Cairo - Egyptian police arrested seven
people on Monday after they were seen raising a rainbow flag at
a concert, security sources said, in a rare public show of
support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the
conservative Muslim country.
Security sources said the seven were arrested for "promoting
sexual deviancy," a euphemism in Egypt for homosexuality, after
they were seen on camera raising the rainbow flag at a Mashrou'
Leila concert, a popular Lebanese alternative rock band whose
lead singer is openly gay.
The public prosecutor has not yet announced a decision on
whether formal charges will be filed and a case brought to
court.
Although homosexuality is not specifically outlawed in
Egypt, it is a conservative society and discrimination is rife.
Gay men are frequently arrested and typically charged with
debauchery, immorality or blasphemy.
The largest crackdown on homosexuals in Egypt took place in
2001, when police raided a floating disco called the Queen Boat.
Fifty-two men were tried in the case, which drew widespread
criticism from human rights groups and Western governments.