Horrific and heartbreaking news came out of Israel last week. A young, gay Palestinian man was brutally murdered and beheaded after being threatened, stalked, and harassed for two years. Ahmad Hakam Hamdi Abu Marhia, 25, had plans to seek asylum in Canada at the time of his killing. Tragically, Marhia was set to move in just two months when he was killed.
25-year-old Ahmad Abu Marhia, whose decapitated body was discovered in Hebron, had previously been the subject of death threats over his sexual identity.
He had a permit to remain in Israel while he applied for asylum in a third countryhttps://t.co/mwSaA8JRGq
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) October 7, 2022
As previously reported by The Advocate, “Palestinian Authority police arrested a suspect near the scene, according to The Times of Israel. The suspect, whose name was not released, had recorded a video of the killing and put it on social media. A police spokesman said this was “a new kind of crime in Palestine” and urged people not to share the video, the Times reports.” A presenter for Karama Radio Station also spoke to The Times of Israel and was quoted saying,
“[this crime] crossed every single red line in our society, whether in terms of morals, customs, or basic humanity”.
“Being queer is a crime in many parts of the Middle East [but not in Israel].” Erez Bialer, 39, the owner of the Pan Homo Art Gallery, the only queer art gallery in the region messaged Instinct Magazine explaining,
“As an Israeli gay man, I feel mortified by the heinous crimes inflicted upon my Palestinian brothers, not very far from here. Palestinian authorities must be held accountable for crimes like this.”
This pains & saddens me to my very core.
Remember this young man’s face & name whenever you question why the #LGBTIQ community needs #pride events.
There is still worldwide persecution of people based on love & identity.
It’s abhorrent & it must stop.https://t.co/ZITBp2eNmT
— Paul // Verone 🐱🏳️🌈🐱 (@Verone3784) October 7, 2022
Rainbow Railroad, a charity organization, created to “help LGBTQI+ people escape persecution and violence around the world”, is still much needed for so many of our queer brothers and sisters living in fear hoping to escape the persecution they face daily just for being who they are.
Memorial services for Ahmad Hakam Hamdi Abu Marhia have been happening throughout Israel in the days after his senseless killing. REST IN POWER Ahmad.
Sources: The Advocate
The Muslim culture must do a big change of itself.
Damn, it’s hard to read these type of articles but they’re necessary to showcase how much hatred still exists for gay men around the world.