Moha Ennaji is one of Morocco’s leading academics with research interests in North African culture and gender issues, language and migration. He is the president of the International Institute for Languages and Cultures. His most recent publications are:
Muslim Diaspora in North America and Europe (Palgrave, 2016, Editor), Muslim Morocca Migrants in Europe (Palgrave, 2015), Minorities, Women and the State in North Africa (Red Sea Press 2015, Editor). Multiculturalism and Democracy in North Africa (London, Routledge, 2014). Language and Gender in the Mediterranean Region, IJSL Issue 190, Editor (The Hague, 2008), Women in the Middle East, (Routledge, 2010). Gender and Violence in the Middle East (Routledge, 2011, both co-edited with F.Sadiqi.

Omar is a 21-year-old gay Moroccan. He spends his life looking over his shoulder, trying not to draw attention to himself. I interviewed Omar while researching my book, Gender and Violence in the Middle East, and he told me:

Personally, I try to be discreet, avoid getting too much attention when I’m in certain places or with people who could react badly.

Omar’s fears are rooted in the fact that homosexuality is a criminal offence in Morocco, as it is in many other African countries. The law combines with a strongly conservative society to create a real sense of danger for members of Morocco’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities.

And, as I point out in my book, the weight of Islam – Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country – adds another dimension, accentuating gay people’s feelings of denial, self-loathing and guilt. Read more via the Covnersation