Homosexuality in the Middle East, Part 1

What Would Sappho Say?

Lectori Salutem! or L.S. (Greetings to the Reader!)

While in today’s world, countries like Iran and Iraq contend that homosexuality just does not exist on their lands and the punishment in the Middle East can be as harrowing as death, there is plenty of evidence to support the bonds between men throughout the region. In addition, lesbianism is found in much less detail yet still in existence many years ago.

As with the Romans, the relationships between boys and men exist beyond the southern European shores. It takes different forms, some more loving, some more violent, depending on which country and which era you look to. We will start with Mahoud Ahnadinejad’s Iran where he speaks that no homosexuals live in the bounds of his country.

It doesn’t take a genius to know in today’s day and age he is completely off the mark but I am sure his death penalty for being homosexual keeps the masses quiet for the most part. With the internet however there have been many gay Iranians who have spoke out against their leader’s words and one only has to look back in Iran’s own history to find it rich with homosexuality, both male and female.

To quote from classic the Iranian literature from the 11th century of a man advising his young son, Qabus Nameh, “As between women and youth, do not confine your inclinations to either sex; thus you may find enjoyment from both kinds without either of the two becoming inimical to you… During the summer let your desires incline towards youths, and during the winter towards women.” There were other texts that specifically outlined the treatment of male companions versus that of the treatment of wives. There were numerous poems and art dedicated to glorifying the bond between men.

While the Iranians were similar to the Romans in that the relationships were often a king with his page, or sultan with his young aid, they also diverge in that the courtship between two men of more or less equal status was something also celebrated in literature. It was said that love was a form of chivalry; it led one to higher ethical ideals, but also constituted a contract between lovers wherein each had obligations and responsibilities to the other. Some men believed homoerotic relations were a path to spiritual love.

Unmistakingly ritualized were lesbian courtships, which continued from the classical period to the twentieth century. “Tradition dictated that one woman who sought another as 'sister' approached a love broker to negotiate the matter. The broker took a tray of sweets to the prospective beloved. In the middle of the tray was a carefully placed dildo or doll made of wax or leather. If the beloved agreed to the proposal, she threw a sequined white scarf (akin to a wedding veil) over the tray… If she was not interested, she threw a black scarf over the tray before sending it back.”

It was as late as the last half of the 19th century and into the twentieth century that Iranian society accepted many aspects of homoerotic practices between both males and females as well as semi-open pederastic relations between adult men and amrads, or young men, and they were common within various sectors of Iranian society.

The shahs themselves were said to have maintained their wives as well as relationships with a young male lover, keeping boy concubines being still an accepted practice. It wasn’t until the Constitutional Revolution of the West of 1906 that gave the Persian monarchy its first parliament that concepts from the West including anti-gay doctrine were introduced into Iranian's daily life. This began a new discourse on gender and sexuality.

Influences were also coming from the east and Russia in particular in the form of a Marxist newspaper written in Arabic that brought Marx’s well-documented contempt for homosexuality. It was an illustrated paper, popular for its cartoons, that made its way through the intellectual circles and common people alike. It mocked homosexuality and its ceremonies, accused clerics of molesting young boys against their will, and played upon the feeling of contempt for the passive homosexual. Political homophobia that had been developing in other European countries had reached Iran with a fervor by the mid-twentieth century and insisted that only heterosexuality cold be the norm.

The expansion of radio, television and print media in the 1940’s resulted in a nationwide debate over the evils of pederasty and resulted in a censorship of all literature that glorified homosexuality in consensual same-sex relations or men and boys. The movement against gays made no distinction between rape or molestation of boys and homosexual relationships.

The Shah of Iran was said to have been soft on homosexuality and rumored to have been a bisexual himself by some Iranians. A significant number of the public grew angry at the shah and his “immoral” lifestyle. There were reports that a close male friend of the shah from Switzerland who knew him from their student days in that country routinely visited him. His Prime Minister was lampooned for his meticulous dress, the purple orchid in his lapel, and his supposed marriage of convenience.

“But the greatest public outrage was aimed at two young, elite men with ties to the court who had a mock wedding ceremony. Especially to the highly religious, this was public confirmation that the shah’s house was corrupted with the worst kinds of transgressions and the shah was no longer master of his own house. These rumors contributed to public anger, to a sense of shame and outrage, and were ultimately used by Islamic extremists in their calls for revolution.”

We all know what happens next in history. In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini comes to power and establishes the death penalty for homosexuality. Now, 30 years later, the death penalty is still on the table and mere proof of penetration is enough to have you put to death.

It is ironic to envision this country of such contempt and hate for homosexuals as having such a rich and accepting history of them in times past. In history we must hope that time will bring the cycle of acceptance back to such a brutal regime for all its people. In the next chapters we will look at some of Iran's neighbors and their histories and conduct when it comes to homosexuality throughout the ages. As with the Christians who deny the original homosexuality that existed within their church, all these Islamic countries have tried to wipe their histories away too. The record remains though and we will look back into Afganistan's heritage next time.

Much Love.


Inspired By Sappho’s Muse


VIDEO OF THE DAY
This is a must see documentary on the hardships and hopes of those born into Islamic regimes set on killing them for loving someone of the same sex.


MUSIC OF THE DAY
Today’s music is from the undefinable Emmylou Harris. Her voice is so pure is simply melds with anyone she sings with and for that she is highly sought out for duets in all genres. This song was sung in tribute to Johnny Cash with Sheryl Crow and Mary Chapin Carpenter. It is his song Flesh and Blood.

Flesh and Blood      Emmylou Harris and Friends

QUOTES OF THE DAY
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Albert Einstein

Homosexuals In The Chinese World (16th cent. BC – present)

What Would Sappho Say?

Lectori Salutem! or L.S. (Greetings to the Reader!)

One would think in the most unknown of worlds, homosexuality would be the last thing allowed or accepted throughout its storied history. However, according to ancient records homosexuality dates back to the 16th century BC and the Shang Dynasty. The term “Luan Feng” was used to describe homosexuals in the records and the historical traces seemed to persist throughout the ages.

Homosexuality in the Ancient World

What Would Sappho Say?

Lectori Salutem! or L.S. (Greetings to the Reader!)

This starts a series about homosexuality throughout the world and through time before us.

Well, if we are going to talk about great homosexuals, we might as well start with Alexander the Great who commanded his first battles at the early age of 16 and went on to conquer all of the known world. He subdued every opponent in his path from the Greek city-states to the kingdoms of North Africa, Asia Minor and Persia. He was known for relentlessness in battle but also for being magnanimous to the vanquished. His devotion to his friends and companions was legendary, and so was the love that he shared almost exclusively with his male peers starting from a young age.