Mar
Egypt cracks down on homosexual activity, AIDS
PHOTO: Cairo at sunset, Selva Morales, flickr
The issue of homosexuality in the Middle East is a very sensitive one. It is widely considered taboo and sinful, to say the least, and is therefore not discussed. A crackdown in Egypt on men suspected to have HIV and assumed to be homosexuals has forced people in the Middle East to notice the issue whether they like it or not.
Egyptian authorities have been focusing more efforts toward stopping homosexual activity and using tactics that have made human rights advocates cry foul. They have conducted forced anal examinations to confirm homosexual activity, imprisoned men accused of it and also contacted their acquaintances in the process. This follows previous attempts to clamp down on the issue.
The issue has prompted discussion from political, religious and human rights leaders.
Being gay is socially and religiously unacceptable by most accounts in this part of the world. Nevertheless, a timid discussion, on the airwaves and in the papers at least, has been brewing the last few years, especially following the release of the movie The Yacoubian Building, which addresses the issue as part of its storyline on corruption.
