Islamic militants in Iraq targeting gays
The Observer:
Hardline Islamic insurgent groups in Iraq are targeting a new type of victim with the full protection of Iraqi law, The Observer can reveal. The country is seeing a sudden escalation of brutal attacks on what are being called the ‘immorals’ — homosexual men and children as young as 11 who have been forced into same-sex prostitution.
There is growing evidence that Shia militias have been killing men suspected of being gay and children who have been sold to criminal gangs to be sexually abused. The threat has led to a rapid increase in the numbers of Iraqi homosexuals now seeking asylum in the UK because it has become impossible for them to live safely in their own country.
[…]
Eleven-year-old Ameer Hasoon al-Hasani was kidnapped by policemen from the front of his house last month. He was known in his district to have been forced into prostitution. His father Hassan told me he searched for his son for three days after his abduction, then found him, shot in the head. A copy of the death certificate confirms the cause of death.
[…]
Graphic photos obtained from Baghdad sources too frightened to identify themselves as having known a gay man, and seen by the Observer, show other gay Iraqis who have been executed. One shows two men, suspected of having a relationship, blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs — guns at the ready behind their heads — awaiting execution. Another picture captured on a mobile phone shows a gay man being beaten to death. Yet another shows a corpse being dragged through the streets after his execution.
In Iraq, as elsewhere in the Islamic world, killing a homosexual qualifies as an “honor killing,” which means the killer escapes punishment.
The full article is here.
(HT: The Corner.)
Comments
Somebody tell Queers for Palestine.
Posted by: rightwingprof | August 7, 2006 11:54 AM
In response to the above comment, it’s interesting to point out that many Palestinian refugees found safety in Iraq before the 2003 US invasion. Now, many are leaving Iraq, and many have left already.
In response to the hate murders, that is sad but not surprising. It’s just one more step in a long series of deterioration, and I’m actually surprised it took this long to be reported. As of early this year, reporters were writing stories of similar violence against men who shave their facial hair.
Have a look at this history of events in Iraq for more info on the war, and share it with people who might be interested. I hope it can be a good resource for people.
Posted by: Nicolai Brown | August 7, 2006 7:43 PM