Shiite militias, following strict Islamic theology, continue to terrorize Baghdad. Although Sistani may have revoked his murderous fatwa against all gay people, the pogroms continue. Money quote:
The death threat was delivered to Karazan’s father early in the morning by a masked man wearing a police uniform. The scribbled note was brief. Karazan had to die because he was gay. In the new Baghdad, his sexuality warranted execution by the religious militias. The father was told that if he did not hand his son over, other family members would be killed.
What scares the city’s residents is how the fanatics’ list of enemies is growing. It includes girls who refuse to cover their hair, boys who wear theirs too long, booksellers, liberal professors and prostitutes. Three shops known to sell alcohol were bombed yesterday in the Karrada shopping district.
Rumsfeld’s policy of just enough troops to lose has resulted in a new Taliban in Iraq. It pains me beyond measure to see the following quote from a gay activist in Iraq:
"We could never envisage this happening when Saddam was overthrown. I had no love for the former President, but his regime never persecuted the gay community."
God help them.
The Dish 