The Worst Place for Homosexuals on Earth
Published September 13, 2009 @ 04:14PM PT
So far this year alone, more than 130 gay people have been executed in this place, which is being dubbed by one activist as "the worst place for homosexuals on Earth." Where is it?
Iraq, and the sad part is that the massive violence against LGBT people only started with the U.S. invasion. Over the course of the past six-and-a-half years, upwards of 700 LGBT people have been assaulted, tortured and killed in Iraq, in ways that would shock the conscience of most ordinary folks.
Now, the Guardian is reporting that anti-gay forces in Iraq are finding their victims using a tool that's pretty darn common to all of us: the Internet. Chatrooms, to be specific, and the results are that innocent gay people are being lured to their brutal deaths. As the Guardian portrays one activist:
Sitting on the floor, wearing traditional Islamic clothes and holding an old notebook, Abu Hamizi, 22, spends at least six hours a day searching internet chatrooms linked to gay websites. He is not looking for new friends, but for victims.
"It is the easiest way to find those people who are destroying Islam and who want to dirty the reputation we took centuries to build up," he said. When he finds them, Hamizi arranges for them to be attacked and sometimes killed.
Yup, just another tragic consequence of the U.S.-led War in Iraq. Although this carnage feels particularly disturbing. One mother tells the Guardian that her gay son went missing. Three days later she received a bloody note on her door, telling her that her son had been murdered and giving her directions on where to find the body.
"We found his body with signs of torture, his anus filled with glue and without his genitals," she said. "I will carry this image with me until my dying day."
Perhaps we all ought to carry this image with us, as a sign that the work for LGBT rights exists beyond our own borders. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, has pledged U.S. support for investigating acts of violence committed toward LGBT people in Iraq.
"We are committed to combating violence targeting all minority and at risk groups in Iraq, including LGBT individuals," said Ambassador Hill in a July letter. "To this end, we are working with our Government of Iraq interlocutors, Council of Representatives members, local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the United Nations Assistance Mission for lraq and our diplomatic partners."
That's a great statement.
But how many more LGBT deaths have to happen in Iraq -- we're currently hovering around 700 -- before this work truly intensifies? And how can U.S. authorities help in monitoring Internet chatrooms where violent tactics toward LGBT people get their start?
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Comments (11)
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.
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Just think, about 50 or so years ago we LGBT were treated like this in our wonderfully bigoted USA, and by the same insane people. Man... You just have to love how religious nut jobs repeat history, because they dont believe in any of it.
Posted by Chris Marshall on 09/13/2009 @ 04:47PM PT
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The unjustified situation in Iraq against the LGBT community must improve. This must be the year in which atrocities against LGBT people must end so that the greatness of tolerance towards LGBT people may become widespread and permanent. However, it's good that Christopher Hill is committed to stopping the murders of LGBT people in Iraq, which have gone into the hundreds. To reduce murders against LGBT people in Iraq, clerics must be more tolerant.
Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 09/13/2009 @ 05:37PM PT
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"The unjustified situation in Iraq," would have said enough.
I am 100% pro LGBT-rights, in the Libertarian sense;(having the maximum rights/freedoms, granted by our Constitution.)
The fact that we are fighting this war in the name of,"Democracy," makes me detest, loath, an appalled at America!
Al-Qaeda believes that America is trying to destroy the N.O.I. Our Government says we can't end this war until, "we've reached our goals for Iraq." Now, every special interest/humanitarian group, in the U.S. is throwing in their two-cents;"what they want to see happen in Iraq."
F*ck all of you! Shame on all of you!
We are the terrorist! We are destroying the Nations of Islam. Iraq is not our country. Iraq doesn't want to be a part of the U.N. Iraq doesn't want to be a Democracy. Our rights, as Americans, never gave us the right to take over the entire Middle East! If what we are doing, is called "Democracy;" pretty easy to see why they don't want to be one. If you are trying to justify, killing thousands of Islamic people because they don't believe in, LBGT rights, your pleading is tainted with hypocrisy. From LGBT-women's rights, NOTHING ABOUT THIS WAR IS RIGHT!
(Bring our soldiers home and stop helping our Government gain control of the worlds oil resources!)
Posted by L.S. hope on 09/14/2009 @ 12:36PM PT
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Miss hope...
Although the rights of all gays are very important to me as well...I agree with what your saying here...We never should have invaded and its long past time for us to leave.
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 09/15/2009 @ 05:35PM PT
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is that really going to happen?
Posted by Greg Goldgof on 09/13/2009 @ 09:34PM PT
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Though I wouldnt blame all of the prejudice on the presence of the u.s., I will go on record saying that its wrong to harm others because of an innate trait that you dont like...
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 09/14/2009 @ 03:33AM PT
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The invaders and occupiers for profit have been a ridiculous influence. Erik Prince alone is a sick example and a possible contributor to the hateful and dangerous climate. Prince is not strictly a murderer and torturer. He is also a Christian-supramist who believes in holy war against Islam, is obsessed with the fetus, and is a hateful homophobe. In other words, he is nearly identical with 'our enemy.' His group of mercenary terrorists, Blackwater, Have been running amok with little accountability.
Additionally, the worst of our 'culture' seems to have taken root there. Fortunately, attention and protest is happening in response to this. Time to end every component of the madess of this oil war. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta
Posted by Rev Bookburn on 09/14/2009 @ 05:31PM PT
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There are activists in Iraq working to restore peace and civil society which can use support. Al-Amal and the Iraqi Women Network began weekly protests against attacks on civilians, and the Laonf (Nonviolence) group of Baghdad joined them last week together with many others.
You see lots of pictures here of the march of September 10, with about 60 activists blowing whistles to launch their alarm against new attacks on civilians http://www.flickr.com/photos/28889825@N05/page2/
The Laonf group writes: "The initiative also stresses the fact that respect of human rights and basic freedoms - particularly freedom of assembly and expression – is linked to the achievement of security and peace in our beloved Iraq."
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows has been trying to spread the word in the U.S. that La Onf exists in order to build support for their work. You can learn more on the website of the International Network for Peace; comprised of survivors of violence from across the world: http://www.internationalnetworkforpeace.org/?lang=en
Posted by Terry Greene on 09/14/2009 @ 06:57PM PT
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To L.S.Hope. I agree with what you say. We did, in fact, create the mess by erroneously invading Iraq and waging war against her people in the name of "fighting terrorism". I have believed from the very beginning that this was wrong to do. What we have seen, as a result, is the destruction of a country and the desecration of a people. The bloodbath continues, and Rev. Bookburn is right on target with his description of Erik Prince and his mighty band of mercenaries. Iraq has it's own ideology, and it has, to my knowledge always been anti LGBT. However, we have made it so much worse.
The problem we face now is how to back down. The time for us to "bow out gracefully" has passed a long time ago, but how can we now just leave, given the horrible mess we have left in this country. I want us to end this 'war', which has been unjustified from the very beginning. I want our soldiers, and civilians to come home, as we are not doing Iraq any service by continuing to be there. How does one with a conscience, however, just abandon the people whose lives we have destroyed? How do we now right the wrongs of the previous administration's actions?
Posted by Barbara McNamara on 09/15/2009 @ 07:54AM PT
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President Obama had ample time to, "bow out gracefully." When he was running for election, one of his campaign promises was,"end the war." What happened?
The rest of the world already hates the U.S. I don't believe we are staying until we can bow out, diplomatically. Obama can't even tell us what the,(so called,) goal for Iraq is. Do you know the goal for Iraq? Does anyone know the goal for Iraq? I think our Government could at least answer those questions; right? I don't want the answer,"until Iraq is liberated."
I'm pretty sure though, the answer isn't,"until Iraq excepts LGBT rights." "We've made it much worse." ???? No, we haven't. That is how it has always been, we are just having to look at it now.
So, if anyone can add to the,"Iraq war agenda;" why are the people that want to see these changes, NOT standing next to our soldiers and dying for what they believe in?
Posted by L.S. hope on 09/15/2009 @ 09:39AM PT
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We need to get out of Iraq. The government lied to get American youths to sign up ("Iraq was involved in 9/11" and "Saddam has WMDs." The rest of the world hates us and with good reason".
Interesting that with us occupying Iraq, things have gotten worse for LGBTQ people there. Not surprising.
As for ending the war, Obama lied about that just as he lied to LGBTQ people.
Posted by Ioan Lightoller on 09/18/2009 @ 07:47AM PT
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