Comments on: BBC 5Live reports that gay life in Iraq is worse than under Saddam

By: Lezabella

Lezabella — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:09:49 +0000

"Lezabella might also consider that Saudi Arabia is also pumping wahhabi hate literature into Islamic schools, mosques and cultural centres, including city libraries. Not just a danger to its own people, but to civilisation as a whole. The sooner we stop relying on their oil the better."

True Tom, very true. This 'ally' of ours Saudi is actively promoting and sponsoring Wahabbism all around the world. In North Africa, Afhanistan (the Taliban was heavily funded by Saudis, aswell as the Yanks!) and even faith schools in Europe. They're a despicable regime who treat gays, women and Jews like dogs.

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By: marjangles

marjangles — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:31:26 +0000

Iraq was a secular country held together by sheer force of will on the part of Saddam. As I understand it, homosexuality was illegal but laws were rarely if ever enforced. Once Saddam was removed, secularism collapsed and the imams took over. What worries me for the LGBT communities in Iraq is what worse things may come.

I am firmly convinced that once the USA pulls out there will be a civil war which will result in the rise of another Islamic Republic possibly with its very own Ayatollah and the life for gay people in Iraq will become the same as for those in Iran.

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By: TomPaine

TomPaine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:38:52 +0000

Lezabella might also consider that Saudi Arabia is also pumping wahhabi hate literature into Islamic schools, mosques and cultural centres, including city libraries. Not just a danger to its own people, but to civilisation as a whole. The sooner we stop relying on their oil the better.

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By: Lezabella

Lezabella — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:30:14 +0000

This isn't surprising. Under Saddam Iraq was (from my understanding) a secular society. Saddam even had a Christian minister. So from that point of view he sounds better from an LGBT standpoint. Also women were treated better, now they're all covering up because the misogynist, insecure b@stards over there thereaten them with death if they don't.

And yet, Saudi Arabia's regime and Sharia laws are much more brutal, yet we don't threaten them with war, why? Because they sell us their oil, that's why. There's around 2,000 family members and extended family members of the Royal House Of Saud; sitting on oil wells and American dollars, and yet the people are in poverty and the women oppressed.

However, Saddam gassed the Kurds, thousands of people went missing every year and his perverted son Uday was a mass rapist of women (a friend of mine came to Britain from Baghdad whilst we were doing our G.C.S.Es about 6 years ago, she used to tell us stories of how Uday and his henchmen would turn up at her school and 'pick' whatever girl he wanted to torture and rape).

To summarise- we didn't go in to make life 'better' for the Iraqis. Our governments couldn't care less. If they wanted to make the world a better place Saudi Arabia and half the governments in Africa would of been removed by now.

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By: Charlene

Charlene — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:51:08 +0000

The public need to be made aware – it should be a tv documentery!!! Our govt need to comment on it & show those homophobes it is unacceptable!

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By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:34:10 +0000

Very sad report; both Iran and Iraq are no place to be if you are gay!

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By: RobN

RobN — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:02:41 +0000

A fact that many find surprising is that sometimes dictatorships, even brutal ones, can actually work better for a country than open democracy. This is generally where two or or more opposing factions are held together by a hard-line regime that prevents any kind of in-fighting. Pull out the lynch-pin and the groups will be at each others throats. It happened in Bosnia, Czechoslovakia and in Iraq. The only way to prevent the bloodshed is to split the country, which is no easy task.

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By: TomPaine

TomPaine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:25:14 +0000

Not at all a surprise to hear. In Saddam's Iraq, nightclubs were mixed, gay people could be open, and had some degree of protection.

Uniquely the LGBT community has suffered terribly since the invasion.

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