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"Stop blaming God"

All forms of human rights violations and injustices are closely linked, says author, filmmaker and activist, Abdellah Taia. Last week he shared his experiences during the Oslo Freedom Forum conference.




(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

Monday to Wednesday last week, the Oslo Freedom Forum took place in Oslo. Behind the conference, which is being held for the seventh time this year, stands the American organization Human Rights Foundation. The organization was founded by Norwegian-Venezuelan Thor Halvorssen in 2005. Among the speakers at this year's conference were the Moroccan writer and filmmaker Abdellah Taia, the first artist to openly advocate as a gay in Morocco, where homosexuality is currently prohibited by law. “I grew up in a country where homosexuality does not exist. I had no choice but to accept existence as non-existent, ”says Abdellah Taia to a packed hall in Oslo New Theater.

Composite. Taia, who has lived in Paris since 1999, has published nine novels – many of them with homosexuality as the theme. His books have been translated into several languages, including Arabic. The author publicly appeared as gay in 2007 in an interview with the Moroccan newspaper Telquel. The reactions did not wait. The editor of Morocco's largest newspaper Al Massae condemned Taia in an editorial, urging public television channels not to spend money on interviewing him. Several bloggers should also have been encouraged to use violence against Taia.

He himself believes that all discrimination is based on the same thing. "All oppression, all forms of discrimination, are closely linked – therefore it is important for me to emphasize that I do not primarily fight against oppression of LGBT people, but against oppression in general," Taia told Ny Tid after the lecture. "It's the same thing that happens again, whether it's homophobia, Islamophobia, or terrorism. A common denominator is that they often tend to blame God, or refer to religion to defend their right to discriminate and oppress others, "he says. As a gay Arab and Muslim, it is not uncommon for him to encounter discriminatory attitudes – also in France. According to Taia, the hostile climate has worsened after the terrorist attacks that shook the country in January. "Even in so-called secular societies, you will find rules of living that must be followed so slavishly that they become a kind of religious norm," he says. “Take, for example, Muslims in secular societies. If you stand openly as a Muslim, you are quickly branded a conservative or criminal by the so-called secular. Is it freedom of speech? ” Taia asks ironically.

He decided to move to Paris in 1999 to study film. Growing up in the Moroccan city of Salèh, just outside the capital, Rabat, he describes as difficult. He was regularly subjected to violence and abuse by older men. "I left Morocco, which I love and hate because I wanted to study film in Paris. But beneath this desire was also a certainty that it was necessary for me to leave the country if I wanted to live freely, ”says Taia.

He says it took several years before he could resume contact with his family after he emerged gay. “For me, it is extremely important to distinguish between society and individuals. Many taboos in Moroccan society as well as suppressed sexuality mean that abuse is a frequent occurrence, ”says Taia, pointing out that he has no desire to distance himself from his Moroccan background. "Growing up as gay and poor in Morocco was difficult, but that's why I want to keep as close as possible to youth in my home country," he says. “Growing up as gay without seeing that there are others like you is very stressful. The most important thing I can convey to young people is that they have the same rights as everyone else and that they have to challenge the system. It's infinitely important, ”says Taia.

In 2013, Taiya became the first film Salvation army shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is based on Taiya's book of the same name, and has since been shown at film festivals around the world with good publicity in international media.

"I'm aware of the fact that many consider me a kind of hero – I'm gay, I'm Arab and I'm Muslim – but I certainly don't want to be portrayed as that," Taia says. “Despite a difficult upbringing in poor conditions, I have managed to establish a career as an artist, so I acknowledge that I have done something important – but I am by no means a hero. It is important for me to convey that one does not have to achieve what I have to talk about liberation, or to have the right to accept who you are, ”Taia emphasizes.

Development. On May 23, same-sex marriage was adopted by a referendum in Ireland, where homosexuality was banned until 1993. A total of 3,2 million people took part in the election. Only one of the country's 43 constituencies should have voted no for same-sex marriage. Ireland thus becomes the 19th country in the world where gay marriage is legal. However, Taia warns against believing that we have come further than we have, despite some uplifting changes. “Of course, I'm not against gay marriage, but I'm afraid that you stop working for gay rights when laws like this are achieved. I am also afraid that some of the solidarity among LGBT people will be weakened as a result of self-fulfillment, ”says Taia. He emphasizes that no country can yet be said to have achieved complete equality for LGBT people. "No country, not even in the West, has a hundred percent acceptance of gays. Although the legislation in the country may indicate that gays have the same rights as heterosexuals, gays are often seen as something different and different. There are fundamental structural differences in the way gay and heterosexual people are treated, ”he says. "How to change this? I think it is a change of attitude. It is important to remember that only gays can know what it means to be gay, ”concludes Taia.


Heinesen is a journalist at Ny Tid.
carima@nytid.no

Carima Tirillsdottir Heinesen
Carima Tirillsdottir Heinesen
Former journalist for MODERN TIMES.

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