'Lady Boy': A defense of Egyptian homosexuals?

Egyptian journalist Ahmed Saad is softspoken and reserved and a devoted
Muslim. The 20-year-old is also a self-proclaimed gay rights activist.

With his slight frame, Saad seems more like a polite high school
student than the new face of gay rights activism in the Arab world. Yet
his convictions never falter, and he says he is determined to speak out
on behalf of gay men, even if he isnt one himself.

Saad has done extensive research into Egypts gay population,
learning about homosexuals through what he deemed the only possible
method, by pretending to be one, he explained during an interview with
Al-Masry Al-Youm. In order to accurately portray gays in his new novel,
_Shab Takaya, _Saad spent time on the gay dating website Manjam.com to
connect with gays who he also met in person to understand their lives.
He incorporated their stories into his novels characters.

Saads _Shab Takaya_, published in December 2010 by Al-Alamiya, is
the first Egyptian book that seeks to defend homosexuals on the basis of
Islam, and in so doing, offers a complex and seemingly contradictory
perspective. It begins with the apparent suicide of Haytham. As the
story progresses, the books protagonist seeks to uncover the truth
behind Haythams death, and in the process, discovers the injustice
faced by homosexuals in Egyptian society. The books primary purpose,
Saad said during the interview, is to convince its intended
audience--heterosexuals in Egyptian society--to sympathize with the
plight of Egypts homosexuals and put an end to their societal
persecution.

Yet whether Saads work actually helps serve that purpose is a matter
of interpretation, which explains why since the books publication,
Saad has fielded insults not only from homophobic heterosexuals opposed
to conciliatory aspects of Saads message, but also from homosexuals
who believe that the writers ideas only serve to further stigmatize
them.

Based on the writings of the Quran, many Muslims believe that
homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. Saad sees this attitude as
a disastrous textual misinterpretation, and reminds us that God only
punishes those who refuse to atone for their sins. Instead of condemning
homosexuals, Saad told Al-Masry Al-Youm, we must adopt a merciful
approach and help them to repent.

Nevertheless, the book suggests the possibility that homosexuals may be
executed if they refuse to commit to a heterosexual way of life. If you
think homosexuals should be persecuted, he writes, dont forget
that God waited until after they refused his guidance to sentence
them to death.

Saad explicitly confirmed what the book merely implies. As the
homosexuals of Sodom and Ghomorra were executed because they didnt
heed Gods words, homosexuals should be stoned to death, as
Islam decrees, if they refuse to reform, he said. With these words,
one cannot help but feel that in the book, Saad deliberately avoided
explicit mention of what he sees as the legitimate execution of
homosexuals. Perhaps, one suspects, he feared that delineating the
stance would go against his mission of persuading a conservative society
to become more accepting.

With regard to his position on homosexuals, the true sin is
unwillingness to change, not homosexuality itself. Believing that every
gay man deserves a second chance at heterosexuality, Saad is determined
to become an advocate for that second chance by speaking out on behalf
of gay Muslims, a group he affirms, that faces more difficulties than
any other oppressed section of Muslim society. Homosexuals suffer the
most, Saad asserted in the interview, and they experience intense
psychological turmoil wrought by the necessity to hide.

Saad is not alone in his condemnation of the unjust treatment, which
often includes arrest and torture, of homosexuals in Egypt.
International criticism surrounding the issue reached a climax in 2001,
when Egyptian authorities arrested 52 men, beat them, and forced them to
undergo humiliating trials because of their sexuality. Since that time,
numerous NGOs such as Human Rights Watch have decried arbitrary
arrests and prison terms for those accused of engaging in the
habitual practice of debauchery, a phrase that covers the practice
of consensual sex between men.

Saad is also not the first Muslim to criticize persecution of
homosexuals. In Irshad Manjis best-seller _The Trouble with Islam
Today_, published in 2005, the lesbian writer urges Muslims to
democratize the spirit of _ijtihad_, or independent thinking, and
employ ones conscience in overcoming homophobia. Scott Kugles book
_Homosexuality in Islam_, published in 2010, that denies the presence of
verses in the Quran, as well as the authenticity of Hadiths condemning
homosexuality. Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American, founded the
organization al-Fatiha in 1998, which advocates for gay Muslims.

Saad explained that Islam advocates sympathy and forgiveness:
Society must forgive [homosexuals] for their past, for Allah is a
great, merciful forgiver. As expressed in the book, gays are a direct
result of a modern society that participates in young men's
conversion to homosexuality. Therefore, society should turn inward to
examine its own behavior before it begins judging that of homosexuals.

It is a complicated stance that at once calls for forgiveness and
asserts that homosexuality is acquired, and curable. Saad shakes his
head in dismay as he recounts approaching all the major publishing
houses and bookstores with his novel, only to be rejected over and over
again because of the texts incendiary subject matter. Although he
eventually found a publisher, his book is all but forbidden to the
public. Even in the few stores that carry it, _Shab Takaya_ is not on
display and must be obtained by specific request.

In the story, Saad blames Haythams sexual orientation on his lack of
a loving family environment; his father gives him the cold shoulder and
his mother is anything but a nurturer. He even pinpoints the moment in
which Haytham is converted to homosexuality: A classmate
whispered into his ear and persuaded him that homosexual activity
was exciting and allowable. Societys intolerance, however, precludes
a second conversion, a return to heterosexuality, because it denies
homosexuals the moral and financial support--namely therapy--necessary
to make the transition.

According to Saad, there are those who surrender to their
homosexuality, and those who regard it as a medical condition with
societal and religious facets. The former proliferate in the West. In
the book, the character sheikh explains that when people in Europe and
America were freed from religious requirements, they abandoned morality
and the direction of [their] bodies turned entirely to the path of
sin.

Members of the other group view their sexual orientation as a disease
to be treated. Saad sees the treatment process as a heroic struggle in
which men fight their instincts with the help of a doctor, and hope
for God's reward. Fortunately for them, this reward is
virtually guaranteed; even those who fail to succeed in their
conversion find redemption in Gods eyes because of their
efforts. The simple act of seeking treatment, Saad explains, brings
them closer to God. _Shab Takaya_ thereby envisions a society that
treats homosexuality as a curable infection, in which the individual
receives adequate support during the treatment process.

I see it as a disease thats possible to treat. This was proven by
many people who were able to overcome the difficult treatment stage.
They changed and the matter was resolved, wrote Saad on the social
networking site Facebook.

Saad adamantly opposes the idea of homosexuality as biological and
unchangeable. He labels the nature vs. nurture argument as unsound
and predominantly western, and insists that no individual is born with
an unalterable sexual preference. For every sin in Islam, Saad
explained during the interview, there is a method to avoid or reverse
that sin.

What about homosexuals who refuse treatment because they do not wish to
change or those who believe that homosexuality is their individual
right? He said during the interview that there is no such thing as an
individual right to homosexuality: I do not support homosexuals who
do not want to change. I support those who do. I know that my view isn't
Western and may seem backward to you, but it's my belief.

For more information visit Ahmed Saads Facebook group (in Arabic).