Brutal gay video
REYHANLI, Turkey -- In the Syrian metropolis of Palmyra, before a gathering of men in a street, the judge, cloaked by a mask and representing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), pronounced the judgment against a pair of individuals found guilty of homosexual practices: their penalty would entail being cast to their demise from the summit of the adjacent Wael Hotel.
He then inquired of one of the condemned men whether he was agreeable to the pronounced verdict. The judge, addressing him, asserted that succumbing to death would aid in purifying him from his transgressions.
"I would rather you put a bullet in my head," Hawas Mallah, a thirty-two-year-old, responded despondently. Mohammed Salameh, the other individual, twenty-one years of age, beseeched them for an opportunity to atone, solemnly swearing that he would never again engage in sexual relations with another male. This detail, among others, was shared by an eyewitness present amidst the spectators on that bright July morning, who furnished The Associated Press with an uncommon firsthand testimony.
"Seize them and cast them down," the judge commanded. Subsequently, other veiled militants bound the men's hands behind their backs and obscured their vision with blindfolds. As recounted by the eyewitness, who provided his testimony in the Turkish city of Reyhanli on the stipulation that he be identified solely by his given name, Omar, due to the apprehension of retaliation, the individuals were then escorted to the rooftop of the four-level hotel.
Known for their horrific execution techniques, ISIS typically employs some of its harshest punishments for individuals suspected of homosexuality. Released videos from the group depict veiled militants suspending men over the sheer drops of structures, either to plunge them head-first or to fling them from the brink. According to OutRight Action International, an organization based in New York, a minimum of thirty-six males in Syria and Iraq have been put to death by ISIS combatants on accusations of sodomy; however, Hossein Alizadeh, their coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, stated that ascertaining the sexual orientation of those victims was unfeasible.
Under the dominion of ISIS, the terror of a dreadful demise for gay men is additionally exacerbated by their societal ostracism within a profoundly traditional community that predominantly spurns them.
Numerous adherents of Islam deem same-sex relations to be a transgression. Consequently, homosexual men are perpetually plagued by the prospect that someone, potentially even a family member, might divulge their whereabouts to the militants, either to gain approval from ISIS or simply due to animosity towards their sexual preference. ISIS combatants occasionally inflict torment upon individuals believed to be homosexual to extract the names of their associates and to inspect their laptops and mobile devices. Remarkably, even amidst those who oppose ISIS, gay individuals receive scant compassion. Some members of the populace, who might be appalled by other horrific acts perpetrated by ISIS, contend that the slaying of homosexuals is warranted. Moreover, Syrian insurgent factions have likewise perpetrated violence against or mistreated gay persons.
A twenty-six-year-old Syrian gay individual disclosed to the AP that, even after two years had passed since his escape to Turkey, he still awakens disturbed by nocturnal terrors in which he is on the verge of being catapulted from a structure. This man provided his statement on the understanding that he be referred to as Daniel Halaby, the moniker he currently employs in his efforts to monitor ISIS's horrific acts, and that, for his personal security, the Turkish city where he resides remain undisclosed.
According to Halaby, he was exposed to the militants in 2013 by a companion from his youth who had subsequently adopted extremist views and enlisted with ISIS, thereby compelling his departure from his native city of Aleppo.
He reflected that his friend "was fully aware of my personal details, including my secular beliefs and my sexual orientation as gay. I am confident that he is the individual who divulged my identity to Daesh," he stated, referring to the organization by its Arabic acronym for ISIS.
In mid-2013, during that period, ISIS had only recently begun to expand its presence from contiguous Iraq into Syrian territory. The organization did not yet control the extensive swathes of land across both nations that it would seize the subsequent year. Instead, its combatants infiltrated insurgent-controlled zones within Syria, seeking to assert supremacy over other rebel factions, frequently engaging in conflicts for authority and enforcing the group's stringent regulations wherever feasible.
By September of 2013, ISIS combatants had laid siege to the Aleppo district where Halaby resided with his relatives, endeavoring to seize it from the insurgent Free Syrian Army. The opposing parties subsequently engaged in discussions regarding the lifting of the blockade, and it was during these talks that ISIS presented the rebels with a compilation of individuals whose surrender they insisted upon. Halaby recounted that he discovered his name was included on that very list.
Consequently, he expeditiously fled to Turkey.
In his Turkish residence, his sleeping quarters are adorned with a standard of the Syrian opposition, alongside a rainbow banner that encompasses an entire partition. His parents, who continue to reside in Aleppo, decline to communicate with him on account of his sexual orientation. When he views footage depicting the slaying of homosexual individuals, he expressed that "What most deeply grieves me is this profound sensation of helplessness."
Halaby stated that, in Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center, the lives of homosexual individuals were perpetually concealed. When non-religious, tranquil demonstrations commenced against President Bashar Assad in 2011, he promptly became involved, confident that these movements would ultimately result in a democratic administration "that would honor all individuals irrespective of their faith, ethnic origin, religious faction, or sexual identity."
He lamented, "We proved to be exceedingly unsophisticated." He further observed, "What transpired was precisely the reverse."
Subhi Nahas, a twenty-eight-year-old gay Syrian currently residing in San Francisco, indicated that his departure was due to apprehension that his own father might hand him over to the Nusra Front, an organization affiliated with al Qaeda, which has similarly singled out gay individuals.
Nahas recalled that when his father discovered his homosexuality, he labeled him a disgrace to the family and physically assaulted him. Concurrently, in late 2013, Nusra combatants initiated a suppressive operation targeting individuals believed to be homosexual in Maaret al-Numan, Nahas's hometown. This operation involved apprehending twenty-five males and proclaiming via mosque public address systems their intent to purge the locality of those engaging in same-sex acts.
He conveyed to the AP that, given the "issues in my relationship with my father, I could not discount the possibility that he might indeed (hand me over)."
Therefore, he initially departed for Lebanon, followed by Turkey. Yet, while in Turkey, he recounted, he started receiving menacing communications from a one-time classmate who had since joined ISIS. Apprehensive about his security even within Turkey, he officially relocated to the United States in June. That August, Nahas, accompanied by a gay Iraqi man, addressed the first-ever U.N. Security Council session that was dedicated to highlighting brutality and prejudice against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender individuals, speaking on the plight of homosexuals in their respective nations.
According to human rights organizations, the societal disapproval associated with same-sex orientation renders it challenging to record ISIS killings and ascertain the identities of casualties. Relatives and acquaintances decline to discuss the deceased. Homosexual individuals living under ISIS governance are petrified to communicate, and the majority of those who manage to flee abroad seek refuge.
The primary informational conduit, therefore, is ISIS's own pronouncements; however, the group frequently refrains from identifying the casualties. This practice is perhaps done out of consideration for their relatives, who might react with fury at having their names openly associated with individuals of same-sex orientation.
Alizadeh commented that "Such a savage display of homicide condemns LGBT individuals to a perpetual condition of dread, and it would effectively rob them of the customary existence that is rightfully due to any human being."
Indeed, pervasive societal antagonism renders the collective even more susceptible to harm.
"They are transgressing divine statutes and engaging in an act prohibited within the Islamic faith, so this constitutes a justifiable retribution," stated Hajji Mohammed, an inhabitant of Mosul, the northern Iraqi metropolis controlled by ISIS. In that city, the group has hurled males presumed to be homosexual from the Insurance Building, a prominent structure approximately ten stories in height.
Ultimately, by utilizing this macabre technique, ISIS intends to demonstrate to extremists its unwavering implementation of the harshest interpretations of Islamic doctrine - a form of "ideological purity" that the group proudly asserts sets it apart even from rival combatants. The organization proclaimed in its online English-language magazine, Dabiq, that this punishment "will protect the Muslims from treading the same rotten course that the West has chosen to pursue."
Notably, the Quran recounts the narrative concerning Lot and the annihilation of Sodom - furthermore, in Arabic, sodomy is referred to as "liwat," a term derived from Lot's name.
The Quran states that males engaging in sexual relations with one another ought to be penalized; however, it omits specifics on the execution of such punishment, adding that they should be unmolested if they atone. Conversely, capital punishment for this offense originates from the Hadith, which comprises narratives of the utterances of the prophet Muhammad. These accounts, however, vary regarding the execution technique, and certain narratives prescribe milder sanctions under specific circumstances.
Specifically, ISIS derives its retributive method from a particular account wherein Muhammad is said to have stated that gay individuals "should be thrown from a considerable elevation and then stoned."
However, prior to the emergence of ISIS, this specific method was seldom employed, although other militant groups have sought the demise of gay individuals. For instance, during their governance in Afghanistan throughout the 1990s, the Taliban utilized their own distinct approach: the culprit would be placed into an excavation, and subsequently, a masonry barrier would be brought down upon them.
Nevertheless, the majority of lenient Islamic religious authorities disregard the capital punishment clauses, even while vehemently condemning same-sex practices. Throughout the Arab world, homosexual individuals have been apprehended and incarcerated on accusations pertaining to "licentiousness"—and, in nations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, they are occasionally subjected to flogging.
Omar, the individual who witnessed the executions in Palmyra, confirmed that he continues to be profoundly disturbed.
The grim event commenced when ISIS militants broadcast over public address systems, summoning males to assemble. Subsequently, a dark-colored van drew to a halt in front of the Wael Hotel, and from it, Mallah and Salameh were escorted forth.
Mallah was the initial individual to be cast down. To ensure he was unable to struggle, he was secured to a seat before being forcibly propelled over the edge.
Upon impact, he landed on his dorsal side, fractured yet still twitching. A combatant then discharged a firearm into his cranium.
Salameh followed, striking the ground with his skull and perishing instantly. Nevertheless, Omar recounted, combatants proceeded to pelt his corpse with rocks.
Subsequently, the remains were suspended in Palmyra's Liberation Plaza for forty-eight hours, with each bearing a signboard affixed to his torso that read: "He incurred the penalty for engaging in the transgression of Lot's folk."