On June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 United States. This was a pivotal point in history for the LGBT community nationwide. Unfortunately, in other corners of the world same-sex couples encounter far more opposition than the illegality of marital union. The climate in Saudi Arabia is the most conservative among Middle Eastern countries, this is because it is the only one that adheres to Sharia, or Islamic law, as the only legal code. According to the Islamic code, it is considered haram, or forbidden, to interact with someone of the opposite sex who is not part of one's family (Labi, 2007). In fact, this ruling in the West put the Saudi religious police on high alert, who fined a private school in the capital Riyadh 100,000 riyals ($26,000) for painting part of its buildings on the outside with a rainbow motif. Ironically, it seems that it is easier to be gay than straight in a country where same-sex integration is illegal. Gender separation encourages homosocial interaction behaviors and allows kissing, hugging, and touching the knee to be socially accepted. According to the former leader of the Al-Azhar fatwa committee in Egypt, “There is nothing wrong with kissing people of the same sex as long as there is no temptation” (Whitaker, 2016). Unfortunately, being gay in the Middle East is becoming increasingly dangerous. In June 2016, two 18-year-olds in Egypt were jailed on charges of “debauchery” because they were surveilled on gay dating apps (Wirtschafter, 2016). While danger is ever-present for LGBT youth in the Middle East along with the regressive attitudes of society and politicians, there is activism and progress to counter it, as well as places in the Middle East that serve as safe spaces. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There is a rich religious and political history behind the social and political stance on sexual identity in various Middle Eastern countries. To think critically about the modern view of homosexuality in the Middle East, we must analyze their past. The British colonizers enacted the "Indian Penal Code" in 1861 which included the territories of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, parts of Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, in 1936 the British imposed Ordinance No. 74 of the British Mandate Criminal Code which punished sexual acts between men with a prison sentence of up to 10 years (Ghoshal, 2018). Over half of the 70 countries that criminalize homosexual acts were former British colonies. France introduced similar laws around the same time. French colonizers imposed laws against same-sex relationships in countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Lebanon in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After these countries gained independence, only Jordan and Bahrain eliminated these sanctions. Furthermore, the uprising of Islamic fundamentalism correlates with growing activism in Europe and the United States regarding gay rights. Once a connection was made between gay rights and the West, Middle Eastern politicians exploited homophobic sentiments for political gain (AL, 2015). These factors, combined with Sharia law, have essentially forced gays in the Middle East to choose between hiding or, worse, dying. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism has been the main focal point of Western media surrounding information about the Middle East. This is for good reason, however, there is a more important conclusion in analyzing these groups and politicians and why it is occurringthis revolt. In individual countries such as Algeria, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia and Syria, the punishment for homosexuality is imprisonment. In other countries, such as Egypt, there may be no specific law, but older laws may be used to support the persecution. Many of these laws and punishments against homosexuality are derived from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, although the specific punishments were never outlined in the Quran. “Following the Orlando massacre – perpetrated by a man of Afghan origin – it was found that all the countries in which the death penalty for sodomy is still in force justify it on the basis of Islamic law” (Whitaker, 2016). In Saudi Arabia and Mauritania, perhaps with the most aggressive adherence to their interpretation of Sharia law, men who engage in homosexual acts can be stoned to death (Bearak/Cameron, 2016). We know as a collective, regardless of what religion people follow, that the separation of religion and politics is a slow and steady race towards the finish line of equality. Interpretations of religious texts are often revisited with new interpretations along with social reform and time, which any religious fundamentalist would prefer to dismiss. It goes without saying that the root of homophobia in these cultures does not come directly from Islam, but rather from the people who interpret it. On September 22, 2017, political outrage was sparked by a concert-goer waving a rainbow flag. This led to a crackdown by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that included arrests, forced anal exams, and a media blackout of pro-LGBT content (Ghoshal, 2018). The Egyptian media's response is often propaganda, telling the public that homosexuality coincides with prostitution, terrorism and debauchery. It may seem that these archaic laws that have been in place for centuries are nearly impossible to reform, but that doesn't stop activists in the region from persisting. In most countries, LGBT organizations hesitate to even register, instead working underground or registering without mentioning their mission. Laws regulating non-governmental organizations exist in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates make it essentially impossible for organizations working on issues of sexual orientation and identity of kind register legally. On the other hand, starting with the 2011 Islamic uprising in countries like Egypt and Libya, a political vacuum was created that ultimately spurred the impetus of LGBT individuals to participate in activism and left them with a plan of action to build alliances and mobilize. Dalia Abdel Hameed, member of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, describes this revolution: “The revolution has created an imaginary and different ways of defending rights and articulating causes that were never conceivable before 2011. Specifically on gender and sexuality, there is a paradigm shift, a shift in the way young people think about gender and sexuality, in relation to sexual violence in Tahrir and the activism surrounding it.” An Egyptian gay activist said: “The Arab Spring? It produced me. I have been involved in LGBT groups since 2008, but they were always afraid to do much. Since 2011, when Mubarak was ousted, it has been as if there was nothing called a mountain, there was nothing that could not be destroyed” (Ghoshal, 2018). In many cases, activism started small and resistance continues to grow in numbers. Since each country's laws and ambition to persecute differ, the path to forming alliances may vary. For example, in Oman, an activist.