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April 25, 2007
Saudi Arabia: The Closet Kingdom, Gay Pride Flourishes in the Cradle of Islam
The May issue of the American magazine, the Atlantic, has an interesting article about Saudi Arabia's flourishing gay community. According to the well-researched article, despite Islamic strictures against homosexuality a large segment of the Saudi Arabian population, both male and female, frequently engage in homosexual acts.
According to Islamic law homosexuality is punishable by death. This punishment, however, is a poor deterrent. According to the article, most Saudi men become gay because it's easier to pick up a man than to find a woman. The situation is the same for young women. The article claims that Saudi Arabia's inhumane laws and dread morality police, which forbid dating between young men and women, in fact are a major factor pushing them towards homosexuality in their youth.
Still, even after marriage, many Saudi men continue to return to their male lovers, especially when their wife is pregnant or menstruating.
Below are some of the most pertinent parts of the article:
Talal, a Syrian youth who moved to Riyadh in 2000, calls the Saudi capital a ``gay heaven.''
``I used to have the feeling that I was the queerest in the country,'' said Yasser, a Saudi youth. ``But then I went to high school and discovered that there are others like me. Then I find out it's a whole society.''
Many gay expatriates say they feel more at home in the kingdom than in their native lands.
``Guys romp around and parade in front of you,'' said Marco, a 41-year old gay man from the Philippines living in Saudi Arabia. ``They will seduce you. It's up to you how many you want, every day.''
A magazine editor in Jeddah told me that many boys in Mecca, where he grew up have sexual relations with men, but they don't see themselves as gay. ``Homosexuality is considered to be a stage of life, particularly at youth.''
``[Saudi Arabia] is the land of sand and sodomites,'' said Tasmin, a female student who told me about the lesbian enclave at her school. ``The older men take advantage of the little boys.''
Dave, a gay American teacher living in Saudi Arabia, put it this way: ``Let's say there's a group of men sitting around a cafe. If a smooth faced boy walks by, they all stop and make approving comments. They're just noting: ``That's a hot little number.''
Posted by Jean de la Valette at April 25, 2007 12:49 PM
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