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August 5, 2006

Iraq: Shia Islamists Killing Children For "Being Gay"

In May, there was an upsurge of killings of people regarded as homosexuals., carried out by Shia death squads. The Times at that time reported that the increase in hostilities against homosexuals had been a result of a statement made by Iraq's Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali Husaini Sistani (pictured), who is based in Najaf, at the Kawza seminary.

In April last year, the Ayatollah had stated on his website that homosexuals should be killed in the "worst, most severe way". His fatwa had apparently been subsequently lifted, though this did not stop the emergence of death squads. Sistani did not remove an order that lesbians should be killed thus.

Various incidents of killings of homosexuals had happened since then, involving shootings, and grenade killings, but by this spring, the Interior Ministry conceded that Iraqi security forces have been infiltrated by militia extremists.

The death squads would give names of individuals targeted for "execution" and relatives would be threatened to be killed if they did not divulge the whereabouts of their relatives. There is only a small portion of Baghdad where a "gay" culture has been tolerated in the country, but there is male prostitution, and often young boys are kidnapped and forced to work as male prostitutes. In April, a 14 year old boy was shot in the head in al-Dura, a suburb of Baghdad. His father was told he had been shot for "corrupting the community".

The current issue of the UK Observer notes that the executions of homosexuals are not only increasing, but shockingly, the militia are even executing children as young as 11.

The young boys, and older males, are kidnapped and sold on to criminal gangs who then use them as prostitutes, and the murder of these "immorals" is not regarded legally as a serious crime. Apparently section 111 of Iraq's penal code protects those who murder people who act "against Islam", allowing perpetrators of "executions" to remain unpunished.

Last month, eleven year old Ameer Hasoon al-Hasani was kidnapped by policemen from in front of his house. It was known in the neighbourhood that the child had been forced to engage in prostitution. His father searched three days for the boy, only to find his body. Ameer had been shot through the head.

Ali Hili is an Iraqi homosexual rights worker based in London, who claims he has lost contact with half of the volunteers who were based in Iraq. He says: "The government will do nothing to tackle this issue. It's really desperate when people get to the stage they're trading their children for money. They have no alternatives because there are no jobs."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at August 5, 2006 10:33 PM

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