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19 Colum. J. Gender & L. 617 (2010)
Fatwas and Fags: Violence and the Discursive Production of Abject Bodies

handle is hein.journals/coljgl19 and id is 627 raw text is: FATWAS AND FAGS: VIOLENCE AND THE DISCURSIVE PRODUCTION OF ABJECT BODIES BARRAK ALZAID* A recent New York Times article sports the headline, Iraq's Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder, and describes the violent backlash against the growing gay subculture that arose in the wake of the United States's security interventions in Iraq.' Such rhetoric establishes gay as a nascent community, rendered undeniably visible by violence and threats of physical harm. This visibility is typified by the political work of Iraqi LGBT, an Iraqi-led United Kingdom based organization that advocates for equal rights within Iraq.2 Although activist discourses express outrage that the killings remain largely unaddressed in spite of democratic rule, violence is not actually incongruous with the current juridico-democratic structures installed by the United States in Iraq. In 2005, Ayatollah Sistani, an independent religious scholar with a considerable base of Shiite supporters in Iraq, issued a fatwa on his website, www.sistani.org, that condemned al-lowat, a term later translated by activist groups and news media as homosexual or gay.3 The fatwa, an interpretation of the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammed's teachings, has the potential to define everyday practices and modes of being for that religious leader's followers. Although any Muslim can technically follow any fatwa, the norms and practices of their particular community will * An academic, activist and artist: Alzaid explores gender and sexuality in the Middle East and its diaspora, including the formation of LGBT activist communities, the transmission of affect in digital media, and violence as a creative force. Alzaid's art and activist work ranges from film and performance (including a documentary exploring South African artist Pieter Dirk-Uys's transgressive use of camp to critique Apartheid) to community based initiatives on wealth redistribution and food justice. 1 Timothy Williams & Tariq Maher, Iraq's Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. 8, 2009, at Al. 2 About, IRAQI LGBT, http://iraqilgbt.org.uk/about/ (last visited Nov. 15, 2010). 3 Sistani Removes 'Death Fatwa' to Gays, IRAQI LBGT (May 12, 2006, 21:54 GMT) http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/2006/05/ sistani-removes-death-to-gays-fatwa.html.

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