Soul-searching in Turkey after gay man is killed

[Louisiana1976]

ISTANBUL — For Ahmet Yildiz, a stocky and affable 26-year-old, the choice to live openly as a gay man proved deadly. Prosecutors say his own father hunted him down, traveling more than 600 miles from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul.

Mr. Yildiz was killed 16 months ago, the victim of what sociologists say is the first gay honor killing in Turkey to surface publicly. He was shot five times as he left his apartment to buy ice cream. A witness said dozens of neighbors watched the killing from their windows, but refused to come forward. His body remained unclaimed by his family, a grievous fate under Muslim custom.

His father, Yahya Yildiz, whose trial in absentia began in September, is on the run and believed to be hiding in northern Iraq.

snip


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/world/europe/26turkey.html

[Sultana]

1. RIP, Ahmet. May God rest your soul

Shameful that a father could kill his on flesh and blood just cuz he was gay and shameful that his family didn't claim his body in time for an Islamic burial.

May there be justice!

[Libertas1776]

2. Thanks for sharing

this very humbling article. RIP Ahmet.


Man, I don't know how Turkey ever expects to become an EU member if they keep turning a blind eye to things like this.

[mitchtv]

3. Turkey, NO EU for you

Come back next year

[Jkid]

4. I heard about honor killings

Especially homophobic honor killings. But even those are not publicly talked about, but they do happen. Especially in Iraq these days.

What drives their fathers to kill their own son for being openly gay for honor?

[UndertheOcean]

5. RIP ...oh this is so sad

:(

[Kurska]

6. What a brave brave brave brave women

"Ms. Darama, a religious Muslim who wears a gold satin head scarf, said she was the only one among her neighbors willing to testify.

“The police and local religious officials are trying to protect the killer because they think homosexuality is a sin,” she said. “But in Islam killing is an even bigger sin, and no one but Allah has the right to decide between life and death. Ahmet was a nice, gentle boy and he didn’t deserve to die."

[Raster]

7. Absolutely. God bless you, Ms. Darama.

"...no one but Allah has the right to decide between life and death. Ahmet was a nice, gentle boy and he didn’t deserve to die."

Unfortunately all we hear about are the radical, fundamentalist-type Muslims that believe in death for gays. Bless her heart. She knows which is the right path and which is unmitigated hatred in the guise of religious respectability.