By Mariana Navarrete, Arts & Culture Editor
The LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan lives in fear of persecution and death under the Taliban regime in the country.
The Taliban is expected to implement a stringent interpretation of Sharia law, which means homosexuality would be punishable by death.
Sharia law is a form of rule derived from Islamic tradition that governs social, political, and moral duties of Muslims. Interpretations vary throughout Islamic countries, but the Taliban’s strict interpretation violates the human rights of Afghans.
“There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country,” Waheedullah Hashimi, senior Taliban member, told Reuters. “We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan, because it is clear. It is Sharia law and that is it.”
Associate professor of European and security studies at Saint Leo University, Dr. Marco Rimanelli, asserts that any Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group, like the Taliban, is hostile to homosexuality in all forms and will persecute any open member.
“Now with the Taliban in control the LGBTQ+ community is toast!” said Rimanelli.
According to NBC News, Kimahli Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, a Toronto-based organization that assists LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum-seekers said, “People are using whatever means they can to get out. That’s what it means for the LGBTQ+ community.”
“There is real fear that a resurgent Taliban government will target the LGBTQ+ community, and I think that fear is founded,” Powell said. “At the moment, everyone who feels they may be targeted by the Taliban are looking for solutions.”
Currently, the death penalty may be applied to same-sex conduct in up to 11 countries, including Afghanistan, according to a report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
The criminalization of consensual same-sex conduct has created a culture of harassment, violence, and discrimination. According to TIME, members of the LGBTQ+ community do not have access to health services and are more prone to be unemployed. Organizations who try to promote human rights are driven underground because they cannot legally register with the government.
Even with those who have fled and will flee the Taliban regime, challenges remain wherever they seek asylum. From migration detention centers, to lack of mental health services, to fear of persecution and violence because of their identity, the LGBTQ+ community’s quest for safety seems endless.
“The Biden administration’s focus is to evacuate dual citizens. Many have been left behind and for what I know, nothing focuses on members of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Rimanelli.
Rimanelli further mentions that in order for the LGBTQ+ community to receive assistance to evacuate through the United States, they would need U.S. documentation. Providing documents stating their American citizenship or ties with the American forces would be vastly beneficial. However, any documents alluding to their membership of the LGBTQ+ community are recommended to be concealed.
Rimanelli also outlined that other European countries would privilege Afghani who worked with them, but not necessarily LGBTQ+ members who would not be welcomed in any Muslim country for asylum. Therefore, as the LGBTQ+ community is urged to flee Afghanistan to Pakistan or Iran, he doubts their asylum acceptance.
“They would be openly persecuted as homosexuals in both countries. So, they have to somehow make it to Dubai and ask for refugee assistance as LGBTQ, but they will not be admitted in the United States until they have a full security clearance in the background,” said Rimanelli. “As hundreds of American and NATO related civilians remain trapped in Afghanistan, the LGBTQ+ issue is not discussed at all as it should.”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the political and military alliance among 28 European and two North American countries.
Though the current Taliban regime presents itself as more moderate, many human rights groups are concerned about its veracity. A Taliban judge told the German tabloid Bild last month that gay men would be executed by being crushed to death.
Members of the LGBGTQ+ community in Afghanistan remain uncertain about their safety under the current Taliban ruling. To flee is a privilege, but the journey to live a peaceful and safe life is long for some or never-ending for others.
