Egypt doctor under fire for gay clinic

Methods and motives raised alarm

Egypt doctor under fire for gay clinic

CAIRO (Mona Madkur, AlArabiya.net)

AnEgyptian doctor is facing strong criticism from liberals andconservatives alike for opening a clinic to treat homosexuals, withsome charging the clinic has become a meeting place for gays, andothers accusing the doctor himself of being gay.

Dr. Awsam Wasfi, 42, offers a "treatment program" for gays that focuseson boosting their self-esteem and enhancing their communication skills,as well as encouraging them to play sports and work on their religiousbeliefs.

Gayrights organizations in Egypt have lashed out at the psychiatrist for"standing in the way of their human rights" and labeled him "backward"and "ignorant."

The British magazine, Daily Star, ran a lengthy report on the clinic,accusing it of supporting hostile feelings towards gays in Egypt, Wasfitold Al-Arabiya.net.

Meanwhile, conservatives said the clinic is a form of leniency towardspeople who they view as apostates who should be persecuted.

But many Islamic scholars have said that Wasfi's book, called Shefaaal-Hobb (Love Recovery), offers a new way to treat homosexuality.

According to Wasfi, many of his patients are unhappy with being gay andare looking for a way out: "Lots of them want to be treated, but theirproblems are met with scorn. When society rejects them, they feeldesperate and lose hope in changing their situation."

Wasfi's methods are not officially recognized, and are at odds withprevailing medical practices, which have not considered homosexualityan ailment since 1973.

"In the West, doctors help homosexuals to accept themselves as they areand to adapt based on their chosen sexual identity…Doctors who try tomake homosexuals straight could even be sued by gay rightsorganizations," he said.

When asked whether homosexuality is genetic or acquired, Wasfi replies,"No child is born homosexual. It is either social or as a result ofsome childhood sexual abuse."

Wasfi says he prefers not use medication, and that he mostly depends onpsychological counseling to encourage patients to communicate better.Treatment usually takes 5 to 7 years, he said, adding that manypatients lose hope along the process.

"But lots of them recover eventually. Some are even married with children now," he said.

Wasfi denied that his clinic is a meeting place for gays, saying thathe has strict rules against that: "I actually kicked some of them out,yet many came back after realizing the real purpose of the clinic."

Others even accused Wasfi of being gay himself and using the clinic tomeet other gays. "I am married with two kids, and I have pictures withthem everywhere in the clinic," Wasfi said.

Wasfi said he hasn't advertised anywhere and doesn't have a signoutside his clinic: "It's still a bit embarrassing in a conservativesociety. I basically depend on word of mouth for the time being."


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).