Iran's Secret World of Sex

Remember how former Iranian President and utter nut case Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that there were no gays in Iran?  Well, a new study shows just how out in fantasy land Ahmadinejad was - 17% of the Iranians interviewed sad that they were gay.  Not only, that sex is much more prevalent among unmarried heterosexuals than the mullahs (who bear a bizarre resemblance to the Catholic Church hierarchy when it comes to being obsessed with policing the sex lives of others) want to admit.   Note how clerics are suspected of being the most common users of "sigheh," i.e., temporary marriage, to cover their adulterous affairs.  It seems whether it is the Catholic clergy of Islamic mullahs, no one is more engaged in hypocrisy than the "holy men."    The Economist has details: 

IT IS the last thing Iran’s religious rulers want to talk about, but they may just have to. An official report has documented the nation’s worst-kept secret: sex of every kind is taking place outside the marital bed in the Islamic Republic. Something, in the ruling ayatollahs’ view, must be done.

An 82-page document recently issued by Iran’s parliamentary research department is stark in its findings. Not only are young adults sexually active, with 80% of unmarried females having boyfriends, but secondary-school pupils are, too. Illicit unions are not just between girls and boys; 17% of the 142,000 students who were surveyed said that they were homosexual.

In Tehran, the capital, long known for its underground sex scene, chastity is plainly becoming less common. The scope and pace of change are challenging the government and posing a headache for the clerics who dispense guidance at Friday prayers.

The report is also a rare official admission of the unspoken accord in Iran: people can do what they want so long as it takes place behind closed doors. Parliament’s researchers, on this occasion, were allowed to say the unsayable.

Their suggestion for stopping unsanctioned sex is remarkably liberal. Instead of seeking to cool the loins of the youngsters altogether, they should be allowed publicly to register their union by using sigheh, an ancient practice in Shia Islam that lets people marry temporarily.

Clerics themselves have long been suspected of being among its biggest beneficiaries, sometimes when they are on extended holy retreats in ancient religious cities such as Qom.

Iran’s media, always wary of being shut down, have played safe by ignoring the report. So have members of parliament. In most official circles, sex in Iran is still too hot to talk about.

Historically, Iran - or Persia as it has been known through most of history - was an advanced culture, something that continued under the Shah.  That all ended when the Islamic extremists overthrew the Shah and brought in a reign of terror that either killed or drove into exile some of the country's best and brightest.  If one wants a glimpse of what America would be under Christofascist rule, Iran offers a good example.  Fundamentalist religion and knowledge/modernity and personal freedoms are mutually exclusive.   It really is that simple.

Toronto: Unofficial Capital for Gay Iranian Refugees

America continues to tout itself as the "land of liberty" and home of "religious freedom."  The truth, of course is something very different with Christofascists granted special rights - the Hobby Lobby decision underscored this reality - and those of differing religious beliefs relegated to second class status under the civil laws all too often.  So where id the true land of liberty and religious freedom?  Increasingly, it is Canada, America's northern neighbor where not only religious freedom exists but where the middle class is still thriving.  Because of this gays fleeing the threat of death for their religious nonconformity in Iran and other Middle Eastern nations see Canada as the beacon of freedom.  Here are highlights from a piece in The Daily Beast:

When Ali escaped Iran and arrived in Turkey in 2012, he had already decided where he wanted the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to place him. “I told them I’m choosing Canada because I’m going to go to university [and] Canada is cheaper than U.S.; Australia is too far; and in some states in America gay marriage is not allowed and never will be allowed — so I don’t want to go to a country where they don’t give me my rights.”

Ali (not his real name) picked Toronto because he heard it was big and easier to find work. The 27-year-old arrived there at the end of May 2014 and spent 10 days in refugee housing before moving into his own apartment and logging onto Grindr to connect with others in the LGBT community — an ease of networking he never would have in his homeland. Before long, Ali began dating a Syrian man he met via the dating app and they plan to move in together soon.

In the past few years, Toronto has emerged as the mecca of Iranian gays in exile. Hosting both the second-largest Iranian population outside Iran and a reputation as LGBT-friendly, Iranians fleeing persecution in their native country have built a budding community in a city some call “Tehranto.”

Iran, on the other hand, is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be gay. Homosexual acts are punishable by flogging or death, and members of the LGBT community go to great lengths to evade police detection.

Ali is one of an increasing number of LGBT Iranian refugees who have sought out the Canadian metropolis for a better life, opting not to relocate to the United States due in part to the comparative lack of rights and protections for gay citizens and a dearth of social services.

“All of Toronto is a gay village,” says Arsham Parsi, executive director of the Toronto-based Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR).
The city is nothing if not proud. This year, Toronto’s city magazine put “Because We’re a Beacon for Gay Refugees” as one of the top 10 reason to love the city. And last year, in a scene that would have given former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an aneurysm, a towering Iranian in a tube top, black skirt, heels, and neon pink wig proudly waved an Iranian flag to guide the group of marchers in Toronto’s gay pride parade. The city even has a gay-friendly mosque.

"Canada has indicated to the United Nations that we are ready to accept anyone, if they're a gay Iranian refugee," former Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said.

[F]or LGBT exiles who have long kept their sexuality under wraps, tolerant Canada is seen as better than its southern neighbor to build a new, open life.

“Life for LGBT in Canada is totally different than life for LGBT in the U.S.,” says Parsi. In a PEW poll last year, Canada came in as the third most accepting country in the world for LGBT people, while the U.S. lagged 10 notches below.

Besides living up to its national claims of freedom, what else does Canada gain?   Talent and creativity and individuals who will likely value their new country more than many of the native born.

The Plight of Gays in Iran (and the Islamic World)

WARNING; Graphic photos.  Yesterday I received an e-mail from filmmaker Wajahat Ali Abbasiwho is seeking funding on Kickstarter for a movie that will highlight the plight of gays in Iran with focus on the government backed hanging of two gay teens in 2005.  While the movie's focus is on Iran, the problem is much larger and is occurring under the U.S. Puppet government in Baghdad.  Indeed the problem of government sponsored murder of gays exists across most of the Islamic world where fundamentalists cling to the seventh century ignorance and limited knowledge of the Koran - much like fundamentalist Christians who seek to govern the world based on the writings of ignorant herders from 3,000+ years ago in Israel.  Only by exposing the problem can sufficient international pressure be brought to bear to end these cruel and senseless deaths.  Here are some highlights of what the movie seeks to accomplish:

Filmmaker Wajahat Ali Abbasi is gearing up to make the feature film “Sin”, inspired by a true incident where two boys were hanged to death because they were in love. This brutal, public killing took place In July 2005 witnessed by thousands of people in Iran. Pictures and videos of this incident were uploaded on the internet by spectators, but the Iranian government and media denied its occurrence.

Wajahat, through the cinema screen, will bring the tragic tale of these boys to life, while addressing an important question why in some societies people are denied the right to life because of their sexual orientation.

While Iran is in total denial of the existence of homosexuality like many countries in the world, it will be interesting to see the world’s reaction to this controversial movie and how it will impact global public opinion on this issue.

‘Sin’ will be shot in English with a few words of Persian. Dubbed versions in Persian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Hindi and Arabic will also be made so that this story can reach out to larger audiences worldwide.

The imagines in this post are truly horrible - as is what is being done to gays daily in far too many countries, often in African nations with the aid and incitement of American Christianists.  Just as frightening is the fact that some Christian Dominionists in America support the execution of LGBT citizens.  Religious based bigotry and extremism that rejects modernity and modern knowledge and which dehumanizes others simply because they are different is a cancer on the world.  It needs to be eradicated just like any disease or plague. 

Twelve Men Face Execution for Sodomy in Iran

The horrors in Iran continue, especially for gays and those alleged to be gay. Applying a ridiculous rule of proof called ‘the knowledge of the judge’ - which basically allows a homophobic judge to find whatever he wants regardless of lack of evidence - and closed trials, gays are railroaded to death sentences. The perverted theocracy in Iran truly needs to be over thrown and it would be wonderful divine justice if in the process some of the sadistic and foul rulers were to experience some of the torture and brutality they so cavalierly inflict on others. Gay City News has a lengthy story on both gays organizing on universities in Iran and the fraudulent kangaroo trials use to condemn young men - a number of whom are in their teens - to death sentences. That religion is a terrible source of evil, one need only look at Iran and other nations where religion is one and the same with the civil laws. It makes one mindful that we in the USA need to speak out against such travesties and also understand what this nation could become if the Christianist ever fully had their way. The full story deserves a read, although it may sicken you. Here are some highlights:

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Ten young Iranian men, including eight teenagers, are currently awaiting execution for sodomy, and two more are being re-tried on the same capital charge. And, in an exclusive interview with Gay City News, an Iranian student gay rights activist confirmed for the first time the existence of queer organizing on multiple university campuses throughout Iran.
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The information about the ten youths currently under sentence of death for sodomy (lavaat in Persian) was released on November 25 in a joint appeal by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO), and COC of the Netherlands, the world’s oldest LGBT rights group, founded in 1946. The three organizations called on Western countries “with significant diplomatic and economic ties to Iran, including Germany, France, Canada, as well as the European Union, to pursue diplomatic efforts to cease these executions.”
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It is extremely difficult to obtain information about death penalty cases involving homosexuality under today’s repressive theocratic regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the press is heavily censored and journalists, regime critics, and human rights advocates are routinely persecuted and arrested and where the subject of same-sex relations is officially considered a political and religious taboo. Defendants in sodomy cases are denied open trials. Last month, Human Rigths Watch, basing its finding on an Iranian newspaper report, told of the execution of two men for sodomy.
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Hesam Misaghi, a 21-year-old leading member of CHRR’s Queer Committee, speaking through a translator by telephone from Isfahan, Iran’s third largest city, told Gay City News that this committee had been established some five months ago. The establishment of the Queer Committee by CHRR “is the sign of a new cultural awareness, because a new generation of Iranians no longer share the reactionary views of the regime with regard to sexual minorities,” said Misaghi, who courageously insisted on using his real name for the interview with this reporter. He added that “while an important part of those with this new attitude are secular, there is even a new generation of conservative Muslims who want to recognize queer rights.” Most of CHRR’s activists are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, and a number of them have been arrested and harassed by security forces for their human rights work.
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The joint statement on those facing the death penalty for sodomy by IGLHRC, IRQO, and COC noted, “In most cases, the Court convicts the defendants of sodomy charges solely on the basis of ‘the knowledge of the judge.’ According to the Iranian law, when there is not enough evidence to convict a defendant of a sexual crime, the judge may use his knowledge, in a deductive process based on the evidence that already exists, to determine whether the crime took place or not. Unfortunately, the excessive use of this principle means that rather than paying attention to evidence, the judge often sentences defendants to death based on his speculations. A number of prominent legal and religious scholars believe that such a broad application of the ‘the knowledge of the judge’ to issue death penalty for sexual crimes is in violation of the letter and the spirit of Sharia law.”
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A prominent Iranian human rights lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaii, who represented the four defendants, believes his clients were framed. In a post to his blog, he said that following a fistfight between his clients and a group of four young men who trespassed and damaged land owned by Hamidi’s father, the police intervened and arrested his clients, accusing them of gang rape. When his clients declared their innocence, the police officials subjected them to three days of beatings and torture, trying to force a confession from at least one of them. Failing that, the police referred the case to the court as a sodomy rape case.
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Tahmasebi explained that it was often very difficult for defendants in sodomy cases to find competent lawyers. “Because of the social stigma attached to sodomy cases, many lawyers are not willing to take on such cases because of fears of accusations that they might be gay themselves,” she told Gay City News. “And because of this same social shame, families often do not contact lawyers to defend the accused, so as a last resort the court assigns a lawyer pro bono, who often does not get the case until the day of the trial. So most of these sodomy cases are badly defended.”
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That means, Thamasebi added, that “the only real chance left for the defendant is international human rights pressure and protest against the application of the death penalty — but often this occurs so late that the window of opportunity to prevent these executions is very small.”
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Over the course of history, I suspect that religion has caused more needless and unjust deaths than almost any other cause. It makes me feel physically sick.

Scared for Their Lives

Meanwhile, in Iran - the country that seems to reflect the toxic intertwining of religion and civil laws sought by extreme Christianists in this country - things for gays are beyond bad. With the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran (who looks better all the time when contrasted to the theocrats now in power) gays have to literally fear for their lives under the hate driven, intolerant sharia law imposed on the population. When one considers how advanced the Persian Empire was more than 2500 years ago, it is amazing how backwards elements within the Iranian government have become fueled by religion in one of its most toxic forms. Unfortunately, even when they escape from Iran,gays often find themselves still subjected to discrimination and immigration/asylum policies that ignore the reality of what will happen to gays sent back to Iran. Here are some highlights of the situation on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the revolution tomorrow:

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The first of April 2009 marks 30 years since revolution in Iran resulted in the birth of the Islamic Republic and the adoption of sharia law. This strict penal code criminalized homosexuality and the gay community in Iran have subsequently suffered three decades of persecution. The punishment for lesbian sex is one hundred lashes, with the death penalty being imposed on the fourth offence. Sodomy, or lavat, between men is punishable by death on the first offence. The law is enforced by the Basij Secret Police and gay and lesbian Iranians live with the constant threat of being followed and arrested.

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‘It’s because of the Islamic revolution that people like me are here’ explains Ayra, an Iranian currently seeking asylum in Britain. ‘The revolution is a really bad memory for gay and lesbian people. Before, they were free but now they can’t live in Iran and have to escape.’

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Arrival in Britain is often the beginning of another long ordeal. . . . Access to support networks can also make a big difference in the process of applying for asylum in Britain, as illustrated in February this year when Iranian lesbian Pegah Embakash was finally granted refugee status. Pegah fled Iran in 2005 following the arrest, torture and imprisonment of her partner. In Britain she was initially refused asylum, arrested and detained in Yarls Wood Detention Centre. In August 2007 she was hours from being deported to her death but was saved by a last minute reprieve.

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‘Almost everybody from Iran is initially refused asylum by the Home Office on the grounds that they are not believed to be gay or lesbian,’ says Sebastian from The UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG). The only group of its kind in Britain, UKLGIG helps people to ‘prove’ their homosexuality by providing witness statements at the court of appeal and referral to specialist solicitors. However, even if they are believed to be gay, a large number of Iranians’ appeals are rejected on the grounds that they can go back to Iran and hide their sexuality. ‘To me, telling people to go back and hide their sexuality is persecution in itself,’ continues Sebastian.

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For gay Iranians like Behrouz and Ayra the anniversary of Iran becoming an Islamic Republic is a reminder of the persecution that forced them to flee their country. Having been refused sanctuary in Britain, it is also a reminder of their uncertain future and the suffering they will face if they are returned. Behrouz found a solicitor who believed he had a strong case and put in a fresh claim for asylum. However, 18 months later he still hasn’t had a response from the Home Office and is living in limbo. ‘I want to live, I don’t want to hide,’ he sighs. ‘I want to live like everybody else’.

Gay Execution Back On In Iran? Justice Flip-Flops, Reinstates Execution for 21-Year Old, Say Activists

Sadly, it looks like more international attention and pressure needs to be again applied to stop this outrage in Iran. Queerity is again reporting (http://www.queerty.com/news/gay-execution-back-on-in-iran-20071204/) that a 21 year old Iranian is to be executed based on pathetically weak and questionable allegations that he had gay sex many years ago. Even in the worse Kangaroo court in most civilized nations, the prosecution would never have been able to secure a conviction. Unfortunately, when fanatical religious dogmas come into play, real evidence, credible witnesses and civil legal matters do not matter. Here is a summary from Queerity:

Iranian gay Makwan Moloudzadeh’s luck may have changed. The 21-year has been in prison since this summer for allegedly having sex with another boy when they were both thirteen. Though he had been sentenced to death, the Iranian Chief Justice halted the execution on November 14th. Apparently he changed his mind, because Everyone Group posted a distressing message this morning:

This evening, December 3rd Makwan’s family phoned Ahmad Rafat, a journalist of AKI – ADNKronos International and member of the EveryOne Group, and gave the alarm: Makwan’s case has been re-examined by the Judiciary Authority of Teheran, and yesterday, Sunday December 2nd, the dramatic sentence reached Kermanshah prison, where the young man has been held for some time. “There is a need for immediate international protest action from the Italian Goverment, the European Parliament and civilized society. We have to make Iran listen to our request for Makwan to be spared. Makwan is innocent, he has been sentenced to death for his homosexuality”.

For those who want to take action, contact information is as follows:

Send postcards, letters, fax and e-mails to:

Head of the Judiciary

His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi

Ministry of Justice, Panzdah Khordad (Ark) Square,

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir

(In the subject line: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)

Fax: 011 98 21 3390 4986

(If the call is not answered first time, please keep trying. When it is answered, say “fax please”.)

Leader of the Islamic Republic

His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader Islamic Republic
Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@leader.ir

President

His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
E-mail: via web: http://www.president.ir/email/

Speaker of Parliament

His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Baharestan Square, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 3355 6408
Email: hadadadel@majlis.ir
Majlis-e Shoura-e Islami’s President (Islamic Assembly):hadadadel@majlis.ir

Embassy of Iran in UK

info@iran-embassy.org.uk
Ambassy of Iran in Turkey
Tehran Street, No.10 Davaklidere, Ankara - Turkey
P.O.Box: 33
Fax +90-312 4632823
Email: iranembassy@hotmail.com

info@iran-embassy.org.uk

Boy to be executed for Underage Homosexual Act, Take Ation!

This information comes via an Iranian student in Canada's blog (http://kamangir.net/2007/10/30/boy-to-be-executed-for-underage-homosexual-act-take-ation/) and clearly shows the dangers of religion run amok. At times, I think religion has caused more horrors and death over the course of history than any other cause save plagues and primitive medical care. Iran's track record on the treatment of gays is among the worse in the world. I do have to wonder, however, how the judge "knew" that penetration had occurred? Does he have experience with gay sex? Amnesty International is also reporting this story (http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE131252007?open&of=ENG-2MD) Here are a few highlights:

Child offender Makwan Moloudzadeh, an Iranian Kurd, is believed to be at risk of imminent execution. He has reportedly been convicted of lavat-e iqabi (anal sex) for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old boy. Makwan Moloudzadeh was aged 13 at the time of the alleged offence. His death sentence has been passed to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences and he is due to be executed in public, near his home.

He was reportedly arrested on 1 October 2006 in Paveh, in the western province of Kermanshah. He was detained in Paveh Prison and later transferred to Kermanshah Central Prison. Following interrogations in Paveh during which he was reportedly ill-treated, he was tried by Branch 1 of the Kermanshah Criminal Court and on 7 June 2007 he was sentenced to death. The witnesses and the two people who had pressed charges against him withdrew their claims after the trial. Under Iranian law, children (boys of up to 14.7 years) are to be flogged for lavat ("homosexual acts").

However, the judge relied on ‘elm-e qazi, the "knowledge of the judge" to determine that penetration had taken place and that Makwan Moloudzadeh could be sentenced to death. Makwan Moloudzadeh lodged an appeal on 5 July, which the Supreme Court rejected on 1 August. Several witnesses have withdrawn their testimonies and signed notarized written statements to that effect.

Article 1210(1) of Iran’s Civil Code sets the ages of 15 lunar years as the age of criminal responsibility for boys, and nine lunar years for girls. Makwan Moloudzadeh was reportedly born on 31 March 1986 and, at the age of 13, was a minor under Iranian law at the time of the alleged offence. According to Article 49 of Iran’s Penal Code: "Children, if committing an offence, are exempted from criminal responsibility. Their correction is the responsibility of their guardians or, if the court decides, by a centre for correction of minors." Furthermore, in this case the judge used the customary practice of "judge’s knowledge" to override Article 113 of Iran’s Penal Code which states, "If a minor has anal sex with another minor, each will receive up to 74 lashes unless one of them was forced to do so [in which case he will not be punished]."

since 1990, Iran has executed at least 24 child offenders, with a further two reportedly put to death on 17 October 2007. At least 78 child offenders are on death row in Iran; at least 15 Afghan child offenders are reportedly under sentence of death. For more information about Amnesty International's concerns regarding executions of child offenders in Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (MDE 13/059/2007, June 2007)http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007