August 12, 2014 – Reported by YourMiddleEast – “Yehya” is a 28-year-old Palestinian. Very few people know he is also gay. While there are few gay Palestinians who are daring to speak out about their homosexuality, Yehya, like many others, has no intention of joining them.

“I thank God that my family and friends know nothing about my homosexuality, and I prefer things to stay the way they are,” he says.

Homosexuality does not go down well with most Palestinians, with many viewing it as sinful and unnatural. Islam, the religion of the majority of Palestinians, views homosexuality as a deviation from the norm, with Islamic scholars consenting that all humans are “naturally heterosexual”.

As a result, many Palestinian homosexuals are a left with no choice but to close themselves off from society, making it hard to know the actual number of homosexuals in the country.

“I don’t know the exact number of homosexuals in the occupied Palestinian territories, but the number is relatively high,” notes Yehya…

via Homosexuals in Palestine – the invisibles – Your Middle East.