Unspeakable Love: Notes to Chapter 7
1. ‘Saudi executes gay lovers for killing Pakistani.’ Reuters, 13 March 2003
2. Foreword to Schmitt, Arno, and Jehoeda Sofer: Sexuality and eroticism among males in Moslem societies. Harrington Park Press, New York, 1992. Page x.
3. ibid.
4. Massad, Joseph: “Re-orienting desire: the Gay International and the Arab world”, Public Culture 14 (2), pages 361-385. For a précis see: http://www.uchicago.edu/research/jnl-pub-cult/backissues/pc37/massad.html
5. Ghafari, Iman al-: ‘Is there a lesbian identity in the Arab culture?’ Al-Raida (Lebanese American University, Beirut) Vol XX, no 99, fall 2002/2003. pp 86-90.
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay
8. Khawal was originally a term for male transvestite dancers who, in the 19th century, were regarded as a respectable substitute for female dancers. Today is often used as an insult to cast aspersions on a man’s masculinity.
9. Lagrange, op cit. pp 169-198.
10. In a time of torture: The assault on justice in Egypt's crackdown on homosexual conduct. Report by Human Rights Watch, March 2004. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/egypt0304/
11. This is not necessarily the reality, however. A gay interviewee in Cairo insisted that a lot of married Egyptian men favour the passive role when having sex with other men.
12. Massad, op cit. p 372.
13. ‘The trials and tribulations of Lebanon’s young gays.’ Daily Star, Beirut, October 26, 1998. ‘Gays and lesbians face uphill battle for acceptance.’ Daily Star, July 9, 2003. ‘Hiding themselves in the crowd.’ Middle East Times, August 1999 (http://www.metimes.com/issue99-33/eg/egypt_gay_underground.htm). ‘Refugee status.’ The New Republic, August 19, 2002 (http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020819&s=halevi081902).
14. For example: ‘Impressions of America 2004.’ Survey by Zogby International for the Arab American Institute. http://www.aaiusa.org/PDF/Impressions_of_America04.pdf
15. ‘Hiding themselves in the crowd.’ Middle East Times, August 1999. http://www.metimes.com/issue99-33/eg/egypt_gay_underground.htm
16. Khayyat, Munira:‘Sex: revolution or revulsion.’ Daily Star, April 15, 1999.
17. ibid.
18. Singh-Bartlett, Warren: ‘The trials and tribulations of Lebanon’s young gays.’ Daily Star, October 26, 1998.
19. Massad, op cit, pp 361-362
20. Interview in Beirut, March 2005.
21. Letter from al-Fatiha, published on Behind the Mask website. http://www.mask.org.za/SECTIONS/AfricaPerCountry/ABC/egypt/egypt_032.htm
22. Interview in Cairo, May 2005.
23. See, for example, the address by President George Bush to the National Endowment for Democracy, 6 November 2003. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031106-2.html and http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/reform/bush2003.htm
24. Gwertzman, Bernard: ‘Bush mistakes Arab autocracies for Soviet totalitarianism.’ Interview with Daniel Brumberg, associate professor at Georgetown University. Council on Foreign Relations, November 7, 2003. http://www.cfr.org/publication.php?id=6516
25. For the full text of the document see: http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/international/gmep2004.htm. For a discussion of its contents see “Beware instant democracy”, by Brian Whitaker. Guardian Unlimited, March 15, 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1169776,00.html
26. For example: The Alexandria statement, March 2004 http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/reform/alex2004.htm; Saudi National Reform Document, January 2003 http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/saudi/reform2003.htm; ‘Three Middle Eastern imperatives: freedom, democracy and justice’ – statement by 40 civil society groups, Daily Star, September 25, 2004 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=8698; The Sana’a declaration, January 2004 (refers to Africa and Asia as well as the Arab countries) http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/reform/sanaa2004.htm
27. ‘Three Middle Eastern imperatives: freedom, democracy and justice’ – statement by 40 civil society groups, Daily Star, September 25, 2004 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=8698
28. Whitaker, Brian: 'Highway to hell.’ Guardian Unlimited, June 2, 2003. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,968945,00.html
29. Whitaker, Brian: ‘Saudi ban on female doll imports.’ The Guardian, December 18, 2003. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1109191,00.html
30. ‘Camera phones.’ Arab News, July 14, 2004.
31. The basic format of the programme, which has been adapted for many countries, is to confine a group of young people in a house where their interactions are constantly filmed. Viewers then decide which ones should leave and the last person remaining in the house is declared the winner.
32. ‘House Rules.’ http://www.hawasawa.com/eng/houserules.html. See also:Whitaker, Brian: ‘Reality TV grips and enrages Arab world.,’ The Guardian, March 2, 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1159995,00.html
33. ‘Hawa Sawa: puffing the smoke.’ http://aicha.blogdrive.com/
34. ‘Let’s ban reality television, but not for morality’s sake,’ Daily Star, March 5, 2004.
35. The song, ‘I am what I am’, was written by Jerry Herman for the musical La Cage aux Folles which opened in New York in 1983. It came to be regarded as a gay anthem. http://gayinfo.tripod.com/lyrics.html
36. One Arab organisation which does address diversity issues, and argues that diversity can bring positive benefits, is the Syrian-based Tharwa Project (http://www.tharwaproject.com) which uses the slogan “al-Ikhtilaf Tharwa” – “Difference is Wealth”.