Do all Arab countries criminalize homosexuality?

The issue of homosexuality, in terms of societal acceptance, as well as laws and laws on gay rights, has been one of the major concerns of the international community during the last decade.

In the Arab world, this question has complex dimensions, given the patriarchal, conservative and religious nature of these societies. Celestial religions criminalize homosexuality and regard it as a sin and a crime for which sharia is accountable to the law and society before the state.

The legal legislation of a number of Arab countries is also confronted with this phenomenon through effective laws under which homosexuals and lesbians are subjected to and are subject to negative penalties for freedom, of which here are some examples:

In Oman, homosexual relations between men and women are illegal under paragraphs 33 and 223 of the Penal Code, the offense being punishable by imprisonment for up to three years. . In the United Arab Emirates, Article 354 of the Federal Penal Code provides for the death penalty. Anyone who uses coercion to interrogate a woman or for sodomy with a man is also considered mandatory if the victim is under fourteen at the time of the crime. Imprisonment of 3 years maximum.

In Lebanon, legal battles are raging and several courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which prohibits sexual relations "contrary to the natural order", is not used to detain homosexuals but continues to be used to stop homosexual police officers. Arab Barometer survey results * Only 6% of respondents said they accepted homosexuality.

In Qatar, article 296 of the current Penal Code provides for up to five years' imprisonment for homosexual men. In Jordan, there was no law criminalizing homosexuality after the repeal of the 1951 British Mandate Criminal Code. However, "public morality" could be a pretext for prosecuting homosexuals, according to the barometer survey. Arabic, 7%.

In Egypt, the Pew Research Center surveyed 95% of Egyptians surveyed, who said that homosexuality was unacceptable in Egyptian society, compared to only 3%. Egyptian law does not explicitly criminalize homosexuality, but several provisions criminalize any behavior that may be considered immoral or flagrant. Egyptian law also combats "prostitution" and contains articles prohibiting "debauchery", which the Egyptian court may interpret as criminalizing homosexual relations or "the usual practice of debauchery", which is also under the law.

Arab Barometer conducted a survey of more than 25,000 people between late 2018 and spring 2019 in 10 Arab countries, as well as in the Palestinian territories. It included countries from the Middle East and North Africa, the largest and most detailed survey on themes of women's rights, migration, security, sex and religion.

Source: RT

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