Egypt’s LGBTQ Community Not Illegal But Publicly Condemned

Indie-rock band Mashrou’ Leila may face a performance ban in Egypt after multiple controversial arrests at their recent show in Cairo. Seven concertgoers were arrested after waving LGBTQ pride flags throughout the performance. The Lebanese band and openly gay lead singer Hamed Sinno, have previously been prevented from performing in Jordan.

Although homosexuality is not currently outlawed in Egypt, it is common practice among police officers to arrest citizens they suspect to be homosexuals. To do so they use various charges such as “public indecency” and “debauchery” in place of formal laws against homosexuality. This is not the first incident of arrests in the LGBTQ community in Egypt to reach media prominence- in 2001, around 52 gay men were arrested while their boat was docked in the Nile.

The Egyptian Musicians Syndicate, the department that authorized Mashrou’ Leila’s performance, has released several statements following the concert. This includes a statement from a Syndicate representative that stressed an interest in preserving the “religious, conservative society” that is Egypt. As such, they are taking actions to prevent the band from performing in the future. The popular Lebanese band is known for causing controversy with their outspoken lyrics challenging the political and social status quo.

The High State Security has launched an investigation into the charges after protests by members of the public. In fact, there has been an outpour of support for the defendants on social media by those outraged by the misuse of police power to target and harass innocent concertgoers. This includes writer Mona Eltahawy who tweeted “It is utterly ridiculous to arrest anyone for waving a flag. It is utterly ridiculous to arrest anyone for their sexuality as Egypt does.”

There are also those that support the recent arrests. Deputy head of Al-Azhar University Dr. Abbas Shuman said that those that declare homosexuality in public are shameful, and stated it was “an act of moral terrorism that is no less than the terrorist crimes that violated societies.”

Constant monitoring and unethical targeting by the police has left members of the LGBTQ community feeling immensely unsafe. Authorities have begun using the dating app Grindr to trap homosexual men. The app allows access to personal details and contact information, leaving many homosexual men at great risk of targeting. This gross misconduct is a massive violation of human rights and creates a hostile relationship between the Egyptian government and LGBTQ citizens.

Related