"Jihad for Love " - "Homosexuality in the Muslim World" being discussed now on NPR

[Emit]

Homosexuality in the Muslim World


Talk of the Nation, October 2, 2007 · In an address to an audience at Columbia University last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that homosexuality does not exist in Iran. Parvez Sharma, the filmmaker behind the documentary A Jihad for Love, discusses the underground world of homosexuality in Muslim countries.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14895672


A Jihad for Love
The story of Islam is told by its most unlikely storytellers...

Filmed in twelve different countries and in nine languages, A Jihad for Love is the first-ever feature-length documentary to explore the complex global intersections of Islam and homosexuality. With unprecedented access and depth, the film brings to light the hidden lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslims and goes where the silence has been loudest, to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh, as well as to Turkey, France, India, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.


http://hartleyfoundation.org/jihad-for-love

On edit, he noted he's been blogging at Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parvez-sharma/my-jihad-in-america-and-_b_66684.html

And that WSJ had a piece today: http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/bstephens/?id=110010679

[ellacott]

1. A friend of mine dated a Middle Eastern guy

He told her that homosexuality is very common in the Middle East. She told me this some years ago.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. That's what I heard.

Persia too. I guess basing homosexuality on the Middle East on what the fundamentalist Imams say is like taking guess on homosexuality in the U.S. based on Falwell and Phelps.

[Emit]

8. The guest, Sharma talks about how "many of the laws that Muslim states inherit

are laws that came through colonialization -- through colonial powers where laws condemn homosexuality as an unnatural offense were written down by the British and French."

[CottonBear]

4. It's probably easier for two guys or two women to hook up since the sexes are segregated. n/t

[King Coal]

2. You mean they don't "tolerate" them like we do?

For the flame-bait impaired: :sarcasm:

[ck4829]

5. A couple of Muslims I know are all for gay rights

All the way up to supporting marriage equality.

[JCMach1]

6. Homosexuality is more common here I would agree, but there is unique interface

of culture and religion.

Here guys and girls hug and hold holds with the same sex in public and no one would look twice (it's that common to have an emotional... read close close friend relationship with the same sex... that comes with non-sexual physicality). Yet for same sex relationships (ie. a recognized sexual context), the public sphere is taboo.

Sexuality is always part of the 'private' sphere here... homosexual, or hetero.

Because of so much segregation of the sexes, men and women often develop closer attachments to the same sex. This can become romantic.

Closeted homosexuality and bi-sexuality is also common. Someone might marry a women, or man for the sake of family and culture. Then, they pursue romance outside of marriage. Since love marriages are not the norm (arranged marriages are), you see this quite frequently.

Also, there is a rather long tradition of homosexuality (especially among men) in Persian culture.

[Emit]

7. Talking about word "like" that Ahmadinejad used in terms of discussing topic as a Western construct

Need to discuss in terms of how it is defined in the Muslim world.

[Emit]

9. kick n/t

[Emit]

10. I really thought that this piece from NPR would inspire more discussion

on the topic at DU. Edited to add that the audio is just a few minutes long, but well worth the listen, IMHO.

[Pushed To The Left]

11. More reasons why fundamentalist religion should never be mixed with government!

It doesn't matter what religion it is.