2 Gay Men Killed in Iraq

Iraqi police: 2 gay men killed in Baghdad slum

By SAMEER N. YACOUB – April 4, 2009

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi police say the bodies of two gay men have been found in Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City after a leading cleric repeatedly condemned homosexuality.

A police official says the two men were believed killed Thursday by relatives who were shamed by their behavior.

The killings come after Shiite cleric Sattar al-Battat repeatedly condemned homosexuality during prayers, saying Islam prohibits homosexuality.

The official says no family members have claimed the bodies or demanded an investigation.

The killings come weeks after Iraqi police found four bodies near Sadr City with the word pervert written on their chests.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Picture of the Week: Activist in a Veil; Islam's Soft Revolution

Islam's Soft Revolution

Olivia Arthur / Magnum for TIME

Activist in a Veil

Dalia Ziada, a champion of women's rights and free speech, translated a comic-book history of Martin Luther King into Arabic in order to promote civil disobedience. She is also the organizer of Cairo's first human rights film festival. When authorities shut down the movie theater she had rented for the affair, she moved the entire opening night proceedings to a boat on the Nile, where the films could be shown beyond the reach of the law.

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