Arab Newspapers Write About Arrests & Homosexuality
Al-Fatiha,
February 9, 2002
This report was sent to Al-Fatiha by an anonymous
Egyptian gay activist based in Cairo.
On Friday morning both Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar printed the
news of a computer engineer’s being sentenced to 3 years in jail plus a
further 3 on probation for no apparent reason other than being homosexual.
Al-Akhbar writes: “3 Years in Jail and Probation for
the Perverted Computer Engineer”.
“The Agouza Misdemeanors Court ruled yesterday
(Thursday, February 7) to punish a computer engineer charged with advertising
his availability to practice perversion on the Internet with 3 years’
imprisonment, and that he be placed under police observation for a period
equal in length to the prison term. The sentence was passed by Ahmad Hisham,
the head of the court, in the presence of public prosecutor Ahmad Abdel-Aziz.
The bailiff was Hassan Abd el-Al.
“The computer engineer Nagi Sayed Zaki (23 years
old)—had been arrested by the Vice Squad while walking in Gam’et el-Dowal
el-Arabia Street in an eye-catching manner in order to flirt with young men
and attract their attention.. Investigations proved that he had set up a
homepage on the Internet on which he advertised himself.”
The only difference between the two newspapers was that
Al-Ahram printed the name differently—Zaki Sayed Zaki Abdel-Malaak—instead
of Nagi Sayed Zaki. But the rest of the details are the same, so my guess is
that this is a typo.
I’m fed up with the same comments made every time.
People are arrested while walking down the street minding their own business,
and charges are fabricated against them. I think that this business of the
homepage wasn’t the result of any investigations. Probably when they found
out he was a computer engineer they decided the most plausible charge to
fabricate would be a Web page. Similarly, in the 52 case, they charged people
with posting their pictures on the Internet, when many were illiterate and the
first time they heard the word “Internet” was in the courtroom during the
trial.
What I find disturbing is that they no longer even
attempt to cloak their persecution of homosexuals in terms such as
“debauchery” etc., but now simply say “Perverted Computer Engineer
Sentenced”.
At the same time, Rose Al Youssef, Saturday 9 February,
ran a cover story with a photo of the 52 entitled (sub-heading) “All
Religions Forbid Sexual Perversion” followed by (main heading)
“International Perverts Campaign Against Egypt!”
Inside, six articles over 4 pages are devoted to the
issue. The first, by Mervat El-Hateem, attacks Jean-Michel Jarre’s
collection of signatures, as well as those who supported him, such as
Catherine Deneucve and actor Jean Renaud and writer Henry Levy and others, as
well as the Mayor of Paris who issued a press release on the subject. The
second article, by Nahed Ezzat, is about the statements issued by huiman
rights groups on the subject. First on the list is Amnesty International. They
write about a “homosexual group” based in Britain that warns off
homosexuals and others who want to vacation in Egypt after the 52 case, and
that the British Foreign Ministry expressed concern about these arrests. It
also mentions that Germany and Holland have issued laws granting gay marriages
the same benefits as heterosexual ones. They go on to say that a Jewish
organization to defend perverts of both sexes has existed since 1972, and that
the first perverted rabbi came to office in 1990, in an obvious attempt to
capitalize on anti-Israeli sympathies. They compare this unfavorably with Pope
John Paul II, who is quoted as saying that the church denounced same-sex
relations as “violating the laws of Nature.” Having dealt with
Christianity, they move on to Islam: “In Iran, sodomy is punished in one of
4 ways: death by hanging, stoning to death, beheading with the sword, and
throwing [presumably the sodomite] of the highest place.” The author of the
article produces Christian and Islamic arguments against homosexuality because
Egyptians are Christians and Moslems, but prominently showcases Jewish
supporters of homosexuality—although there are anti-gay groups among Jews as
everywhere else—because Egyptians view Israel as the enemy.
The third article, by Atef Helmy, is entitled
“Religious Opinion”, and quotes the Koran and the Bible. From the Koran
there is a quote that says “And we gave Lot wisdom and knowledge and
delivered him from the village that practiced vices (Al Anbiyaa 74). The
reporter says that interpreters of the Koran classify the ‘vices’ that
Lot’s people practiced under 22 perverted practices, of which homosexuality
is one. Others include wearing bracelets (?) and earrings (??) and winking
with the eyes, and wiggling the eyelids (!!) From the Bible he quotes “If a
man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is
detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own
heads.” (Leviticus 20:13)
The fourth article is devoted to the Psychoanalysis of
Perversion (always good for a laugh). This time the speaker is Dr. Hashem
Bahary, Professor of Psychology at Al-Azhar University. He says that
“according to the recommendations issued and international medical
classifications, perversion [he means homosexuality] is not an illness.” But
he goes on to say “in fact, we need to have a society with its own values
and behaviors in life [and] a special evaluation of this case. Therefore we
see that these people are sick, suffering from a behavioral disturbance.” He
adds that “this disease spreads in closed communities that forbid the
mingling of the sexes, and also in societies where all desired are fulfilled,
so that people are constantly seeking new thrills.” Seeking to appear
liberal, he states that “we have to give them a full chance for treatment,
because no-one is infallible.”
The fifth article, by Soheir Shamardal, is devoted to
anti-gay organizations. Sorry, that should be “anti-perversion”
organizations. It states that in the USA, there are organizations against
perverts, such as GLAAD [sic!!] and fundamentalist Christian groups, which
have published a book on “Sodomy and the Family: From the Christian and
Protestant Viewpoints”, and Christian organizations against granting
“perverts” the right to adopt.
The sixth article, by Dalia Helal, is entitled “Taking
Advantage of the Climate of freedom”. Basically, it says that the West wants
to impose perversion on the Arab and Islamic world in the name of human
rights, and “in spite of the sodomites’ loud voices, and their flags with
rainbow colors, there exists a truth that cannot be ignored, which is that
their societies reject them as a group.”
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