Hell on Earth - LGBT Slaughter in Iraq and how YOU can stop it

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Warning: This article contains some disturbing photographs and eye-witness accounts. Sadly, this story is not receiving enough attention from major news outlets and although some of the content is upsetting, I believe that the stories of LGBT Iraqis need to be told and governments need to act now. The slaughter has already been going on for far too long.

Starting back on March 15th, AllOut.org have been standing up for Iraqi LGBT people when their own government wouldn't.

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For a while now, even though you may not have read about it in the news or seen it on TV, people who are gay or perceived to be gay have been put on 'kill lists', hunted down, and brutally murdered. This horrific, systematic barbaric slaughter of gay people in Iraq has not been ordered by the government and it is not being carried out by the army. Instead, ordinary civilians are ganging up on, and hunting down, the people on their 'kill lists'.

According to AllOut.org, these lists are compiled by religious fanatics who are targeting young Iraqis who appear "too masculine" or "too feminine". Independent news outlets and human rights groups are reporting that 40 to 90 Iraqis - including teenagers as young as 15 - were brutally murdered in the first eight weeks of these attacks (mid-January to mid-March) and the total number of dead is now over 100. Since 2006, human rights groups estimate that 750 gay Iraqis were killed on the grounds of their sexual orientation, or their perceived sexual orientation. All but one of the recent victims were men.

Favourite murder methods of the fanatics include smashing their victims' skulls with cement blocks or steel pipes, flinging targets from the tops of tall buildings, or shooting them at point blank. According to Bissam, an Iraqi gay rights activist, the murderers are constantly inventing more brutal and violent ways of killing their victims. He reported that on March 11th, a teenage boy was found dead in the Almansour district of Baghdad. His killers made him lie on the ground biting the edge of the sidewalk between his teeth before smashing his head in with a brick until he died.

Despite the onslaught, up to now the Iraqi government has not issued a single statement on their position - not in support of the religious fanatics, nor in defense of the targets. It seems the situation is delicate, as the religious shiia believe violence is holy and that killing the enemy is the only right thing to do. This stems from the history of their religion.

The international community has also been very quiet about it. Even though I'm sure they know what is happening in Iraq, they don't want to speak up. This role is now left to us, the international LGBT community.

Bissam is an independent human rights and gay rights activist who is cooperating with Gay Middle East and AllOut.org whilst blogging to bring an international eye upon Iraq and an end to the violence. He told Gay Middle East that the Iraqi government may be involved in the killings:

‘Muqtada al-Sadr (one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country not holding any official title in the government) wants to embarrass Prime Minister Al-Maliki exposing him and his party’s 'Badr organization', as unable to protect their own people in front of the Arab League.

‘Al-Maliki, in turn, wants to keep the peace and not infuriate or inflame the rivalry between JAH, AAH and Badr organization ahead of the summit, his goal is to enhance his image as a keeper of peace.

‘This is why there is a complete lack of intervention on the government’s side.

‘It is speculation that they personally gave orders for this. But they have done nothing to intervene or prevent it. As leaders, if they had given the order that this should stop, the militias would have called a halt. And it fits in the pattern of their attempts to embarrass each other.

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A gay Iraqi is hunted down and beaten with metal piping

Now, AllOut.org is going all out to save as many LGBT lives as possible and they, and the hundreds of targets, need your donations to get the new targets to safety. Their partners at the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) want to put an experienced team on the ground to quickly smuggle new targets to safety. They need $65,000 USD this week to do it, but governments and foundations are moving too slow. That's where we come in. If we all chip in, we can charter transport vans and open up safe houses to protect potential victims THIS WEEK. So far 1,500 people have donated. Why don't you join them and save the lives of the ever-growing number of helpless LGBT people in Iraq?

IRAP is ready to move. If we pull together right now, they can make sure all 31 new targets get to a safe place and have a chance at a new life. The LGBT people of Iraq need you to chip in a small amount - whatever you can - to support this life saving mission. AllOut.org will get your contribution directly to those at risk, then you can report back in a few days to stay updated at www.allout.org/operation_relocation. All Out does not usually ask for money, but this situation was so serious they knew they had to find a way to help. Here are the testimonials that convinced All Out to take action:

Naseer* is being blackmailed for his sexual orientation in the wake of having been assaulted and raped by the Iraqi police in Baghdad. Naseer's blackmailer has threatened to send a picture of Naseer with another man to Naseer's family and friends - causing Naseer to fear that he wil be killed either by his family or milita groups. Naseer needs to leave Baghdad immediately. Will you help IRAP support Naseer's relocation to a safe house on the road to permanent resettlement?

Rasul* lives in Dora, a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad that is only slightly safer than other neighborhoods in the city. Rasul lives at his boyfriend’s house, which he is too scared to leave because of the violent threats against gay men in Iraq - and his brothers’ threats to kill him for being gay. Rasul says he can't live in Iraq because it isn’t safe for him. He is gay, his brothers know it, and they are threatening to kill him if they find him. Will you help IRAP support Rasul's relocation to a safe house on the road to permanent resettlement?

Yousif* is one of 30 Iraqis currently marked for death because he's perceived to be gay. He just had his skull smashed with a pipe, but he's one of the lucky ones; he survived. Yousif and the others must now leave their homes and families in order to escape certain death. Will you help IRAP support Yousif's relocation to a safer place?

*the names used have been changed in order to protect people's lives, but the stories are real.

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3 May 2012 - Our readers have donated over $350 in total. If you donate, please leave a comment below saying how much you donated or email us so we can get an idea of how much we've helped raise for this cause.