Petrelis Files

Gay Muslims: Silence from U.S. Gays Needed on Iran's Killings

Al Fatiha, a gay Muslim group, last week issued a press release about Iran's latest public executions of homosexuals and they requested the following:

"Individuals and organizations in the United States are asked to not contact the Iranian government directly or to hold protests to condemn the Iranian government. Given the hostile relationship between the United States and Iran such actions may have a negative backlash against marginalized communities in Iran."

I've never been one to stand silently by while a government anywhere uses the death penalty, especially against homosexuals, so I'm not in agreement whatsoever with Al Fatiha's calls to be mute and inactive over Iran's killings of gays.

What if those individuals who wanted to hit the streets or complain directly to Iranian government officials were Iranian expats living in the U.S.? Would Al Fatiha's request for sitting back apply then? They seem to be assuming that only crusaders for regime change by bombs will complain. Al Fatiha is also trying to force U.S. advocates, of all political and sexual persuasions, to meet their political litmus tests before we can publicly condemn Iran.

You may recall that back in September, Paula Ettelbrick, the executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, faced criticism for her group's lack of participation in street actions about Iran's gay executions and her behind-the-scenes approach.

Veteran journalist and gay human rights advocate Doug Ireland replied to her arguments in a terrific column in New York's Gay City News. Ireland rebutted her thinking with these important words, which I believe also apply to Al Fatiha's call for silence and inaction:

"A strategy of keeping silent about oppression, for fear of riling the oppressors, has never worked at any time in human history. Ettelbrick’s position reminds me of that of certain Jewish elites here just before and during World War II, who said that no public attention should be called to Hitler’s lethal depredations aimed at German Jews, because to do so would only increase Americans’ anti-Semitism. Such a strategy failed miserably then, and it will not succeed now."

And Ireland, I'm pleased to report, has not been the only writer of conscience taking Al Fatiha's and IGLHRC's convoluted reasoning, deconstructing it and then hitting the reject button.

Sean Bugg, editor of Washington, DC's Metro Weekly newspaper wrote a point-by-point response on his publication's blog to Faisil Alam, leader and founder of Al Fatih, and his essay in August questioning anyone in the U.S. raising their voice against the killing of two gay teenagers in Iran in July.

Among Bugg's numerous excellent points was this gem:

"I happen to think the death penalty in the U.S. is a grievous misuse of government power that should be abolished -- so why shouldn't I have an opinion on Iran's misuse of the same gruesome and immoral punishment?"

As far as I know, Alam didn't reply to Bugg.

I'm a proud graduate of the old ACT UP street activist school of social change and still believe the following is true, perhaps more than ever.

Silence = Death.