More Evidence of Iraq Government Involvement in Gay and "Emo" Murders

In my view, all fundamentalist religions are a danger to civil society because they seem to breed hate and potential violence. It's always the fundamentalists who are flying planes into buildings, walking into churches and murdering doctors they disagree with, setting off bombs at the Atlanta Olympics, throwing their children out of their homes for being gay, and denigrating women and those they deem "sinful." What makes the situation worse is that too often government officials are afraid to stand up to religious based hate and intolerance and the violence against others that is a frequent by-product of religious extremism. We see this cowardice in today's Republican Party and in the corrupt government in Iraq which in order to apparently curry favor with Islamic extremists set the stage for the ongoing slaughter of those deemed "other" in Iraq. The New York Times has an article that throws initial responsibility at the feet of the Iraqi government. The pictures (one of a number) below from an Iraqi blogger are graphic and horrible, but they show the real face of the fruits of religious fundamentalism and why religious fundamentalism of all types needs to be stopped. Take a good look at the product of religion. Here are highlights from the Times story.

Iraqi officials deny that there is any campaign targeting gay men or emo teenagers. They call the stories a media fabrication designed to drum up hysteria and embarrass Iraq. But it was the Iraqi government that first labeled emo youths a public menace. On Feb. 13, the Interior Ministry released a statement that condemned the “phenomenon of emo” as Satanic. The rebellious teenage fashions of dark clothes, skull-print T-shirts and nose rings, the statement said, are emblems of the devil.

The ministry said its Social Police would be sent to investigate “the emo” and added that its forces had also received the authority to go into all of Baghdad’s schools to find them. “They have official approval to eliminate them as soon as possible, because the dimensions of the community began to take another course, and is now threatening danger,” the statement said.

Emo is short for “emotional hardcore” and its aesthetic sprang from the American punk music scene in the 1980s and has been remixed in Baghdad over the last few years.

Ibrahim al-Abadi, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the statement had been misinterpreted. He said emo youths were free to dress as they pleased, and said the government would protect them.

But over the past month, threatening letters began appearing in Shiite neighborhoods across Baghdad, residents said. One of the fliers, scanned and posted online, addresses dozens of gay men by name and nickname. It warns people identified as Japanese Haider, Allawi the Bra, Mohammed the Flower and others: Reform your behavior, stop being gay, or face deadly consequences. “Your fate will be death if you don’t quit doing this,” one leaflet warns. “Punishment will be tougher and tougher, you gays. Don’t be like the people of Lot.”

Another flier circulating around the Zayouna neighborhood appears addressed to emo youths. It tells them to cut their hair, not to wear the clothing of devil worshipers, and not to listen to metal, emo or rap music. And if they refuse, “God’s punishment will be come down upon you,” the letter says.

Ali Hili, a gay Iraqi activist who lives in London, said as many as 750 gay Iraqis have been killed in the past six years, and thousands have emigrated or are living deep in the closet.

“It’s a clear war on sexual minorities on Iraq,” he said. “They are refusing to admit it.”

Fear has rippled across socially liberal niches of Baghdad, from the basement-level clothing shops where teenage boys buy skull pendants and skater gear, to upscale hair salons and theaters. Advocates say some emo youths and gay men have left for northern Iraq, while others have shorn off hairdos or muted outfits that were once badges of identity.

Four gay friends in Baghdad, sitting together for an interview, said the daily barrage of harassment and threats has taken on an especially menacing edge in the last few weeks. Neighbors have told them, “Your turn will come soon.” Young men have driven by and shouted “Block! Block! Block!” referring to the current weapon of choice for attacks.

In one photo, a handsome young man in a white jacket, dark aviator sunglasses and coifed black hair stands as if he were a fashion model. In another, the vacant, bloody face of a man with similar features stares up at the sky. His body lies in the bed of a police truck.

Friends have identified him as Saif Raad Asmar Abboudi, a 20-year-old from one of the poorest areas of the vast Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. An Iraqi police report obtained by Mr. Hili’s advocacy group, Iraqi LGBT, says he was beaten to death with a brick on Feb. 17.

As I said, take a good look at what fundamentalist religion yields. It's horrible. It's ugly. It's scary. And we have anti-gay hate groups here in America who would do the same as what's happening in Iraq if allowed to do so. These "godly" folks are a danger to civil government and the freedoms of others.