weaponizing queer liberation against the middle east
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When reading Shawndeez's PhD thesis, their discussion of Iran perceived as a homophobic entity stuck with me and reminded me of some of our earlier class discussions. They explain that Americans especially perceive Iran as an image of "pure" Islam, considering the Islamic Republic. They also note Americans have a longstanding issue with the "Islamic world," which was exacerbated by events like 9/11. By positing Islam as homophobic and rigid and unchanging in its antiquated values, Western powers legitimize their violence and oppression of the Middle East in a way that is almost akin to the function of Orientalist stereotyping. Weaponizing this idea of homophobia is a tactic to disguise the hateful actions of the West from liberal Westerners who naturally value LGBTQ+ rights. This strategy creates divisions between the Iranian diaspora and Iranians living in Iran and between people in the West who would typically have similar values, and creates an illusion that queerness does not exist in the middle east. In reading that section of Shawndeez's work, I was reminded of a comment someone made in our class on queerness about how Zionists had managed to weaponize homophobia in the Middle East to justify settler colonialism and genocide in Palestine.