By Madeleine Mezagopian

For some time, certain cities in the Middle East have become known as the capitals of gays, a destination favored by male homosexuals who target the youth, the teenagers, and most painfully the pedophiles targeting the children. In addition, some people in the Middle East expressed disappointment, worry, and sorrow for the rampant same-sex couples in the Arab cities albeit undeclared.

Adult individuals are surely entitled to embrace their own sexual orientation. However, certain cultures implicitly direct their own children and teenagers during their lives very early and sensitive stage when these children develop their sexual identity towards getting engaged in same-sex physical interaction while being deprived of having the opportunity to know and eventually embrace emotional and physical interaction with the other beautiful human being—a phenomenon of severe and tragic repercussions threatening peaceful family life and leading to failed marriages.

Far from the religious teachings, certain cultures together with the harsh economic situation with a big segment of the society unemployed do implicitly promote violence and extremism together with same sex interaction. Two phenomena meet in a culture that pathetically directs foremost its male youth towards indulging in these two phenomena. These two phenomena are derived from a society that keeps the male and the female apart most of life’s stages prior to marriage and overfeeds the ego of the male by directing him towards not knowing nor understanding the woman with the eventual disastrous outcome of him practicing different verbal and physical intrafamily violence.

Such an absence of knowing and understanding each other and living apart during most of a woman’s early life surely leads equally the woman not to understand and properly interact both emotionally and physically with her marriage partner.

So often we learn and hear of mothers, a big majority of mothers encouraging their children and teenagers to interact only with same-sex individuals in different locations and times. A comportment equally very present and encouraged in houses of worship. Such conducts surely lead to a big gap in understanding and accepting each other between the two sexes. An attitude that accompanies these individuals throughout their lives whether single or married.

Today, these societies experience high rates of family violence and divorce due to several socioeconomic and cultural factors, in addition to couples’ different sexual orientations and the absence of mutual understanding.

Yes, the above-mentioned remains hitherto an untouched taboo issue. However, the societies in the Arab world are taking very courageous steps towards facing and ending several negative phenomena, foremost family violence and abuses of and by both men and women.

It’s high time for all the concerned in both civil society and in public institutions to first recognize this phenomenon and acknowledge the urgency of tackling and overcoming it through transparent courageous discussions and spreading awareness through different media means. Further, to integrate relevant topics that bridge rather than build the gap between the two sexes in the curriculums, in the speeches of people of religion, and surely in different TV productions.

Last but surely not least, this effort should be inspired by and target the safety and the longevity of the family life which in turn secures the safety and the stability of any society at large. A target that can be guaranteed mainly by a healthy and stable inter-gender interaction among the youth, and among society’s all members throughout life’s different cycles.

The author is an Academic Researcher, Advisor, and Analyst of Conflict Resolution/Peacemaking and Socioeconomic and Political Development Advocate of Human Security