Nemat Sadat

Nemat Sadat (Persian: نعمت سادات) is an Afghan-American journalist, novelist, human rights activist, and former professor of political science at the American University of Afghanistan. Known for his debut novel The Carpet Weaver and his campaigning for LGBTQIA+ rights, particularly in the context of societal and cultural Islamic attitudes towards homosexuality in the Muslim world.[1][2][3] Sadat is one of the first Afghans to have openly come out as gay and to campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights, gender freedom, and sexual liberty in Afghanistan.[1][2]

Nemat Sadat holding a handmade poster which says, "I am... gay, an Afghan native, an American citizen, an Ex-Muslim man, and the Father of All Love Bombs"
Nemat Sadat at the National Pride March (also known as the Equality March for Unity and Pride) in Washington, D.C. (June 11, 2017). Photo by Elvert Barnes / CC-BY-SA-2.0.

He has degrees from California State University, Fullerton, University of California, Irvine, Harvard Extension School, Columbia University, and Oxford University.[4]

Activism

In 2012, having secured the position of assistant professor in political science at the American University of Afghanistan, Sadat returned to Kabul.[5] During his employment at the university, he used social media to mobilize an underground movement to openly campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights in Afghanistan.[1][6]

In July 2013, his public outreach came to the attention of the Afghan government, which alleged that his activities were undermining Islam in the country and deemed him a threat to national security.[7] Sadat was fired from his position at AUAF and he left Afghanistan, settling in New York City.[8]

In August 2013, Nemat Sadat publicly announced his sexuality, becoming the first Afghanistan native to come out as gay.[2] According to Sadat, he received several death threats including a fatwa issued against him by the mullahs of Afghanistan as a result.[9] In October of the same year, Sadat faced a second wave of widespread hostility in Afghan media.[5] Commenting on his LGBT activism in an interview for The Guardian in November 2013, Sadat said, "I am making a sacrifice, but I want Afghan youth to look at me and see that there are people who are Afghan and Muslim and gay. It will give them hope."[10]

In June 2016, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, Nemat Sadat voiced his perspective as a U.S.-based, gay ex-Muslim who faced adversity for his sexuality and background. He made several TV appearances, including giving interviews for CNN's Christiane Amanpour,[11] Amara Walker, and Don Lemon, as well as NBC News.[12][13][14]

Later that same year, Sadat participated in BBC’s extended news feature on Afghanistan's LGBTQIA+ community,[15] as well as taking part in a BBC Pashto debate on Islam and homosexuality.[16]

Sadat took part in the National Pride March in 2017 in Washington, D.C., appearing on the cover on the Washington Blade[17] and giving an interview for NPR.[18]

Following the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021 to the Taliban in the Fall of Kabul, Sadat warned of the direct threat that gay men face under Taliban rule, appealing to the international community to speed the evacuation of vulnerable civilians.[19]

Journalism

Sadat has published articles and papers in numerous publications, including the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and Out Magazine.[20] Prior to accepting the position at the American University of Afghanistan, he has also produced content for ABC News Nightline, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and the UN Chronicle.[21][22]

Publication

Penguin Random House India published Sadat’s first book, The Carpet Weaver, in 2019.[23] The book is set in the 1970s and 1980’s Afghanistan and tells the story of Kanishka Nurzada, a young Afghan boy, who falls in forbidden love with his childhood male friend, Maihan, against the backdrop of Afghanistan’s golden age of paradise and the turbulent transition to civil war.[24]

See also

References
  1. Judem, Emily (30 April 2014). "Afghanistan's 'coming out' for LGBT rights can pave the road to peace". Pri.org. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. "Meet Afghanistan's first openly gay activist and author, Nemat Sadat". Vogue magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. George, Sarahbeth (7 July 2019). "Nemat Sadat: 'I too would like to go back to Afghanistan and not be stoned for being gay'". National Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. "Nemat Sadat – Belongg Online Literature Festival".
  5. "As Russia Runs For the Closet, Afghanistan Comes Out". www.out.com. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  6. Rangnekar, Sharif D. (3 August 2019). "Nemat Sadat: Gay, Muslim, Afghan, immigrant". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. "Despite Death Threats A Gay Leader Emerges In Afghanistan". www.corcoranproductions.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. "As Russia Runs For the Closet, Afghanistan Comes Out". www.out.com. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. "Afghan-American writer Nemat Sadat on weaving a gay love story, living in a homeless shelter in the US and why he feels at home in India". The Indian Express. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  10. "Over the rainbow: what is it like to be gay around the world? | World news". The Guardian. 26 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  11. "Afghan gay rights activist: 'Minority within a minority'". CNN. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  12. Craig, Tim (14 June 2016). "After Orlando attack, prevailing view is there are 'not any gays' in Afghanistan". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  13. "Why Death Is Easier Than Coming Out for Some Gay Muslims". NBC News. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  14. "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  15. "Afghanistan LGBT community living under threat of death". BBC News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  16. "فکرلارې: شریعت او افغاني ټولنه د همجنس خوښوونکو په اړه څه نظر لري؟". BBC News پښتو (in Pashto). 8 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  17. "Washington Blade - June 16, 2017". Issuu. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  18. "D.C. Equality March Makes Pride Political". NPR.org. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  19. Zitser, Joshua; Shoaib, Alia (21 August 2021). "Men from Afghanistan's secret gay community say they are living through a 'nightmare' and fear that the Taliban will execute them at any moment". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  20. "Blood Sport Returns to Afghanistan by Nemat Sadat". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  21. "Nemat Sadat: What It's Like To Be Gay & An Afghan". IndiaTimes. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  22. Chatterjee, Amal (16 September 2018). "MSt almunus Nemat Sadat's novel "The Carpet Weaver " to be published by Penguin Random House, June 2019". conted.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  23. "Nemat Sadat's debut novel is an ode to beauty and hope, even in dark times". The Indian Express. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  24. Roy, Catherine Rhea. "The Carpet Weaver: On coming of age in Kabul". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
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