Algeria, Africa

Algeria is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent. The conquest of Algeria by the French (1830-1958) was long and particularly violent, and it resulted in the disappearance of about a third of the Algerian population. In December 1991, the Islamic Salvation Front won the first round of the country's first multi-party elections. The military then intervened and cancelled the second round. It forced then-president Bendjedid to resign and banned all political parties based on religion (including the Islamic Salvation Front). A political conflict ensued, leading Algeria into the violent Algerian Civil War (1992-2002). Much of Algeria is now recovering and developing into an emerging economy. According to Article 388 of the penal code from 1996, sodomy may be punished with imprisonment from two months to 2 years and a fine of 10,000 Algerian dinars. Algerian public attitudes can be 'violently homophobic; gay people can be assassination targets of Islamic fundamentalists and that honor killings by family and neighbors are not rare. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality

 

 

Dozens of students handed prison sentences for the alleged ‘crime’ of attending a ‘gay wedding’

A court in Algeria, where same-sex relations are illegal, has sentenced more than 40 people to prison for attending a “gay wedding”. On September 3, a court in the North African country sent two men immediately to prison and sentenced 42 other people to suspended prison sentences for being at a “gay wedding”, according to… Read more »

Meeting the needs of MSM in the Middle East and North Africa

Manuel Couffignal is a Senior Advisor: Funding and Influence at the Alliance. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), men who have sex with men (MSM) are a particularly vulnerable and highly stigmatised community, and their burden of HIV infection is significantly higher than the general population. From 2005 to 2015, the Alliance worked… Read more »

Gay imam helps young Muslims balance religion, sexuality

Marseille, France (AP) — Growing up in Algeria, Shaira had almost everything a young man could wish for. But he also had a big secret. In a land where homosexuality is still a crime and a sin, he was forced to live a secret life, hiding that he was gay from everyone — even his… Read more »

Gay & Lesbian Mobilization in Algeria: the Emergence of a Movement

Over the past few decades,[i] human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) have became more visible across the world, especially in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).[ii] Eighty-one countries criminalize homosexuality, with penalties ranging from fines and imprisonment to the death penalty. Each country in the MENA region directly… Read more »

Living dangerously: Behind the scenes with Algeria’s first LGBT magazine

In Algeria, a country where homosexuality is criminalized, a group of young activists took the risk of launching a magazine that talks about LGBT issues in North Africa. El-Shad magazine – which means “abnormal” in Arabic – has been available online since Nov. 20. Our Observer, El-Shad’s editor-in-chief O. Harim, told us about the launch… Read more »

Being gay in Algeria: ‘I’ll never live with the one I love’

Thursday was the seventh national LGBT day in Algeria, a country in which homosexuality is illegal. FRANCE 24 spoke with Amelle, an Algerian lesbian who hides her sexual preference rather than risk prison time and familial shame. Under Algerian law, Amelle* is guilty. Her crime: a sexual preference for women. In order to avoid the… Read more »

Lively gay community in Algeria gains visibility

This blog is seeking to improve its coverage of Algeria, both in English and in French. If you can help, include your contact information in a comment, which will not be published unless you indicate that it should be (minus the contact information). “Light a candle to show that we exist.” That’s the invitation that… Read more »

Algerian gays lit candles for recognition

afrol News – The gay and lesbian movement in Algeria is slowly daring to become more visible. This week, they lit thousands of candles in public to mark their fight for decriminalisation and respect. The Union des Gays et Lesbiennes en Algérie (UGLA) is determined to seeks its own way towards liberation, well within the… Read more »

Gay Algeria News & Reports

Also See: Islam and Homosexuality on GlobalGayz.com Unspeakable Love by Brian Whittaker Gay Travels in the Muslim World by Michael Luongo Islam and Homosexuality by Samar Habib Film about French -Algerian student Film ‘Wild Reeds’ about gay-theme French-Algerian love Gay and Lesbian Arabs website Gay and Lesbian Arab Society-Ahbab 1 Algerian imams join in the… Read more »