Ahmed Marcouch on homosexuality.  

Source: Het Parool, 21st February, 2009.

The District Amsterdam-Slotervaart has to get its own gay pub as soon as possible, according to the Mayor of Amsterdam-Slotervaart, Ahmed Marcouch. He also wants more education on the subject of homosexuality, for Muslim youngsters – heterosexual Muslims have to take part in this education as well, creating a positive image of homosexual people in the Muslim community.

The Mayor stated this in an interview with the local television station, AT5.

Ahmed Marcouch wants Slotervaart to be the first Amsterdam District, developing its own policy on homosexuality. In this way, he wants to break the taboo on homosexuality in the Muslim community.

According to Marcouch, homosexuality is a subject which is not discussed at all within Muslim families. He points out as well, that there are no positive words for homosexuality in Arabic or Moroccan Arabic. “The only Arabic word for homosexuality is a derogatory term” 

So, if youngsters bring up the subject at home, they get slapped in the face, because they are using an inappropriate word, according to Marcouch.
 
One part of the policy on homosexuality for Amsterdam-Slotervaart would be that heterosexual people with an Islamic background educate Muslim youngsters on the subject. The COC (the Dutch organization for integration of homosexuality. F.) is the only one doing it at present. Ahmed Marcouch thinks that education by heterosexual Muslims is more effective, because “the educational worker himself is not gay, but still creates a positive image of homosexual people”.
 
On top of that, Marcouch wants organizations which arrange activities with a gay theme, to come to Amsterdam-Slotervaart. According to the Mayor, it would be good for Amsterdam-West as a whole, to have a gay pub or café.
 
Ahmed Marcouch has been concerned about the fate of the 50- to 100 thousand gay Muslims in The Netherlands for quite some time now. During the Eed ul Fitr in 2008, he already brought up the double lives many Muslim gays are leading.
 
Ahmed Marcouch has scheduled a meeting with his board about the policy on homosexuality for 17th March, 2009.

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