Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer LGBTQ people generally have limited or highly restrictive rights in most parts of the Middle East , and are open to hostility in others. Sex between men is illegal in 9 of the 18 countries that make up the region.
It is punishable by death in four of these 18 countries. The rights and freedoms of LGBTQ citizens are strongly influenced by the prevailing cultural traditions and religious mores of people living in the region β particularly Islam. It is also punishable by death in Iran , Saudi Arabia , and Qatar. In Yemen and the Gaza Strip , the punishment might differ between death and imprisonment depending on the act committed.
Evidence of homosexuality in the Middle East can be traced back at least until the time of Ancient Egypt [ 1 ] and Mesopotamia. In ancient Assyria , sex crimes were punished identically whether they were homosexual or heterosexual.
It contains provisions that are part of sexual code promoting procreative sexuality that is interpreted to prohibit same-sex intercourse as sinful.
Ancient commentary on this passage suggests that those engaging in sodomy could be killed without permission from a high priest. However, a strong homosexual tradition in Iran is attested to by Greek historians from the 5th century onward, and so the prohibition apparently had little effect on Iranian attitudes or sexual behavior outside the ranks of devout Zoroastrians in rural eastern Iran.
