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Homosexuality and Arabic | ||
Tags: Homosexuality | Arabic | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6083 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 9 of 24 02 June 2011 at 4:24pm | IP Logged | ||
I wouldn't say Turkey was that "safe". In autumn 2007, not long after I joined this Forum, I was in an Internet cafe in a poorer part of Istanbul and in fact I was reading this website when my eyes began to sting and there was a strange smell. There were loud noises outside and the man in charge of the cafe said there was a "riot" outside and everyone would have to stay inside. I heard muffled blast sounds, probably tear gas grenades being fired. About half an hour later I could leave. There were a number of police about, some holding machine-pistols, and the tear gas or riot gas they had been using was still detectable. It turned out that the DTP ("Democratic Society Party", later banned) had been trying to hold a march without official permission, so the riot police attacked them, using tear gas canisters, truncheons etc. I was told it was not far off being an everyday phenomenon, not the kind of thing the foreign media would cover. I don't wish to discuss politics in Turkey too much, and this is not the site for it, but I must be one of the few people to read this Forum while inhaling tear gas. Edited by William Camden on 02 June 2011 at 4:25pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 5845 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 10 of 24 02 June 2011 at 6:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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I agree Turkey is not perfect but in comparison to some Arab countries you must agree it's preferable. Last time I visited Istanbul my impression was positive. It is very westernised and touristy. However, I only visited for a short period so it's hard to draw any conclusions about the quality of life there.
Dizzycloud, in all honesty I would advise you to avoid muslim countries and the associated languages. Unless of course you have a militant spirit, and want to make a point of fighting homophobia. In your place I would just be glad to be born in a tolerant country. Edited by Sennin on 02 June 2011 at 6:40pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| translator2 Senior Member United States Joined 6730 days ago 848 posts - 1862 votes Speaks: English* | Message 11 of 24 02 June 2011 at 6:29pm | IP Logged | ||
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I say go ahead and learn the language (it is a fascinating language anyway). Who knows, perhaps by speaking and/or writing to natives, you can help change their minds and attitudes about homosexuality. You may also be able to help Arabic speakers who are homosexual by telling them about places where they can live in peace.
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| Desertbandit Groupie Netherlands Joined 4911 days ago 80 posts - 104 votes Speaks: Arabic (Iraqi)* | Message 12 of 24 03 June 2011 at 1:16am | IP Logged | ||
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I do not see the big problem here just don't tell anyone youre gay and there shouldn't be a problem I mean not everyone needs to know your sexual preference keep it private.
Also... some of you behave as if everyone in the middle east is a barbaric ape while some of you probaly never even went there , I especially find that post about ''not going to Libya because you look so western'' extremly anoying , I would rather say that the current situation back then in Libya was way to unstable to visit instead of blaming it on the people . How come I must agree ''turkey'' is preferable automaticly comapred to the middle east? Whats wrong with the middle east not all of it is a war zone and not all of them are extremist terrorists . Edited by Desertbandit on 03 June 2011 at 1:17am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| languageguy13 Diglot Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4741 days ago 9 posts - 13 votes Speaks: Spanish, French Studies: Mandarin, Portuguese | Message 13 of 24 03 June 2011 at 1:18am | IP Logged | ||
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Some areas like Tel-Aviv in Israel where English and Arabic are the main languages are quite gay-friendy. There are some places that are safe and liberal for homosexuals where arabic is spoken, it just depends where you'd want to go :)
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| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 5845 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 14 of 24 03 June 2011 at 9:51am | IP Logged | ||
Desertbandit, I'm pretty sure Istanbul is more gay-friendly than, say, Baghdad. Based on the documentaries I've watched, I can draw some comparisons. But it is true this is not my area of expertise. To my credit, I did say "some Arab countries", and not "all Arab countries". Another thing to keep in mind is that homosexuality is not criminalized in Turkey. In many Arab countries homosexual people are actively persecuted. Look at the map: 
Gray areas signify that homosexuality is not penalised, but there is no specific protection either. Blue means various forms of legal protection and recognition; Then we have various shades of red, the darkest being death penalty, slightly lighter means life in prison, and orange is "large penalty". It is funny, the other day I was reading a post on another forum about this. It was written by a Turkish gay guy, who said just how horrible the attitude was in his country. If Turkey is horrible I can't imagine what the dark red countries must be like. That guy wanted to emigrate to the US. People on the forum advised him that the US is probably not the best choice (although it's considerably better than some other destinations), and that he would be happier in Canada or (Western-) Europe. From the map we can deduce that Latin America is also rather gay-friendly. Edited by Sennin on 03 June 2011 at 12:53pm 11 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Desertbandit Groupie Netherlands Joined 4911 days ago 80 posts - 104 votes Speaks: Arabic (Iraqi)* | Message 15 of 24 03 June 2011 at 12:11pm | IP Logged | ||
But that was not the problem I had with your comment.
"It is westernized and touristy " As if everything that is not western is below it and western life style is the obviously the better one . ''Dizzycloud, in all honesty I would advise you to avoid muslim countries and the associated languages'' This kind of thinking creates distrust and wrong perception about other cultures , because something is different doesn't mean that you should treat everything that comes from it as Hostile . There are also allot of non Muslim countries who aren't so welcoming at Homosexuality, Korea is one for example yes in law they tolerate it but the reality is very different . Im just saying , people who aren't a big fan of gay rights does not automatically make them evil scum. Also you cannot deduce how a country and its people are is based on its laws as a former Law student I know this Ethics do not always comprehend with law. That for example its legal to be gay in south America it doesn't mean its accepted or even tolerated . Edited by Desertbandit on 03 June 2011 at 12:15pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 5845 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 16 of 24 03 June 2011 at 12:29pm | IP Logged | ||
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Desertbandit, I was not insinuating everything western is better; Just sharing my impression of Istanbul. The city is a rare combination of the nice things about Islamic culture, it has all of the cool stuff, and not much of the problems. So let's not turn it into (yet another) political discussion.
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