Abdulrahman Akkad (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: عبدالرحمن عقاد) is a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

political

blogger A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

, and

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

. He currently resides in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Biography

Early life and education

Akkad was born in Aleppo to

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

parents. His family is descended from

Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

who later converted to Islam. He has three brothers and a sister. 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. With the escalation of events surrounding the Syrian civil war, Akkad and his family were forced to leave Syria in July 2013.

Time spent in Turkey

Akkad and his family migrated to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in July 2013. He speaks Turkish fluently and worked as a translator in call center companies in the city. 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 Family reunification is a recognized reason for immigration in many countries because of the presence of one or more family members in a certain country, therefore, enables the rest of the divided family or only specific members of the family to ...

. While living in Turkey, Akkad discovered his

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

. 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. He tried to obtain a

humanitarian visa Humanitarian visas are Travel visa, visas granted by some countries in order to fulfill their international obligation to protect refugees from persecution. The criteria in the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Convention Relating to t ...

from the Swiss Consulate in Istanbul but was refused. 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 Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

. Akkad took several doses of the hormone but later refused to take more because it caused him depression and tension. His older brother beat and locked him up in a room for two months where he did not see sunlight. 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 ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, later running away to a friend's house with his passport and $200.

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. Akkad travelled through

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

until he arrived in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on December 5, 2015, where he applied for

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

based on his sexual orientation. He was granted asylum in 2016, though his asylum procedure was delayed because he was a minor at the time. Akkad was bullied, insulted, and threatened with death by Arabs and Muslims in Germany.

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. In the end, he decided to post a live video on Facebook, 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. On July 24, 2017, Akkad streamed a live video on Facebook, coming out as gay after fearing that his family would have forced him to marry a woman against his will. 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. 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. This photo is also considered to be the first of its kind with an Arab family publicly accepting their gay son's sexual orientation. Akkad and his family 2020

Activism in Germany

Akkad is an openly gay activist in the

MENA The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...

region, especially in Syria, and the German media described him as a "hated figure" in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. 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 LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

rights in the Middle East. Akkad gave his first interview to the famous German Newspaper (

Bild ''Bild'' (, ) or ''Bild-Zeitung'' (, ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' () is published instead, which has a differen ...

) in Germany and said that he doesn't want to stay in Germany because of the threats he received. Akkad participated in the

Me Too movement #MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...

and admitted that he was sexually harassed and encouraged people to participate in the campaign and speak out. Akkad worked with Atheist Refugee Relief Organization in Germany and helped many refugees and appeared with them at the

Cologne Pride Cologne Pride or Cologne Gay Pride (formerly: ''Christopher Street Day Cologne'') is one of the largest gay and lesbian events organised in Germany and one of the biggest in Europe. Its origin is to celebrate the pride in Gay and Lesbian Culture. ...

in 2019 wearing the

Niqab A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of ...

to support women who are forced to wear it in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East. Akkad posted a video wearing the

Rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

in front of a mosque in Germany in the

Gay pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, Social equality, equality, and increas ...

in 2020, in solidarity with homosexuals in the Middle East and

Islamic countries The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is p ...

, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.

Political views

Akkad identifies as

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

, supporting the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions. As a former member of the Atheist Refugee Relief organization, Akkad aided many

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

+ Middle Eastern refugees in Germany. Akkad's story was mentioned during the federal government session of the Federal parliament of Germany for Human Rights in 2020 by German philosopher David Berger after

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

banned his account because he was gay and the threats he was exposed to. 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. He encouraged the deportation of refugees who did not integrate into German society and did not respect the law and the constitution. 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. 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.

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.

References

External links

Official WebsiteArchived
September 5, 2021 on

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akkad, Abdulrahman 1998 births Living people Syrian LGBTQ rights activists Syrian gay men People from Aleppo Syrian exiles Syrian emigrants to Germany Syrian bloggers Syrian human rights activists Syrian democracy activists People of the Syrian civil war Syrian dissidents Syrian refugees Syrian feminists Gay politicians 21st-century Syrian writers