A Different World

Photo taken from ynetnews.com
By: Chris Valletta

Joseph Massad's "Re-Orienting Desire: The Gay International and the Arab World", is an interesting take on the differences of homosexuality between cultures and the effects of this repressed desire. Massad starts by discussing the  difference between the western world and the beliefs of Islamic cultures in the middle east when it comes to homosexuality. Whereas the west has accepted that homosexuality does in fact exist in our culture and that many organizations are now fighting for these people's rights; certain sects of the middle east strictly forbid the practice of homosexuality to the point of death, yet overall the the culture of Islam is/was the most accepting to homosexuals. Massad quotes an information director by the name of Robert Bray, who claims that "cultural differences make the shading of homosexuality different among peoples...But I see the real question as one of sexual freedom; and sexual freedom transcends cultures" (Massad 363). Bray here is trying to say that the culture we live in defines pleasure for us, but ultimately there is a universal tendency to what pleasure is regardless of where you are living.

Author Rex Wockner makes a good point by discussing why Arab and Iranian men participate in homosexual activity, but deny that they are in fact gay. Wockner asks himself: "Are these straight men really gays who are overdue for liberation? Or are humans by nature bisexual, with Arab and Muslim men more tuned into reality than Westerners" (Massad 364). I found this quote to be fascinating because the thought of reality not being a heterosexual world never even crossed my mind. Wockner is right, what if in reality humans are actually all bi-sexual and have an innate desire for both sexes? It could be that these desires had been so repressed over time that today only some people in our culture are not able to repress them. Here this also exhibits a universal repression of desires as well. It is argued that when some of the western beliefs reached the middle east, one of those ideologies was that of hostility and homophobia, something that was never truly pronounced in the middle east prior to the western influence. For example, when homosexuals were being deemed criminal in Medieval Europe, homosexuals served as rulers in Islamic countries.

According to outreach director Ramzi Zakharia, "since the concept of same-sex relations does not exist in the Arab world, being gay is still considered to be sexual behavior, but just because you sleep with a member of the same does not mean you're gay, it means that you are engaging in homosexual activity" (Massad 373). This quote stood out to me because I too have thought the same thing when I hear the word gay. Even in our society, although same-sex relations is acknowledged, being gay is synonymous with sexual activity and the thought of a relationship is merely aside from the fact. A relationship is necessary for the term gay to be applied, not simply performing sexual activity. Massad also highlighted when western gays go overseas to look for partners, for example in certain North African countries. However, the irony in this is that they will find partners as a result of  hostility to them being from former colonial masters during the slave trade. In practicing sodomy with one of these people is a relief and a way of revenge for these natives. From this we can see how different cultures may view pleasure in different ways, but from the same action.

Of recent times, Islamic nations have begun to crack down harder on self-identified homosexuals, such as in Egypt in 2001, where fifty-five people, including gay Egyptian men were arrested in a police raid. They were all abused and insulted by the police upon their arrest. They were also subject to an exam to verify their deviance, which consisted of reading the rectal. They were charged with offending religion, since same-sex practice does not have a law against it.  In response to claims of government exploitation, the court responded: "Eastern society as well as all monotheistic religions condemn deviance and perversion" (Massad 381). This shows a direct result of western ideology negatively impacting the belief and tolerance towards homosexuals in Islamic culture. It also displays the Egyptian police's agenda of condemning those who identify as gay and attacking them personally, rather than the act of same-sex itself. While in certain parts of the world progress is being made for gays rights, there is still an overall negative view and fear of homosexual activity, while all along it may be what is in effect our actual reality.