany, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry,
which is in charge of the police, declined to comment.

Against this backdrop, it is dangerous to "come out,"
a fundamental virtue in Western gay-activist thinking.
Take Behaa Saber Semeda, 35. The police first arrested
him at a Cairo café in 1997 with a group of friends.

He said he was beaten into signing a confession to
prostitution; a court sentenced him to six months
imprisonment. He appealed and remained free while the
case languished for more than five years, during which
he served in the army and worked in restaurants.

In 2003, he asked a court to dismiss his case on the
grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.
Instead, he was sent to prison.

In 2005, he became politically active, creating a
double whammy. He said the police found him with a
Human Rights Watch report and jailed him for six days.
In 2006, he was caught in a roundup of anti-government
demonstrators and detained for 15 days. In 2007, he
was charged with disturbing the peace at a
pro-democracy rally. That case is pending.

He said he is unemployed and lives off his family. "I
don't have a future," he said, noting that his
original conviction for debauchery is still on his
record. "If they don't get me for being gay, they'll
get me for being anti-government. "

The Egyptian police harassment of homosexuals burst
into public view in 2001 when they raided a floating
disco on the Nile called the Queen Boat and arrested
52 men, subjected them to forensic examinations and
charged them with debauchery.

Twenty three of the detainees were sentenced to
between one and five years hard labor. President Hosni
Mubarak overturned the verdicts in May 2002, because
the trial was held in the wrong court. A retrial
confirmed the sentences. By that time, most of the
defendants had gone into hiding.

Ahmed A., a 20-year-old computer student, said he had
no intention of letting his predilections become
public. He meets acquaintances in homes or wanders the
streets for entertainment. There are a few clandestine
bath houses and movie theaters where gays gather, he
said.

"We don't go to discos," he said. "In Egypt, everyone
will push you away if you are gay."

Ahmed and four gay friends decamped to Tahrir Square,
a crowded spot where hanging out attracts little
attention. Still, they were on the lookout when a pal
rushed up and put his fingers to his shoulders.

"There's a policeman over there," he said, pointing to
a man in a loose-fitting civilian jacket.

The group walked slowly up Talaat Harb Street and
disappeared into the crowd.

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A Jihad for Love: Can Your Faith Really Kill You?

From The Times

March 27, 2008

A Jihad for Love: Can your faith really kill you?

A film about gay Muslims will surprise a Western audience

Tim Teeman

Inevitably, Parvez Sharma filmed some moving testimonies in A Jihad for Love, a collection of real-life stories that show what it is like to be gay or lesbian and living within, or in the shadow, of Islam. The stories come from Iran, Turkey, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

In one of those quirks of timing, the film will be shown on Sunday at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in the wake of the controversy around the case of Mehdi Ka-zemi, the gay Iranian whose deportation back to Iran was halted recently after an indecent, indeed shaming, amount of prevarication on the part of the Home Office. An Iranian lesbian, Pegah Emambakhsh, is also seeking asylum in this country.

But Sharma isn't your typical campaigning film-maker. He shows how tough life can be for his subjects though he believes strongly that gay activists have behaved arrogantly in their condemnation of Iran which is symptomatic of a larger phenomenon of "Iran-bashing". He adds: "Around 70 per cent of Iran's population is under 30: issues are being talked about, it's a vibrant society. And don't forget history: a long time ago the West looked to the East as a place where homosexuality was tolerated, sometimes celebrated."

He doesn't believe that the Iranian authorities are conducting an antigay witch-hunt (this despite the widely distributed pictures of two young, allegedly gay, men who were supposedly executed) and – as his film makes clear – despite the difficulty of their lives, many Islamic gay men and women hold their faith dear.

Sharma says this was a "very personal" film to make: he is a Muslim himself and dislikes the polarisation of discussion of Islam "between the Jihadists and the Bush supporters". It makes for difficult viewing, forcing us belief-bare Western liberals to examine why gays would have anything to do with a religionthat rejects them at every turn, and sometimes violently.

Sharma filmed in secret in many countries for six years, amassing more than 400 hours of footage. He would put tourist-related material at the beginning and end of each tape so that if Customs took an interest in what he was doing it would find innocuous pretty pictures. He found his subjects through the internet and underground gay or HIV organisations. As a Muslim he could make himself "invisible" – it would have been much harder, he says, as a white Western film-maker to travel and film as he did.

The film shows Imam Muhsin Hendricks, a Muslim man in South Africa publicly speaking out against the homophobia of Islam. We watch the flight of four gay men out of Iran in a desperate attempt to gain asylum. Two are afraid to show their faces. Nearly all have faith which they try, and inevitably fail, to square with their sexual orientation. They feel desperate that they will never see their families again, but know they have to get out. Kazemi's boyfriend was executed for sodomy; another man worries about the fate of his partner. "He was my introduction to love," he says.

One Egyptian, Mazen, recalls the lashing he received after being apprehended, with more than others, after attending a gay party. One half of a lesbian couple (Maha and Maryam), deeply in love, feels her faith has been compromised by her desire. Two Turkish lesbians, Ferda and Kiymet, go to visit Ferda's mother. Two of the Iranian men are granted asylum in Canada. "How can I be free when so many others aren't?" one says to his friend, who replies, with steely hope, "One day they will all be free."

Since filming, the subjects' lives have changed generally for the better, says Sharma, who reveals that three of the Iranians are now safely living in Canada – one has become a gay rights activist. The fourth has been granted asylum but is still waiting to enter the country. Muhsin has been given funding to set up a group for lesbian and gay Muslims. Mazen, living in Paris, is "trying to find work in a xenophobic France," says Sharma. "It's terribly difficult for me, having got so close to so many of them, not to be able to materially help them." Ferda and Kiymet have broken up.

Sharma doesn't believe homosexuality will become acceptable within Islam in his lifetime: "It is not top of the agenda," he says. But he hopes gays will make "significant advances" within Islam and that his film will be used as a "tool" for debate and also to give visibility to a group often rendered invisible.

However, he is also "tired" of playing politics: as a film-maker he doesn't want to be limited to making gay movies, or having "one identity". His next ambition, he says, laughing, is to go to Bollywood and make a Muslim musical.

— A Jihad for Love is showing at NFT1, National Film Theatre, London SE1, Sunday (6pm) and Monday (2pm). For details and booking for the LLGFF (from March 27 to April 10) see www.bfi.org.uk/llgff , or call 020-7928 3232