CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Noralla, Nora |
|---|---|
| Title | Sexually Guilty: Custom Morality and the Prosecution of the LGBTQ Community in Egypt |
| Summary | The saga of the lack of LGBTQ+ rights can be attributed to the deep-rooted discriminatory mindset of the Egyptian authorities, who have often implemented tactics that violate not only national law but also the country’s international obligations. These tactics and violations are just pieces of the broader reality of the moral, rather than legal, prosecution of the LGBTQ+ community. This paper maps all of these tactics, violations, and moral biases from the early 2000s to the present in order to provide a clear overview of the socio-legal context for the LGBTQ+ community in Egypt and the state-sponsored morality powering this context. This paper demonstrates how over the years the state has created the illusion of a “moral battle” that they are fighting against the “deviant” LGBTQ+ community. This “moral battle” allows the state to portray itself as the only protector of morality in society and to have a monopoly over the interpretation of laws; an interpretation which is often twisted in the name of morality. The moral scapegoating of the LGBTQ+ community by the state also fuels state-sponsored social violence against the community. This paper also points out the failure of the international community to address this issue in Egypt, arguing that the geopolitical importance of Egypt prevents other states from enacting more human rights-oriented foreign policies. Finally, the paper celebrates the resilience of the Queer community in Egypt, who despite all odds still fights for its rights and existence. This research in this paper is based on a qualitative analysis of the available relevant literature and it will be backed by text examples from actual police, prosecution, and courts records of LGBTQ+ cases, interviews with stakeholders (lawyers, victims, and activists), case-analysis and records of the Court of Cassation. |
| Supervisor | Polgári, Eszter |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/noralla_nora.pdf |
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