T Nation

Iraqi Police Gay Murder

Politics and World Issues
#1

Is this democracy and freedom?

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article362151.ece

[i]Iraqi police ‘killed 14-year-old boy for being homosexual’
By Jerome Taylor
Published: 05 May 2006

Human rights groups have condemned the “barbaric” murder of a 14-year-old boy, who, according to witnesses, was shot on his doorstep by Iraqi police for the apparent crime of being gay.

Ahmed Khalil was shot at point-blank range after being accosted by men in police uniforms, according to his neighbours in the al-Dura area of Baghdad…[/i]

#2

It seems the killings are coming from the Badr militia and al-Sistani. The Iraqi police are infiltrated by al-Sistani’s followers. The homosexual killings aren’t sanctioned by the government, but are a function of the religious fundamentalists in Iraqi. The question should be:

Are Islamic fundamentalists truly evil people?

#3

From what the article says I’m not even sure the kid was necessarily gay, just whoring himself out to men so that he could help feed his family. It’s a generally sad situation, both gays being killed for being gay and people being driven into prostitution.

#4

I posted hastily without thinking the original question through. I apologize for that. I’m not going to edit my original post though.

I pondered this issue while in the bathroom.
You have actually asked a good question. To ask a more specific question; is a democracy in the middle east going to criminalize fatwas such as those issued by al-Sistani? Is a free society going to tolerate Islamic fundamentalism?