As What?!
Last Wednesday in Haifa, Israel Arab lesbians gathered in a rare public event. Arab women fear coming out as lesbians said Samira, a conference organizer, who came with her Jewish Israeli girlfriend. According to Samira, she had a hard time with her own family with she told them that she was a lesbian. Her fear is understandable because homosexuality is strictly forbidden by Islam, and a statement issued by a large Muslim group in Israel described it as a “cancer” in the Arab community.
Poetry readings, music and Arab women rappers entertained the conference, called “Home and Exile in Queer Experience,” organized by Aswat (check it out via our resources section!), an organization for Arab lesbians, with members in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the Jerusalem Post,
Many of the attendees said they were sad that the only place safe enough to hold a conference for gay Arab women was in a Jewish area of Haifa, which has a mixed Arab-Jewish population.
“This conference is being held, somehow, in exile, even though it’s our country … but it’s not being held in Nazareth or Umm el-Fahm (two large Israeli Arab towns),” said Yussef Abu Warda, a playwright.
Outside the conference hall, 20 women protesters in headscarves and long, loose robes held up signs reading, “God, we ask you to guide these lesbians to the true path.” Khadijeh Daher, 35, described lesbianism as a “sickness.”
Security was tight. Attendance was by invitation only, and reporters were not allowed to take photographs, use tape recorders or identify people.
I am proud of these women and the important work they’re doing! It’s another example of how LGBTQ rights work in the Middle East brings people together - more PEACE in the Middle East!
Check out these other news reports about the event:
Ha’aretz
and GoGay (Hebrew only)
Recent Comments