Prosecutors in Muslim northern Nigeria have charged 53 people with attending a supposed gay wedding. The arrestees pleaded not guilty to the charge, saying that they were at a birthday party, not a gay wedding. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Sharia
Mike Pence praises anti-LGBT Indonesia as modern Islamic model
While human rights activists criticize Indonesia’s failure to curb anti-LGBT zealots and roll back homophobic fundamentalist Islamic laws, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised Indonesia as a model of “modern Islam” that other Muslim-majority countries should follow. Continue reading
Indonesia keeps persecuting its LGBT citizens
Indonesia is continuing to persecute LGBTI people, Human Rights Watch reports. At a time when two men have been jailed on homosexuality charges, Indonesia President Joko Widodo missed an opportunity to roll back repressive sharia laws. Continue reading
Conservative Indonesians vs. LGBTI rights
LGBTI Indonesians often are at odds with conservative Muslims in their quest for recognition of their human rights. Those confrontations pose particular difficulties, because Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population — more than 200 million, an estimated 95 percent of the total population. But many disputes beyond just faith-based ones are highlighted … Continue reading
Report: Somalia too risky for LGBT people
LGBT asylum-seekers from Somalia have a strong case against being returned to their home country, says solicitor Benjamin Christman, a legal advocate for immigrants in Northern Ireland. In a report published Feb. 2, Christman “sets out the evidence of the treatment of gay persons in Somalia. [His report] sustains the claim that gay persons should … Continue reading
Malaysia: Back to square one for trans women
Back to square one for transgenders as Federal Court overturns landmark ruling on Shariah law That was how the Malay Mail Online summed up today’s court reversal for trans women. As the New Straits Times reported: PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has reversed a Court of Appeal declaration of unconstitutionality against Negri Sembilan’s anti-cross-dressing law for … Continue reading
Malaysia: Federal court reviewing 2014 pro-trans ruling
The Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia, is scheduled to announce a preliminary decision Oct. 8 in a case involving a state-level sharia law (Syariah law) that makes cross-dressing a crime for Muslim men. An appellate court ruled in 2014 that the law, which only applies in Negeri Sembilan state, is invalid. Negeri Sembilan appealed to … Continue reading
10 years later, tally of 92 anti-LGBT nations drops to 76
The arc of history is trending toward justice for LGBTI people worldwide, judging by the latest tallies from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. In an encouraging change from 2006, when the ILGA report listed 92 countries with laws prohibiting sexual acts between consenting same-sex adults, ILGA in its 10th annual … Continue reading
Nigeria: 12 arrests at party; police call it ‘gay wedding’
Sharia police in northern Nigeria have arrested 12 “feminine” young men in the middle of a party that police allege was actually a gathering to celebrate a gay wedding. It wasn’t a marriage ceremony, said 18- to 20-year-old Faruk Maiduguri, whom police accuse of planning to marry 25-year-old Abba Mohammed. ” ‘It was my birthday … Continue reading
For LGBTIs, Nigeria vote is ‘Sharia fanatic’ vs. ‘inept incumbent’
As Nigeria prepares to vote for president on Feb. 14, Nigerian author and activist Yemisi Ilesanmi foresees a choice between bad and worse, especially for LGBTI people who are already oppressed by the country’s new anti-gay law of 2014. The leading candidates are former military leader Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the main opposition party, the … Continue reading
