Al-Fatiha Calls for Action Re: Egypt
Al-Fatiha Foundation,
July 24, 2001
Press Release
Media Contact Person:
Faisal Alam
Founder & Director, Al-Fatiha
Cell: 202-390-5305
Email: mfaisalalam@yahoo.com
Less than a week ago 52 men stood in an Eygptian security court charged
with sexual deviance, conspiracy against the state, and for offending Islamic
principles.
A time for action is needed NOW in order to send the Egyptian government a
message that LGBT people will no longer allow the oppression of sexual
minorities within Egypt.
Together with Al-Fatiha, I’m calling for a day of mourning and a day of
solidarity on Wednesday, August 15, 2001 - the first day of the trial of the
accused men.
We are proposing the following:
a) Your organization endorse this call to action!
b) A letter be drafted by endorsing organizations that we will attempt to
deliver to each of the Egyptian embassies and consulates in the USA, Canada,
UK, and around the world. Copies of the letters will be available over email
and can be sent to the Egyptian government and government officials.
c) Hold concurrent demonstrations protesting the detention in front of the
Egyptian Embassy and Consulates in cities including: New York, London,
Washington DC, San Francisco, Atlanta and around the world. These will be
coordinated with local Al-Fatiha chapters as well as local Amnesty
International action teams that endorse the action. Other members of the
community are also urged to hold their own demonstrations. Contact information
for cities around the world will be sent at a later date. If you would like to
be a coordinator or a demonstration in your city email us ASAP!
d) Flood Egyptian embassies and consulates with phone calls, faxes, and
emails on August 15 condemning the trial of the Egyptian men and asking for
their immediate and unconditional release. Contact Information for Egyptian
embassies and consulates will be compiled and sent at a later date.
e) Call for an immediate boycott of all Egyptian tourism by LGBT people
around the world. On August 15 we propose to flood Egyptian tourist agencies
with letters of protest and letters of intention to boycott Egyptian goods and
Egyptian tourism.
Egypt is yet another example of the oppression that LGBT people continue to
face around the world. For the Arab world the case in Egypt represents a
crucial moment in the LGBT movement of the Middle East. The Egyptian
government is cracking down on gay people and we can no longer sit back and
watch the oppression continue!
According to Amnesty International, an international human rights
organization, Egypt, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR), is legally obligated to uphold its principles.
Article 2 (1) of the ICCPR states that "Each State Party to the present
Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within its
territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present
Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property,
birth or other status." This includes the right to be free from
discrimination based on sexual orientation. Amnesty International believes
that the vilification and persecution of persons for their sexuality violate
the most fundamental principles of international human rights law.
I am urging you to endorse this call to action and join us in not only
mourning this tragic occasion in the history of the LGBT world movement, but
also to show solidarity to our sisters and brothers in Egypt.
If you would like to join this call to action please respond by email no
later than Friday, July 27 with your thoughts and your endorsement. An email
list might be created in order to facilitate discussion. This will be
announced at a later date.
We are ONE community and together we can show our solidarity with our
sisters and brothers in Egypt as well as mourn the tragic events that have led
to the trial in Egypt.
Yours in the struggle,
Faisal Alam Founder & Director
Al-Fatiha Foundation
LGBTQ Muslims & Friends
P.S. Please forward this message onto others that may want to join this
call to action!
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