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Iraqi Islamic militia murdered hundreds of gay men
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.Followers of Moqtada al-Sadr (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
According to the Human Rights Watch, militant Iraqi Muslims seek out, kidnap, torture and murder men who are suspected of being gay or who are considered to be effeminate, while Iraqi authorities do nothing to stave off the violence. A 67-page report entitled, "They Want Us Exterminated - Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq," notes that the killings began in February in Sadr City, a neighborhood in Baghdad and the location of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. The murders have since moved into other cities in Iraq. Spokesmen for the Mahdi Army militia propogandized misconceptions about "the third sex" and the "feminization" of Iraqi men. They claim that a militia action is the solution to the problem. Witnesses have told the Human Rights Committee that Iraqi Security forces have joined in the murder spree instead of stemming the violence.
The militia grabs people from their homes or off the street without due process or judicial papers. The kidnapped men are accused of homosexuality and interrogated to obtain the names of new victims. These men are tortured and many are murdered in gruesome ways. Some of the recovered bodies are mutilated, a few with amputated genitalia.
Shariah (Islamic law) does not condone the killings as they are performed without trial or evidence. International human rights laws forbid murder, torture, inhuman treatment, and promotes the right to life. In Iraq, homosexuality between two consenting adults is stigmatized but not illegal; this is in contrast to surrounding Arab countries where homosexuality has been declared a crime by law. However, there is a provision that was added during the reign of Saddam Hussein that legalizes murder performed "with honorable motives." This provision has been used to clear gender and homophobic killings in the past.
For more information:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=105413
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/08/17/iraq.homosexual.killings/index.html
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/08/17/iraq-stop-killings-homosexual-conduct
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_topics_and_Islam
Photo credit: Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr crowd a street as they attend open air Friday prayers in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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