In his July 23, 2023 column in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabas, liberal Kuwaiti journalist Ahmad Al-Sarraf expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and the suffering experienced by its members mainly in Arab and Muslim countries, but also in the West. He wrote that homosexuality exists in all societies and that the attempts to ignore or conceal it, and the calls for attacks on gays, are futile. At the same time, he also criticized what he described as “a wave of tolerance or leniency and [even] encouragement" of homosexuality in Western societies. Al-Sarraf wrote that this issue must be dealt with in a civilized and humane manner, including by taking legislative measures in Kuwait to address it intelligently.
Ahmad Al-Sarraf (Source: Dasmannews.com, January 18, 2022)
The following are translated excerpts from Al-Sarraf’s column:
“Homosexuality exists in every society on earth, without exception. Ignoring it, trying to sweep it under the carpet, or foolishly demanding to wipe out homosexuals are [solutions] which history has proved to be absurd, and therefore [the issue] must be handled through free and intelligent debate.
“Determining the precise percentage of homosexuals among children who have just been born is a difficult proposition, due to various factors: [determining] sexual orientation, or whether someone is gay or not, is a complex matter that becomes easier the older the person grows. The issue is also influenced by genetic, hormonal and environmental factors, most of which cannot be accurately determined when the child is born. Research shows that sexual orientation is not a conscious choice or something that can be influenced or accurately predicted at a young age. However, it is known that a percentage of infants are born with genitals that are deformed or don’t match their [chromosomal] sex. The rate varies from one society to another, but there is no society or even large clan that can claim that it is better than the others or that all its infants are sexually ‘normal,’ without defect.
“In light of this, it is very difficult to understand this whole attack on gays by some elements. It reflects [only] their prejudice and deliberate ignorance of the scientific facts that explain why some people are sexually different from the majority, to some extent. These people live among us and we know them by name and even by the senior positions [they fill, and their sexual orientation] never detracted from their performance or made them less than human.
“On the other hand, in the Western societies there is a wave of tolerance or leniency and [even] encouragement of homosexuality. Countries differ greatly in their position on gays: some recognize their existence and even their right to same-sex marriage, while others sentence them to death. The Amnesty organization recognizes the rights of homosexuals, [and advocates] allowing them to donate blood and recognizing their relationships and [even] their right to adopt [children] and be parents!
“There is no doubt that Western and other societies [also] have broad sectors, which are constantly growing, that oppose the spread of [the ideals of] the sexual liberation movement regarding gays, and almost violently oppose the idea of same-sex marriage… They also vociferously oppose the worryingly lax attitude toward the dissemination of gay culture, and the insertion of the "gay" issue into the curricula for children under the age of eight. Whether we like it or not, this will influence the sexual orientation [of the children] in the future. And therefore it is necessary to deal with the issue in a civilized and humane manner.
“In more than one article, I have already expressed my understanding and sympathy for the situation of those who belong to this group and for the suffering they experience at the hands of the authorities in their countries, especially in the Islamic ones – but what we see in several Western countries, particularly in the U.S., is unacceptable in any form…
“The [Kuwaiti] legislators are called upon to deal with this issue in a different way. The call made by some, to eradicate or destroy [gays], has proven to be ineffectual, not only recently but since the dawn of mankind…”[1]
[1] Al-Qabas (Kuwait) July 23, 2023.
