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Abdulrahman Akkad

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Abdulrahman Akkad (Arabic: عبدالرحمن عقاد) born in Aleppo on May 17, 1998, is a gay blogger and human rights activist.[1] Akkad, who now lives in Berlin, also used to be a member of the Atheist Refugee Relief organization in Germany.[2]

Abdulrahman Akkad
عبدالرحمن عقاد
Abdulrahman Akkad
Abdulrahman Akkad in 2018
BornMay 17, 1998
Aleppo, Syria
NationalitySyrian
EducationMiddle school diploma, Abdulwahab Al-Shawaf Junior High, 2013
Occupation(s)Activist and freelancer
Years active2017-present
Known forLGBT and human rights activism
MovementLGBT
FamilyAkkad family
Websitehttps://abdulrahmanakkad.com

Biography

In Syria

Akkad was born in 1998 in the City of Aleppo in Northern Syria to Syrian Muslim parents of Jewish origin. his family is descended from Sephardic Jews who had to leave Spain and Portugal in 1492  immigrated to Syria and later converted to Islam.[3] Akkad has three brothers and a sister,[4] Akkad has only finished his intermediate education. In 2010, Akkad graduated from Dhat Al-Sawari Primary with a primary degree, and after 3 years in 2013, just before leaving Syria, Akkad graduated from Abdulwahab Al-Shawaf Junior High with a middle school diploma. However, Akkad was unable to further continue his education after leaving Syria In 2013.

with the escalation of events and the Syrian civil war Akkad and his Family were forced to leave Syria in July 2013, they became stalked and wanted by the Syrian regime.[5]

In Turkey

Akkad entered Turkey with his Family in July 2013 and lived in Istanbul, he worked as a translator in call center companies in the city, and he speaks Turkish fluently.[6] his father traveled to Germany illegally in the summer 2015 and Akkad and his family were waiting his father to apply for family reunion for them later, Akkad discovered his sexual orientation and began to feel that he was strange and not like the rest of his family. He later hated himself and tried to commit suicide several times. He went to a psychological counselor who provided him with support and helped him accept himself.[5] He tried to obtain a humanitarian visa from the Swiss Consulate in Istanbul but was refused.[3] Akkad decided to stay in Turkey and told his family about his sexual orientation and thought that they would accept and love him as he is. His family accused him of being sick and in need of treatment. He was taken to a doctor in Turkey who conducted an anal examination, sexually harassed him, and wrote him testosterone. He took several doses of the hormone and later refused to take more because it caused him depression and tension. His older brother beat him and locked him in a room for two months where he did not see sunlight.[7] He was abused and threatened with death by his brother, sister's husband and cousins. He later managed to convince them that he was no longer gay and took his passport and $200 and ran away from the house to a friend's house.[8]

his friend suggested that he travel to Europe because the situation in Turkey is dangerous for him, especially that Akkad's family has influence in Turkey and because the Turkish authorities will not protect him from the oppression of this family, indeed Akkad traveled illegally to Greece at the end of November 2015 and covered his friend his travel costs.

Akkad traveled illegally to Greece by sea, and then traveled to Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria until he arrived in Germany on December 5, 2015 where he applied for asylum based on his sexual orientation.[9]

In Germany

Akkad was granted asylum in 2016 and his asylum procedure was delayed because he was a minor at the time.[5]

in 2017, before Akkad com out Akkad agreed to be engaged to a girl from the family because of the pressure his family had put on him, His mother told him that his sexual orientation would change after he married. Within a few months the matter became serious and the wedding was to be held in Istanbul. Akkad tried to cancel and postpone the wedding ceremony, but he failed.[7] In the end, Akkad decided to post a live Video on Facebook, in which he announced his sexual orientation. The video was directed to his family only, but the video was withdrawn and published on many Arab pages and groups, The video garnered hundreds of thousands of views within a week.[3]

Akkad was bullied, insulted and threatened with death by Arabs and Muslims in Germany.[10][1]

Coming out

On July 24, 2017, Akkad streamed a live video on Facebook, coming out as gay after fearing that his family would have had forced him to marry a woman against his will.[7] The video was shared on various Arab social channels, as it was the first ever occurrence of a gay Syrian man publicly expressing his sexual orientation in a video with his real name and face.[11]

In July 2020, Akkad shared a picture of him with his family, officially announcing their acceptance of his sexual orientation and that they love him unconditionally, also declaring victory over customs, traditions and society[12][13][14][15][16] This photo is also considered to be the first of its kind with an Arab family publicly accepting their gay son's sexual orientation.[17][18][19][20][21][22]

Activism in Germany

In subsequent years, Akkad has given many interviews to several media, primarily German and Arabic ones, about his experiences and his political opinions Especially on the situation of homosexuality and LGBT rights in the Middle East, Akkad gave his first interview to the famous German Newspaper (BILD) in Germany and said that he don't want to stay in Germany because of the threats he received.[10]

Akkad worked with Atheist Refugee Relief Organization in Germany and helped many refugees[23] and appeared with them at the cologne Pride in 2019 wearing the Niqab to support women who are forced to wear it in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East.[22]

Akkad posted a video wearing the LGBT flag in front of a mosque in Germany in the Pride month in 2020 and he Solidarity with Homosexuals in the Middle East and Islamic Countries, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.[24]

Book

Akkad announced his first book by the name of "Eine Revolution schlug in mir ein" in English (A Revolution struck inside of me) to be published soon in German.[3]

Political views

Akkad identifies as secular, supporting the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions. And as a former member of the Atheist Refugee Relief organization, Akkad aided many atheist Middle Eastern refugees in Germany.[23]

Akkad’s story was mentioned during the federal government session of the German Parliament for Human Rights in 2020[25] by German philosopher David Berger after Instagram banned his account because he was gay and the threats he was exposed to.[26]

Akkad and his family have also been strong opposers of the Syrian regime, especially after Akkad's sister-in-law was shot and killed by a regime sniper in 2012, leading his brother to dissent from the army, and forcing his entire family to flee the country after severe pressure imposed by al-Assad's authorities.[27]

Reactions

There has been a long history of oppression and discrimination against the LGBT community in the Arab World through censorship, hate speech, and government-coordinated persecution. Akkad's story has been met with some supportive, but mostly homophobic responses through media coverage and public discourse. Akkad even started receiving death threats after coming out.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Geflüchteter Youtuber betreibt LGBTIQ-Aufklärung auf Arabisch". Mannschaft (in German). 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  2. ^ PP-Redaktion (2019-11-21). "Abdulrahman Akkad: Er floh aus Syrien, kritisierte den Islam und wird nun in Deutschland zensiert". Philosophia Perennis (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  3. ^ a b c d Flüchtlingshilfe, U. N. O. ""Ich dachte, dass ich ein Mensch sei, der das Leben nicht verdient."". www.uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  4. ^ broadcast, German Arabic. "I'm gay with Abdulrahman Akkad".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c Christian. "AVE #281: Abdulrahman Akkad". Aethervox Ehrenfeld (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  6. ^ Souriali - سوريالي, Radio. "Homosexuals threatened despite obtaining asylum".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b c Runfunk, Bayerischer. "How to Coming-Out - diese Tipps können euch beim Coming-Out helfen - Willkommen im Club - der LGBTIQ*-Podcast von PULS". BR Podcast (in German). Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  8. ^ funk. "homophobie in Deutschland (Abdulrahman Akkad)".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "DW Arabic: An exclusive interview with a gay Syrian refugee and his story of suffering".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b c "Flüchtlinge: Angst vor anderen Flüchtlingen, weil sie sich für Frauen oder Schwule einsetzen". bild.de (in German). 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  11. ^ Schwul & geflüchtet: LGBTQ-Youtuber riskiert sein Leben | reporter, retrieved 2021-06-30
  12. ^ "شاهد| عبد الرحمن عقاد سوري مثلي جنسيًا يعلن انتصاره بتقبل أهله له.. تعرف عليه". وكالة ستيب الإخبارية (in Arabic). 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  13. ^ "الحبّ انتصر!... شاب سوري مثليّ الجنس يُعلن تصالح والديه معه". رصيف 22. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  14. ^ 7al, News (2020-07-25). ""After a war, to be or not to be" .. a Syrian family accepts its son from the LGBT community". الحل نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-30. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Dialogue with a gay Syrian refugee and his story of suffering". Freethinker مفكر حر. 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "An Aleppo family in Germany accepts their gay son and showers him with unlimited loveز".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Awtan Post: Abdulrahman Akkad, a Syrian "Gay", declares his victory over society by accepting him.. Get to know him (video)". أوطان بوست (in Arabic). 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Syrian refugee Abdulrahman Akkad leads the trend in Germany.. What is his story?". موقع ترندينغ (in Arabic). 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Alnatoor (1970-01-01). "The Akkad family of Aleppo.. The first Syrian family to reconcile with the issue of their "homosexual" son | Syria news | Alnatoor". AL NATOOR. Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Hibr press (2020-07-25). "A gay Syrian young man raises controversy.. What is his family's position? | Hibrpress newspaper". hibrpress.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ شاب سوري يعلن عن ميوله المثلية في المانيا ويثير ردود فعل غاضبة - FollowUp, retrieved 2021-06-30
  22. ^ a b "DW: a five year wait for acceptance after coming out".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ a b "Wohnsitzauflage gefährdet homosexuellen Geflüchteten – Atheist Refugee Relief" (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  24. ^ Arab, Turkey. "Abdulrahman Akkad dancing in front of the mosque".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - 14. Bericht der Bundesregierung über ihre Menschenrechtspolitik..." Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  26. ^ Berger, David (2020-07-01). "Islamophob? Instagram löscht Profil von atheistischem, homosexuellen Islamkritiker". Philosophia Perennis (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  27. ^ "Daraj News: Abdulrahman Akkad The Syrian revolution and the rejection of homosexuals". daraj.com (in Arabic). 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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