Egyptian Authorities Jail Gays for "Falsely Interpreting the Koran"

23 Egyptian men imprisoned after being seized outside a gay nightclub, were jailed for "debauchery, contempt of religion, falsely interpreting the Koran and exploiting Islam to promote deviant ideas," the Guardian reported last week.

The men were convicted under emergency laws originally intended to thwart Islamic militants, with 14 showing traces of engaging in anal sex, prosecutors said. One individual Sherif Farahat was sentenced to 5 years in jail. 15 non Egyptians and several women were allowed to leave during the raid which took place at the Queen Boat, a disco moored on the Nile river, earlier this year.

"Homosexuality, in the eyes of the popular media, is a western phenomenon- a sickness Egyptians sometimes catch from foreigners," The Guardian explained. "Having caught it they may, in the words of one newspaper, "infect others", threatening the Egyptian way of life."

Contrasting sharply with the Egyptian media's approach to homosexuality, was a article published in this week's Independent on Sunday, which uncovered the sexual meaning of arm bands worn by men in London S&M/ gay club FIST.

"Left arm = giver; right arm= taker; black= extreme S&M: duck blue egg= milder S&M; lavender= group sex; brown= likes pooh (faeces): dark blue= likes anal; grey= bondage; light blue= oral; yellow= golden showers; maroon= vampirism; purple= piercings; red= fisting; green= financial transactions; white= new to the scene; white lace= romance; orange= anything."

The code applies to London club F.I.S.T, where Trade's EJ Doubell also maintains a DJ residency.

"FIST is a gay fetish club though it is quite segregated," Emma told Skrufff's Jonty Adderley recently.

"People go there for the music, or you can go in the back rooms and do whatever you want. You can dabble if you want to but if you don't you can dance. People think it's a very intimidating club but when they actually go down there it's more like nothing is happening (chuckling)."
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