Massad

Massad reevaluates being gay in the Arab world. While many people in Western countries believe that homosexuals are similar around the world, Massad points out that homosexual acts are treated differently in other parts of the world.

Organizations like International Gay and Lesbian Association are considered to be champions for homosexuals all over the world. The main purpose of this organization is to ensure that homosexuals are treated fairly despite their orientation. The IGLA advocates that homosexuals are not discriminated against. However, Massad wants Westerners to reexamine their definition of homosexuality.

In the Western world, homosexuality is viewed in an entirely different manner than it is in the Arab world.  Massad cites Rex Wockner, a writer that analyzed the gay world in both Iran and in other Arab countries. Wockner appears to be baffled by the way many Iranian men engage in what is considered to be homosexual behavior in the Western world. However, in these men do not call themselves homosexuals, and Wockner thinks that the men may be suppressing their hidden desires. 

Massad believes that the Western world wants to kind of homogenize the way the entire world views homosexuality. In fact, some other critics suggest that in the Muslim world, heterosexuals are not even categorized and the so-called labeling of either homosexuals or heterosexuals does not exist. Massad believes that the Western world has influenced the upper classes of the Muslim world and many of these Muslims engage in what is considered to be western homosexuality. However, Massad urges people to realize that these Muslims are not a typical representation of Muslims that are involved with same sex practices. 
-Nidhi