Want Freedom To Live As A Gay Arab? Live In Israel
In the Israeli part, that is.
Via Rihab Hafidhi writes at Elephant Journal:
In the majority of Arab countries, whether they are Sunni or Shiite, the act of homosexuality is punishable by law. The sentences range from imprisonment to flogging, and even the death penalty in countries like Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen.
Diaa Hadid writes in The New York Times that there's a liberal Palestinian culture blossoming in the Israeli city of Haifa. It is, she explains, an "Arab milieu that is secular, feminist and gay-friendly."
Arabs make up a fifth of Israel's population of eight million, and in recent years, they have grown more assertive in expressing their Palestinian identity, allied with their brethren in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.But their public life in Haifa is a striking secular counterpoint to the conservatism of many of Israel's Arab communities, where sex before marriage is taboo, and single men and women rarely date and tend to marry at relatively young ages, in matches often arranged by their mothers.
Haifa's relative liberalism is a product of its unique, cosmopolitan tradition. It is easy for young, single people to get out in this city, which is built on a steep coastal hill, with Jews tending to live on its heights and Arabs by the sea. The once working-class city of 280,000 has several universities and has embraced its diversity. The 30,000 Arab residents, around 10 percent of the population, include equal numbers of Muslims and Christians, and they are generally wealthier and better educated than Arabs elsewhere in Israel.
This makes Haifa a comfortable place for liberal Palestinians who want not only to escape the constraints of conservative Arab communities but also to be among their own people.
...Ayed Fadel runs Kabareet, a bar off a four-lane industrial road, through an alley and down some stairs. He envisions his out-of-the-way speakeasy with its red painted walls and old Arab movie posters as a place where people can truly be themselves.
"We want a gay couple to go to the dance floor and kiss each other, and nobody to even look at them," he said. "This is the new Palestinian society we are aiming for."
As @AG_Conservative tweeted:
Just another example of how Arabs have more freedom in Israel than almost any Arab country. (h/t @NathanWurtzel)
I'd also add; what Arab/Muslim country does this?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/03/israel-arrests-members-of-jewish-terror-group-over-west-bank-arson-attack
When extremists in Arab/Muslims countries kill, not only aren't they arrested, they most likely are celebrated.
What, unfortunately, many Arab/Muslim countries have is a culture of death and hate under the laws of dictators/sharia.
Israel is a country with a civilization thriving under of the rule of law.
charles at January 4, 2016 7:01 AM
Just another example of how Arabs have more freedom in Israel than almost any Arab country.
Almost?
Turk at January 4, 2016 7:24 AM
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