Abdulrahman Akkad

Abdulrahman Akkad
عبدالرحمن عقاد
Akkad in 2022
Born	(1998-05-17) May 17, 1998 (age 26) Aleppo, Syria
Occupations	Freelancer public speaker human rights activist YouTuber Political activist
Years active	2017–present
Known for	LGBTQ and human rights activism

Abdulrahman Akkad (Arabic: عبدالرحمن عقاد) is a Syrian political blogger,^[1] public speaker^[2] and human rights activist.^[3][4] He currently resides in Berlin.^[5]

Biography

Early life and education

Akkad was born in Aleppo to Syrian Muslim parents.^[6] His family is descended from Sephardic Jews who later converted to Islam.^[7] He has three brothers and a sister.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Akkad graduated from Dhat Al-Sawari Primary with a primary degree. Three years later in 2013, just before leaving Syria, Akkad graduated from Abdulwahab Al-Shawaf Junior High with a middle school diploma. However, Akkad was unable to continue his education after leaving Syria in 2013.^{[citation needed]}

With the escalation of events surrounding the Syrian civil war, Akkad and his family were forced to leave Syria in July 2013.^[8]

Time spent in Turkey

Akkad and his family migrated to Istanbul, Turkey in July 2013. He speaks Turkish fluently and worked as a translator in call center companies in the city.^[9] In the summer of 2015, Akkad's father travelled to Germany illegally, hoping to later bring the rest of the family with him through family reunification.^{[citation needed]}

While living in Turkey, Akkad discovered his sexual orientation. He grew to hate himself and attempted suicide several times. He went to a psychological counselor who provided him with support and helped him accept himself.^[8] He tried to obtain a humanitarian visa from the Swiss Consulate in Istanbul but was refused.^[7]

Eventually, Akkad decided to tell his family about his sexual orientation, believing that they would accept and love him as he is. However, his family said he was sick and in need of treatment. They took him to a doctor in Turkey who conducted an anal examination, sexually harassed him, and wrote him a prescription for testosterone.^[10] Akkad took several doses of the hormone but later refused to take more because it caused him depression and tension.^[11] His older brother beat and locked him up in a room for two months where he did not see sunlight.^[12] His cousins and sister's husband abused him and threatened him with death. Akkad later managed to convince them that he was no longer gay, later running away to a friend's house with his passport and $200.^[13]

Asylum in Europe

Akkad's friend suggested that he travel to Europe, because the Turkish authorities would not protect him from abuse by his family, who are influential in Turkey. He traveled illegally by sea to Greece at the end of November 2015. His friend covered his travel costs.^[14] Akkad travelled through Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria until he arrived in Germany on December 5, 2015, where he applied for asylum based on his sexual orientation.^[15] He was granted asylum in 2016, though his asylum procedure was delayed because he was a minor at the time.^[8]

Akkad was bullied, insulted and threatened with death by Arabs and Muslims in Germany.^[16][5]

Coming out

In 2017, before Akkad came out he agreed to be engaged to a girl from the family because of the pressure his family had put on him. His mother told him that his sexual orientation would change after he married. Within a few months the matter became serious and the wedding was to be held in Istanbul.^[12] In the end, he decided to post a live video on Facebook,^[17] in which he announced his sexual orientation. The video was directed to his family only, but the video was withdrawn and published on many Arab pages and groups. The video garnered hundreds of thousands of views within a week.^[7]

On July 24, 2017, Akkad streamed a live video on Facebook,^[17] coming out as gay after fearing that his family would have had forced him to marry a woman against his will.^[12] The video was shared on various Arab social channels. It was possibly the first ever occurrence of a gay Syrian man publicly expressing his sexual orientation in a video with his real name and face.^[18]

On July 24, 2020, Akkad shared a picture of him with his family, officially announcing their acceptance of his sexual orientation and that they love him unconditionally, also declaring victory over customs, traditions and society.^[19][20] This photo is also considered to be the first of its kind with an Arab family publicly accepting their gay son's sexual orientation.^[21][22]

Akkad and his parents (2020)

Activism in Germany

Akkad is an openly gay activist in the MENA region specially in Syria^[23] and the German media described him as a "hated figure" in the Arab world.^[24]

In subsequent years, Akkad has given many interviews to several media, primarily German and Arabic ones, about his experiences and his political opinions Especially on the situation of homosexuality and LGBTQ rights in the Middle East, Akkad gave his first interview to the famous German Newspaper (Bild) in Germany and said that he doesn't want to stay in Germany because of the threats he received.^[16]

Akkad participated in the Me Too movement and admitted that he was sexually harassed and encouraged people to participate in the campaign and speak out.^[25]

Akkad worked with Atheist Refugee Relief Organization in Germany and helped many refugees^[26][27] and appeared with them at the Cologne Pride in 2019 wearing the Niqab to support women who are forced to wear it in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East.^[22]

Akkad posted a video wearing the Rainbow flag in front of a mosque in Germany in the Gay pride in 2020 and he Solidarity with Homosexuals in the Middle East and Islamic countries, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.^[28]

Political views

Akkad identifies as secular, supporting the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions. And as a former member of the Atheist Refugee Relief organization, Akkad aided many Atheist & LGBTQ+ Middle Eastern refugees in Germany.^[26]

Akkad's story was mentioned during the federal government session of the Federal parliament of Germany for Human Rights in 2020^[29] by German philosopher David Berger after Instagram banned his account because he was gay and the threats he was exposed to.^[30]

Abdulrahman and his family have also been strong opponents of the Syrian regime, especially after Akkad's sister-in-law was shot and killed by a regime sniper in 2012, leading his brother to dissent from the army, and forcing his entire family to flee the country after severe pressure imposed by al-Assad's authorities.^[31]

He encouraged the deportation of refugees who did not integrate into German society and did not respect the law and the constitution.^[16] He supported the German government's decision to deport Syrian refugees who committed crimes to Syria and encouraged the deportation of supporters of the Syrian regime.^[8]

Akkad criticized the German government's policy in dealing with refugee and integration laws, and said that he was tired of neglecting the German police for not knowing how to deal with the threats he received from Arabs in Germany and Europe.^[4]

Reception

There has been a long history of oppression and discrimination against the LGBT community in the Arab world through censorship, hate speech, and government-coordinated persecution. Akkad's story has been met with some supportive, but mostly homophobic responses through media coverage and public discourse. Akkad even started receiving death threats after coming out.^[16]

See also

• LGBT rights in Syria
• LGBT rights in the Middle East
• LGBT in Islam

References

1. France 24 (September 2, 2021), ...مـجـتمع الـميم/عين.. مــيــم تصرخ أنا مثلــكــم وعــي (in Arabic), retrieved September 5, 2021
2. "بي بي سي اكسترا". BBC News Arabic (in Arabic). June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
3. France 24 (September 3, 2021). "في فلك الممنوع – مـجتـمع الـميم/عين.. مــيــم تصرخ أنا مثلــكــم وعــيــن تعـجـب من عنفكم!". france24.com (in Arabic). Retrieved September 5, 2021.
4. David Berger (theologian) (November 21, 2019). "Abdulrahman Akkad: Er floh aus Syrien, kritisierte den Islam und wird nun in Deutschland zensiert". philosophia-perennis.com (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
5. Mannschaft magazine (December 28, 2020). "Geflüchteter Youtuber betreibt LGBTIQ-Aufklärung auf Arabisch". mannschaft.com (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
6. Jaafar Abdul Karim (February 17, 2019). "اسم أمي ليس عيبا، أريد أن أنسب إلى أمي كذلك!". Deutsche Welle (in Arabic). Retrieved October 23, 2021.
7. U. N. O. Flüchtlingshilfe (July 15, 2020). ""Ich dachte, dass ich ein Mensch sei, der das Leben nicht verdient."". uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de (in German). Retrieved July 15, 2021.
8. Christian Schneider (September 26, 2019). "AVE #281: Abdulrahman Akkad". xsxm.de (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
9. Radio Souriali – سوريالي (August 1, 2017). "Homosexuals threatened despite obtaining asylum". souriali.com (in Arabic). Retrieved October 24, 2021.
10. BBC News Arabic, بي بي سي إكسترا: "كيف تتعامل مع طفلك إذا أعلن عن مثليته" (in Arabic), retrieved July 1, 2022
11. Alqabda magazine (July 28, 2021). "مثليو سوريا.. عبد الرحمن العقاد نموذجاً". alqabda.net (in Arabic). Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
12. Bayerischer Rundfunk (September 24, 2021). "How to Coming-Out – diese Tipps können euch beim Coming-Out helfen – Willkommen im Club – der LGBTIQ*-Podcast von PULS". br.de (in German). Retrieved May 24, 2021.
13. Funk (service). "Schwul & geflüchtet: Der Hass verfolgt ihn bis nach Deutschland | reporter". Facebook (in German). Retrieved October 16, 2021.
14. Bayerischer Rundfunk (June 9, 2021). "Queer Refugees – wie geht es geflüchteten LGBTIQ* in Deutschland? – Willkommen im Club – der LGBTIQ*-Podcast von PULS". br.de (in German). Retrieved August 3, 2021.
15. Deutsche Welle (July 26, 2020). "DW Arabic: An exclusive interview with a gay Syrian refugee and his story of suffering". Deutsche Welle (in Arabic). Retrieved October 17, 2021.
16. Bild (February 1, 2020). "Flüchtlinge: Angst vor anderen Flüchtlingen, weil sie sich für Frauen oder Schwule einsetzen". bild.de (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
17. أنا #مثلي_جنسياً (in Arabic), July 24, 2017, retrieved September 5, 2021
18. Funk (service) (December 16, 2020), Schwul & geflüchtet: LGBTQ-Youtuber riskiert sein Leben | reporter (in German), retrieved June 30, 2021
19. Step News Agency (July 25, 2020). "شاهد| عبد الرحمن عقاد سوري مثلي جنسيًا يعلن انتصاره بتقبل أهله له.. تعرف عليه". stepagency-sy.net (in Arabic). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
20. Raseef22 (July 27, 2020). "الحبّ انتصر!... شاب سوري مثليّ الجنس يُعلن تصالح والديه معه". raseef22.com (in Arabic). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
21. Orient News (July 27, 2020), شاب سوري يعلن عن ميوله المثلية في المانيا ويثير ردود فعل غاضبة – FollowUp (in Arabic), retrieved June 30, 2021
22. Deutsche Welle (September 1, 2020). "DW: a five year wait for acceptance after coming out". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
23. "عبد الرحمن | مواطن سوري". Enab Baladi Podcast | عنب بلدي بودكاست (in Arabic). January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
24. Funk (service) (December 28, 2020). "Flüchtling und Schwul" (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2021.
25. "عبدالرحمن عقاد | #MeToo أول مرة بتعرض للتحرش الجنسي بعمر 6 سنوات من قبل الفرّان "بائع » شيربوست". sherepost.com (in Arabic). September 5, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
26. Atheist Refugee Relief (April 4, 2019). "Wohnsitzauflage gefährdet homosexuellen Geflüchteten – Atheist Refugee Relief". atheist-refugees.com (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
27. Atheist Refugee Relief (March 30, 2020), "Menschenrecht: Glaubens-Freiheit" – Säkulare Flüchtlingshilfe e.V. (in German), retrieved July 17, 2021
28. Turkey in Arabic (July 27, 2020). "Abdulrahman Akkad dancing in front of the mosque". arab-turkey.com (in Arabic). Retrieved October 17, 2021.
29. Bundestag (May 5, 2021). "Deutscher Bundestag – 14. Bericht der Bundesregierung über ihre Menschenrechtspolitik..." bundestag.de (in German). Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
30. David Berger (theologian) (July 1, 2020). "Islamophob? Instagram löscht Profil von atheistischem, homosexuellen Islamkritiker". philosophia-perennis.com (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
31. Daraj Media (July 31, 2020). "Daraj News: Abdulrahman Akkad The Syrian revolution and the rejection of homosexuals". daraj.com (in Arabic). Retrieved June 30, 2021.

Further reading

Akkad, Abdulrahman (May 5, 2021). Bundestag of David Berger 14th report of the German Federal Government on its human rights policy (reporting period October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2020)

External links

Media related to Abdulrahman Akkad at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website Archived September 5, 2021 on Wayback Machine
• Abdulrahman Akkad's on Instagram
• Abdulrahman Akkad on Twitter
• Abdulrahman Akkad's channel on YouTube