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Women affiliated with the Islamic Movement protesting against the lesbian conference in Haifa on Wednesday. (Doron Golan / Jini)
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Last update - 00:00 29/03/2007
First Israeli Arab conference of lesbians convened in Haifa
By Fadi Edayat, Haaretz Correspondent

The first conference of Israeli Arab lesbians was held Wednesday in Haifa by the organization Asawat ("Voices").

The discussions dealt with homosexuality in the Arab public and what they referred to as "triple discrimination" of being women, lesbian and Arab in Israel.

News released in the past two weeks of plans to hold the conference aroused bitter opposition in the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, members of which demonstrated Wednesday outside of the Haifa auditorium where the conference was planned.
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At the conference, participants discussed the difficulties faced by Arab lesbians in dealing with their identities and coming out of the closet.

One participant spoke about her personal experience of moving to Tel Aviv on the pretext of continuing her studies, while actually seeking, "to answer the many questions that arose in adolescence," that she was not allowed to ask.

"Many times I felt as if I was in a 'diaspora' while in my 'homeland,'" she said. "I had to leave my village in order to realize my sexual orientation."

The participants also spoke of the struggles of lesbians to uncover their sexual identity and of the fear of being harmed.

As a precautionary measure, photography was prohibited at the conference and security officers escorted a number of participants and guarded the venue itself.

"This is the first conference of its kind. There is no doubt that the Arab public respects minorities, but as a precautionary measure we have obtained security guards because we don't know what tools will be used by those who oppose us," said the organization's coordinator, Ruada Murkus.

Some 300 people participated in the event, including Arab and Jewish lesbians and homosexuals, as well as feminists from Israel and abroad.

Outside of the auditorium, a demonstration was held by nearly 30 men and women affiliated with the Islamic Movement.

"The activity of these women diminishes the value of the human being and their actions are not accepted in the Muslim and Palestinian world," said MK Abbas Zakour (Ra'am-Ta'al), who headed the demonstration.

The Asawat organization said that "listening to the voices of the various groups in Arab society" is the proper response to the opposition.

Asawat was founded five years ago by three Arab lesbian women whose stated goal was to raise awareness and to work towards achieving freedom to express lesbianism and homosexuality within Arab society.

The organization has sought to link the national and sexual identities of Israeli Arabs.

The group's participants define themselves as linked with a nation under occupation and racism, struggling for political and social freedom within Arab society.

"There is no need to differentiate between the Palestinian and sexual identities," said Nabila Asfaniuli, a feminist activist and director of Asawat. "We refuse to remain in the darkness of the closet, drawers and bins. The time has come for us to raise our voices and knock on the sides of the bin."
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  1.   To my Arab sisters 11:10  |  Quiet 29/03/07
  2.   LESBIANS 11:19  |  colin 29/03/07
  3.   In how many Arab countries would lesbians be 11:34  |  Anat 29/03/07
  4.   To my Arab sisters 11:39  |  Nina 29/03/07
  5.   Lesbians, Sisters of Sapphos, I Support You! 11:55  |  Dr. Renato Rubato 29/03/07
  6.   Shhecheyanu, Vikimanu, Vhigeyanu Lizman Hazeh 12:03  |  Yaakov Ish Tam 29/03/07
  7.   #5 the good Dr. Rub......so vivid a description 12:08  |  Dr. V. O`Year 29/03/07
  8.   Way to go, girls! 12:10  |  EVH 29/03/07
  9.   Disgusting 13:06  |  Lebanese in Canada 29/03/07
  10.   In Haifa women are free to be lesbians, free to protest lesbians 13:19  |  Judith, Haifa 29/03/07
  11.   There are many ironies here.. 13:21  |  ARTH 29/03/07
  12.   You go ladies!! 13:23  |  Lynn 29/03/07
  13.   To Lebanese in Canada 13:27  |  Lebanese in Lebanon 29/03/07
  14.   #3, Anat. Obsession with Prometean idea and comparative democracy 13:32  |  zmogus 29/03/07
  15.   #12, Lynn. Life is a cookie... 13:45  |  zmogus 29/03/07
  16.   #10, Judith. Two thumbs up for Haifa! 14:04  |  zmogus 29/03/07
  17.   There is no doubt that the Arab public respects minorities?? 14:43  |  Alain 29/03/07
  18.   # 15 Neither left nor right 14:54  |  Lynn 29/03/07
  19.   # 9 re disgusting 14:56  |  Lynn 29/03/07
  20.   To #9 - To Lebanese in Canada 15:17  |  Alex 29/03/07
  21.   Congratulation 15:34  |  Rami 29/03/07
  22.   Way to go girls! 15:35  |  Sherman 29/03/07
  23.   Rightfully impressed. 15:42  |  Carl 29/03/07
  24.   Get ready for the Honor Killings. 16:00  |  Abdul 29/03/07
  25.   To Arth 16:24  |  Israel Israeli 29/03/07
  26.   thanks lebanese in lebanon 16:30  |  Queer Lebanese 29/03/07
  27.   Rami of Nazareth -- Your views are well respected, at 16:48  |  Avihu 29/03/07
  28.   However you say mazel tov in Arabic... 16:52  |  Marisa 29/03/07
  29.   Rami, those girls are from the West Bank 16:55  |  Tamir Gaza 29/03/07
  30.   another reason why i luv israel 16:56  |  alan 29/03/07
  31.   Hold it in J`lem 17:04  |  W 29/03/07
  32.   26Queer Lebanese 17:10  |  curious 29/03/07
  33.   To Rami, 21 17:12  |  Muslim 29/03/07
  34.   To #32: the homosexual community is vibrant in Lebanon! 17:45  |  Lebanese 29/03/07
  35.   Rami 17:50  |  Danite 29/03/07
  36.   MK Abbas Zakour (Ra`am-Ta`al) 18:11  |  just me 29/03/07
  37.   "no doubt arab public respects minorities" 18:22  |  McQueen 29/03/07
  38.   to Muslim # 33 18:27  |  Lebanese 29/03/07
  39.   If only the Israel HATERS & BAITERS would read these 19:15  |  Ari ben Yisrael 29/03/07
  40.   Thank you to # 27, 33 & 35 19:34  |  Rami 29/03/07
  41.   muslim 33 19:53  |  alan 29/03/07
  42.   Adam &Eve, a MAN & a WOMAN 19:59  |  Abel 29/03/07
  43.   Freedom 20:11  |  Henry 29/03/07
  44.   #42 20:22  |  T A Sheppard 29/03/07
  45.   Potential Solution to Demographic Problem 20:26  |  Johnny 29/03/07
  46.   A gay rights conference in Arab nations 20:33  |  Chick Corea 29/03/07
  47.   Homosexuality 20:40  |  HR 29/03/07
  48.   something good about israel 20:45  |  mehmet 29/03/07
  49.   Homosexuality 20:45  |  HR 29/03/07
  50.   Homosexuality 20:48  |  HR 29/03/07
  51.   #3- Far from Western Average... 21:12  |  nikos 29/03/07
  52.   # 40 Rami 21:27  |  Lynn 29/03/07
  53.   T O 47 HR 22:37  |  Ranieri Mazilli 29/03/07
  54.   to lynn # 52 22:49  |  Rami 29/03/07
  55.   HAIFA ALUFA! 22:51  |  Yaakov 29/03/07
  56.   General Pace 23:05  |  Harold F 29/03/07
  57.   Ok Nazareth boy from now on u`ll be treated as 1st class citizen 23:54  |  Tamir Gaza 29/03/07
  58.   Mr Nazareth 23:57  |  Tamir Gaza 29/03/07
  59.   Jerusalem`s Gay Pride Parade HAPPENED 00:03  |  Michelle 30/03/07
  60.   much needed support 00:34  |  Athena 30/03/07
  61.   Just wondering 01:38  |  * BEN JABO 30/03/07
  62.   Arab Lesbians Under Occupation 06:29  |  Slibovitz 30/03/07
  63.   To #34 Lebanese -- I doubt it 06:38  |  Slibovitz 30/03/07
  64.   #63, Slibovitz. Can you tell sexual preferences from political? 13:00  |  zmogus 30/03/07
  65.   #63, Slibovitz. You doubt what exactly? 13:39  |  zmogus 30/03/07
  66.   Sin is Sin 18:57  |  Daniel 30/03/07
  67.   #65 - Zmogus 23:25  |  Slibovitz 30/03/07
  68.   #64 - Zmogus again 23:48  |  Slibovitz 30/03/07
  69.   #64 Zmogus continued 23:50  |  Slibovitz 30/03/07
  70.   NEXT TIME - MOVE THE CONVENTION 03:24  |  * BEN JABO 31/03/07
  71.   #6 Slibovitz. Methodological fallacy and objective cases 15:09  |  zmogus 01/04/07
  72.   n.32 :) curious 00:59  |  Queer Lebanese 02/04/07
  73.   oh and 01:01  |  Queer Lebanese 02/04/07
  74.   #72 Queer Lebanese 00:20  |  * BEN JABO 03/04/07
  75.   absolut Braveness! 23:39  |  Antonella 05/04/07
  76.   gay and to all my arab sister its time to learn our religion 17:39  |  abdullah husien 23/08/07
  77.   Disgusting by Lebanese in Montreal, Canada 14:27  |  RJB 21/09/07
  78.   request 00:26  |  sam 28/12/07
  79.   Differences of Opinion and Utter Disgust 09:13  |  Human Being 21/05/08
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