Gay middle eastern

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people generally have limited or highly restrictive rights in most parts of West Asia, and are open to hostility in others. Attitudes towards same-sex attraction radically changed in the contemporary Middle Eastwith Western colonialism thought to have played an important role.

They blame colonialism for spreading homophobia in the region. Records also indicate recognition of transgender individuals, with some medieval Arabic dictionaries and encyclopedias describing five or more categories of sexes.

In Algeria for example, French colonial forces stipulated severe punishments for same-sex relationships, including imprisonment and forced labor. While attitudes and policies vary across countries, the overarching narrative is one of tension between traditional values and emerging calls for LGBTQ+ rights.

Same-sex behavior is punishable by imprisonment in five of the 18 countries in the region. Sexual orientation was not seen as central to an individual's identity in Muslim societies. This article explores the historical, legal, and social dimensions of homosexuality in the.

Fouad finds inspiration in classical poems by the 8th-century poet Abu Nawas, who was renowned for his homoerotic verses. A "khuntha" was somewhere between the genders.

In a video of her TED talkBlair Imani, an African-American queer Muslim woman, criticizes the idea that Muslim societies have historically held rigid attitudes toward sexuality. Abu Nawas and many other classical Arab, Persian and Turkish poets explored same-sex desires centuries ago.

Countries where Homosexuality is still a Crime (in alphabetical order) In the Middle Eastern region, there are 13 countries that still criminalise homosexuality. The medieval Arab world viewed sexual attraction in conflicting ways, Khaled el-Rouayheban historian at Harvard University, writes.

Historical research shows that kings, commanders, judges, as well as ordinary individuals, displayed relative openness towards non-heterosexual desires. France and Brit aineach controlling major parts of the Arab world, introduced the first penal codes against homosexuality in the region.

In a essayShireen Hamza, a researcher at Harvard University, describes these as "woman, masculine woman, khuntha, effeminate man or man. The first was considered a sin, while the latter was a sign of refined sensibility, the ability to appreciate human beauty.

The real story of : Similarly, the Middle Eastern LGBTQ community's heritage is increasingly taking center stage in visual arts and paintings

However, the history of same-sex romance in the Middle East is complex and nuanced. Hamza also writes about a judicial case where a Muslim judge in 16th-century Damascus permitted a transgender woman to marry a man who was in love with her.

Fouad is from Lebanon, one of the few Arab countries where homosexuality is not explicitly illegal. In return, European travelers visiting pre-colonial Arab communities were shocked to see men openly expressing their attraction for boys. Nationalist projects adopted the colonial notion that regarded same-sex attraction as decadence or a form of mental illness.

E xpressions of same-sex attraction were met with varying degrees of tolerance and intolerance, el-Rouayheb explains in his book, " Before Homosexuality. The rights and freedoms of LGBTQ citizens are strongly. For example, Islamic scholars distinguished between sexual intercourse between two men and the less physical expression of love for another man.

Homosexuality in the Middle East is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, shaped by the region’s religious, cultural, and legal landscapes. It is also punishable by death in five of these 18 countries. Al-Tayeb repeatedly cal ls homosexuality a Western cultural import.

But their legacy has been sidelined in the modern Middle East because homosexuality is a criminal offense in most countries in the region. Of these 8 have ratified the ICCPR. Their influence persisted long after they left their colonies. For instance, Muslim travelers visiting Europe in the midth century found it noteworthy that European men did not court young men.