USA
Al-Fatiha Condemns Sexual Humiliation of Iraqi Detainees
Al-Fathia Press Release
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Al-Fatiha Foundation, a US-based organization dedicated to Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning (LGBTIQ), has condemned the sexual humiliation and abuse of Iraqi detainees by the US occupied forces in Iraq. Al-Fatiha also called on national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups to denounce homophobic human rights absuses, being committed by the US military.
"The physical, mental, sexual, and psychological torture that hundreds of Iraqis have endured will never be understood by the world community," stated Faisal Alam, founder & director of Al-Fatiha.
"Sexual humiliation is perhaps the worst form of torture for any Muslim," he continued. " As queer Muslims, we must condemn in the most forceful terms, the blatant acts of homophobia and sexual torture displayed by the US military. These symbolic acts of abuse represent the worst form of torture."
More reports are arising about the perverse forms of abuse that many innocent Iraqis endured.
Islam places a high emphasis on modesty and sexual privacy. Iraq, much like the rest of the Arab world, places great importance on notions of masculinity. Forcing men to masturbate in front of each other and to mock same-sex acts or homosexual sex, is perverse and sadistic, in the eyes of many Muslims. The public display of sexual and physical humiliation of Iraqi detainees will most likely cause lifelong psychological trauma, which cannot be eliminated by monetary compensation or a simple apology.
Al-Fatiha called on all national LGBT groups to condemn the human rights abuses against Iraqi detainees. While most national LGBT organizations are focused on marriage equality, none have publicly condemned the homophobic and chauvinistic acts of the United States military in Iraq.
"National LGBT organizations should be take note of the symbolic nature of these abuses, especially since they reinforce the homophobic and chauvinistic attitude of the US military establishment," said Faisal Alam.
Al-Fatiha noted that the abuses of Iraqi detainees are not isolated incidents and new reports indicate that similar sexual and physical abuses have occurred in Afghanistan and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. These reports of torture must be investigated by independent observers. Al-Fatiha called for the US military to grant permission for visitation by human rights organizations, so they can assess the real conditions in military prisons and other areas where detainees are being held.
"Human rights are universal and while we condemn the torture and abuse of prisoners in other countries, we must also hold our own country accountable for its war crimes," stated Suha Dabbouseh, co-chair of Al-Fatiha's Human Rights Committee.
"Amnesty International has stated that it considers the sexual, physical and mental abuse of Iraqi detainees to be war crimes and against rules of war. The Geneva Convention and international treaties governing the conduct of war were created to outlaw torture," she said "But under the guise of a 'war on terror,' the United States and its allies have conveniently forgotten about basic human dignity and human rights granted to us as human beings, regardless of our religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or whether we are a 'detainee' or an 'illegal combatant' "
Al-Fatiha and the queer Muslim community join other national Muslim organizations, members of the United States Senate, Congress and Presidential nominee John Kerry, by calling for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense. Al-Fatiha also called on the United States to end its occupation of Iraq, and to bring American troops home.
Send a letter to George W. Bush calling for an independent investigation of the Iraqi abuses via Amnesty International USA's website.
10 May, 2004
