Unspeakable Love by Brian Whitaker; University of California Press, $19.95

Brian Whitaker, Middle East Editor of The Guardian, treads where few dare to go with the release of Unspeakable Love – Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East. The book is a thorough examination of the issues facing homosexuals in Middle Eastern and Islamic countries. It is thoroughly researched, with 25 pages of footnotes, and hardly constitutes light reading. But it is a book that simply must be read by any homosexual who lives, or contemplates living, in a Middle Eastern country.

Whitaker focuses primarily on two countries, Lebanon and Egypt, with some forays into the current situation in Saudi Arabia, the only Arab country where the punishment for homosexuality is death. His balanced reporting includes not only legal precedent, but the more important issues of prevailing social moods and practices that often take precedence over the dictates of law.

An entire chapter of Unspeakable Love is given over to comparative readings of the Bible and the Qur'an, with specific attention devoted to IslamOnline, a website whose content is determined by a major Muslim religious leader. IslamOnline sets forth Islamic policy regarding homosexuality. and attempts, with some success, to establish itself as a moral arbiter of Muslim religious practices. Like any individual or group that attempts to codify and dictate religious beliefs, it is vulnerable to personal prejudices and outright fabrications.

The author clearly shows that a double standard toward homosexuality remains in place in most Middle Eastern countries. Muslim men may walk hand-in-hand and kiss in public, but they may not profess their sexual love for each other or express it in public. Same-sex sexual relations may occur covertly, with few questions asked even by outsiders who know, as long as the participants are discreet. Ironically, the country with the most repressive laws (Saudi Arabia) is also the country most tolerant of homosexuality in practice. This, according to Whitaker, is because the main tactic employed by Saudi Arabia to deal with homosexuality is denial. If it isn't talked about, or written about, then it doesn't exist.

Lebanon and Egypt, countries moderately more progressive in the area of legal prohibitions, are actually more repressive than Saudi Arabia in practice. It is possible for homosexuals to be somewhat more open in these countries, but that openness often comes with a high price.

Although Unspeakable Love is a serious work, it does have its lighter moments. One of these comes early in the book when the author describes the Beirut Dunkin' Donuts which became a de facto gathering place for homosexuals. Unspeakable Love also illuminates the historical acceptance of same-sex relations in Muslim countries for hundreds of years, before the Westernization of Muslim culture began. Some reasons for this shift in consciousness are suggested in Unspeakable Love, and they deserve to be read in full.