A 20-year-old gay man was reportedly brutally murdered by members of his own family in a so-called “honor killing” in Iran last week.
Alireza Fazeli-Monfared had plans to flee the country to Turkey to meet his refugee boyfriend when he was beheaded by his own half-brother and cousins.
Journalist Masih Alinejad tweeted the news on May 7, writing: “Rest in peace Alireza Fazeli Monfared. This 20-year-old beautiful soul from Iran was brutally killed by his brother & cousins for being gay as part of an honour killing.
“Iran’s LGBTQ community is brutalised both by the regime & by bigotry in certain families.”
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Fazeli-Monfared had just received an exemption from serving in the military because of “sexual depravities.” The document outed him; Fazeli-Monfared’s family discovered the exemption papers, learning of his sexual orientation.
Under Islamic law in Iran, same-sex relations are illegal and can carry punishment of jail, lashing and in some cases, execution.
Rest in peace Alireza Fazeli Monfared. This 20-year-old beautiful soul from Iran was brutally killed by his brother & cousins for being gay as part of an honour killing.
Iran's LGBTQ community is brutalised both by the regime & by bigotry in certain families#??????_?????_????? pic.twitter.com/LsWBlvSKYX
— Masih Alinejad ?? (@AlinejadMasih) May 8, 2021
3-Through its homophobic laws, anti-gay propaganda, and light sentences for honour killings, the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for facilitating the murder of countless members of the LGBTQ community in Iran. This community is yearning to be heard by the world
— Masih Alinejad ?? (@AlinejadMasih) May 8, 2021
Alinejad added these upsetting details in further tweets: “Alireza was killed by being beheaded by his family. After beheading him, the family dumped this poor man’s body under a tree outside of the city of Ahwaz. Alireza was about to flee Iran to join his boyfriend, who’s a refugee waiting for him in Turkey.
“Through its homophobic laws, anti-gay propaganda, and light sentences for honour killings, the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for facilitating the murder of countless members of the LGBTQ community in Iran. This community is yearning to be heard by the world.”
“At 7pm on Tuesday, Alireza had a phone conversation with his mother for the last time,” Aghil Abyat, Alireza’s friend, told the publication IranWire. “Then his half-brother came to him and on the pretext that their father wanted to see him, got him into the car and drove him outside the city.
“There was no news of him until Wednesday when Alireza’s stepbrother called his mother and told her: ‘We have finished him off.’ In other words, he confessed to murdering Alireza. They found his body under some palm trees. It’s now with the medical examiner and his mother has been hospitalised because of the shock.”
The same article cites a report from 6Rang (6 Colors), an “Iranian lesbian and transgender network”, that three suspects were arrested for the killing, two of whom are suspected to be Fazeli-Monfared’s cousins.
Iran requires all its male citizens above the age of 18 to enlist in military service but excepts gay men and transgender women, who are officially cited as having “mental disorders” and “sexual depravities.”
Chrisk
“officially cited as having “mental disorders”
Now if they put fundamentalist Muslim in there instead I’d believe it. Reason # 1 I would never visit most middle eastern shitholes. Christians are bad enough but Muslims are way worse. They’re still in the 14th century.
Mr. Stadnick
All religions are evil if you ask me. They all get twisted and become cults. Abortionist murders, Conversion therapy, it goes on and on.
Troyfight
@Chrisk Exactly. Exactly.
ShiningSex
ALL RELIGIONS ARE EVIL. NOT JUST ONE. THEY’RE STUPID AND SPREAD HATE AND VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF IT.
Fahd
Iran is a society replete with contradictions. As an example, western-influenced plastic surgery, including rhinoplasty, run amok, coexists with pressure to and tolerance of so-called honor killings, a medieval practice that devalues humankind and robs the individual of his inherent dignity. May this innocent soul be remembered and – not to excuse the dumb a*s killers themselves – a curse on the backward theocracy that brings a person’s relatives to commit such a barbaric killing.
ShiningSex
ALL RELIGIONS ARE A CONTRADICTION. ALL!!!
Fahd
Saying all religion is bad or whatever, even in all caps, doesn’t promote positive change. It just offers an excuse.
I’m sure there are plenty of Muslims who would say that honor killing is not part of Islam, but rather a tribal practice that can be traced backed to the pre-islamic period in these societies with ancient roots.
In any case, those of us in a position to do so – in open Western societies with separation of church and state and civil liberties, however imperfect they may be — should not hesitate to exercise our right to criticize these backward customs.
Reform should come from within, but there are universal human rights that we should all work to protect. There are still countries (I think it is 6) in the world where homosexuality is a capital crime.
barryaksarben
What honor is there in MURDER? What GOD is happy with brutal murder?
TheDefiler
That right there says it all. Speaks to our country’s perspective on all things associated with the military as well — it does not automatically confer honor. Why would it?
msfrost
None, Religion, is a human invention!!
Donald Dork
Allah is happy with brutal murder
Shirtless Climber
I think what god ever is competent – (s)he is angry because one of his/her most beautiful creatures was destroyed!
Prinny
Religion needs to be destroyed
wimo
Indeed, religions are only invented to keep the crowd calm, like sheeps.
LumpyPillows
Yeah, Islam sucks. All religions suck, but it is hateful stuff like this that just turn my stomach.
ptb2016
No civilisation can do anything but condemn this appalling crime, which not only goes against the laws of the three main religions but continues to deny human nature which as we know is varied and complex. Honor killing is not in any way honorable and should be made illegal in every land. Such a cruel waste. My deepest sympathies to his boyfriend.
GayEGO
So typical of religion, they say we are the bad ones but in fact, they are the bad ones.
wimo
Sure
Cam
Amazing how similar all right wing religions are. Every time Right wing Republicans and Christians get a little bit of power they try to attack LGBTQ people and minorities. I have no doubt that many of them have no problem with what this family did.
The poor man.
alex1435
I’m heart broken for this guy and the man that loved him, how horrible. One of the worst actions parents can do is kick out their son or daughter for being gay any family member truly. However this is shocking, murderous and ultimate human cruelty. I know it happens but it always blows me over when I read about these murders in Iran and other parts of the world, even in America. Of course there will be no harsh punishment for the murderous family members.
Donald Dork
they’ll be rewarded
fur_hunter
Religions propagate more HATE and discrimination than ANY other source. They are constantly preaching against those who are different and those they don’t like or disagree with. And those listening believe every word and take action against those groups and individuals. Religious beliefs give people the license to KILL! It disgusts me. Religion = Control of People and their MONEY!
miller2900
…..you nailed it perfectly!
kiket123
So sad and so sick. A young life destroyed by zealots.
rural queer socialist
FIRST
as a queer person –
we see that some entire countries BRUTALLY DISCRIMINATE against queer people.
Is the US one of those ? NOPE! Are most nations founded on Roman Catholic, or Protestant, religion one of those? NOPE! Is the nation – Israel – founded on Judaism, one of those? NOPE!
Are many nations founded on Islam among those? YES, INDEED!
So what does that tell you? START focusing on the problem counties: and many of them as Islamic dominant governments!
Second
as a Christian person –
do all Muslims hate and violate queer persons? NOPE!
do all Christians hate and violate queer persons? NOPE!
do all Buddhists hate and violate queer persons? NOPE!
SO STOP talking about all religious people as if they are the same!
The comments in here EQUATING Christian-dominant countries with Muslim-dominant countries are GASLIGHTING!: DISTRACTING from the ACTUAL HARMS and REAL problems facing queer people around the world.
Third
as a socialist person –
Islamic socialist countries, like Iran, like Turkey, like many others are HATEFULLY violating liberties, not only, but also including queer liberties to have safe lives. If you want the US to become HATEFUL, then keep going the way of IDEOLOGICAL SOCIALISM that ignores true socialism: the socialism focused on working classes! ELITE SNOT socialism practices by many elites in the US is on the path to similar rigidity and hatefulness as any other ideological socialism. IF YOU are not daily concerned about respecting and protecting the lives and livelihoods of working class people you are NOT a true socialist; you are an ELITE SNOT SOCIALIST.
darklight413
Iran is not a socialist country. It’s authoritarian. People don’t have a say in what happens in their country. That’s not socialism. That authoritarianism.
Cam
You can always tell the really bad right wing trolls. They always try to come in and start off with “As a queer person” or something along those lines.
As far as “Does the U.S. do this?” Um, how many Black transwomen were murdered this year? How many people were murdered in the Pulse nightclub? How many lesbians have been raped by people who want to “Change them”?
And who passed a law in one state saying people of the same sex couldn’t even make a contract together. Of course it backfired when Doctors and Lawyers threatened to sue because they couldn’t run their offices without those agreements.
And sweetie, it’s right wing religions that encourage violent bigoted hate. The countries that are more socialist, like Sweden, Finland, Denmark have the most acceptance of LGBTQ rights. But nice to see you tell the same lies under all of your screenames.
startenout
So the murder or Brandon Teena didn’t happen in a Christian country? Nor did Matthew Shepard being beaten and tied to a fence to freeze alone and in pain? What about Ally Lee Steinfeld having her eyes gouged out, her genitals stabbed and her remains burned and left in a chicken coop in Missouri? Or the 44 trans people murdered last year setting a new record DESPITE us all being in lockdown for most of 2020??
There are terrible people everywhere, so stop pretending we’re better here than the Middle East or anywhere else! The uneducated and the hateful are in every religion and non-religion. Stop blaming Islam or Christianity or Muslims or Atheists or…
Actually stand up and do something or shut up and fade away…. these are our options.
leo1008
“we see that some entire countries BRUTALLY DISCRIMINATE against queer people. Is the US one of those ? NOPE!”
No offense, but are you out of your damn mind?
It was barely a few years ago that 50 homosexuals were gunned down in the Pulse night club.
It was also just a very few years ago that homosexuals won an extremely tenuous legal right to marry. We do not know what would happen if a challenge to that narrowly decided Supreme Court Case came up again before a Supreme Court that is now even more conservative after Trump’s presidency.
And are you aware when homosexuals gained national job protection against discrimination for the first time? Last year. Seriously. 2020. Before that, a gay man or woman could move from SF or NY to south dakota, take a job, announce that they’re gay, and then get legally fired because of their sexual orientation. And that federal protection came, once again, from a narrowly decided supreme court case: not from some kind of overwhelming support.
We have, certainly, made progress. But the idea that we now live in a country not discriminating against us is absurd. All of those very new legal rights could easily be swept away or just ignored altogether. Just look at the erosion of abortion rights over the last few decades. Several states now routinely pass severe abortion restrictions which clearly exceed limitations that were earlier put in place by Supreme Court decisions.
One thing that might help is federal legislation (as opposed to narrow supreme court rulings) enshrining rights for homosexuals in law. Another thing that would help is a Constitutional Amendment spelling out in clear terms that discrimination cannot take place due to sexual orientation. Both of those remedies have been applied – going back more than a hundred years – to help women and African Americans. But, as far as I’m aware, there is no public groundswell whatsoever for similar action to be taken on behalf of gays.
Why is that the case? Interpretations will vary. It’s possible, as your comment indicates, that too many people have a misplaced feeling of safety despite living in a society filled with people who will discriminate against them if and when possible.
But the main thing is that we can never let our guard down. Our very tenuous progress could very easily disappear with the stroke of a pen: and the 2016 election of trump shows pretty clearly that anything is possible.
Kangol2
@ruralqueerfakesocialist, you sound like you’ve been drinking for the past 24 hours. Dry out, step away from the keyboard, and get psychological help.
Also, entire non-Muslim countries (Russia, Poland, etc.) do discriminate against LGBTQ people. And this young man (my heart goes out to him–may he RIP) and his ex were fleeing to another predominantly Muslim country with a pro-Islamic leader, Turkey. Or did you miss that part?
Your right-wing trolling is so obvious it’s not funny but you might open up a book on the history of LGBTQ people and learn something rather than sharing your incoherent rants on here.
boops123
Your ignorance is truly amazing. Now you say socialism is a cause also? Wake up moron! You defending your religion and beliefs, (beliefs are not fact), against another religion and condemning it, is exactly why ALL religions are the worst atrocity to ever befall mankind. Religions create division and hate, and you are doing just that with your hate of another religion. If There were no religions this division and hate would not exist. Man created gods!
miller2900
…..rural, you gotta whole lotta stuff to “unpack” within your comments and at first glance it aint looking good. Especially to those of us that understand the dark side of “socialism”….any flavor you want to pick out, “true” or otherwise.
darklight413
No “God” would condone this. If you’re in a religion that condones cold blooded murder, you need to find a new religion. Any religion that would condone this worships something other than God. This isn’t a religion it’s an abomination.
enlightenone
People are going to do what people are going to do. Religion is just an “acceptable” excuse! “Family!” Really? “Human” garbage!
ryanss
God is love. Religion only exists to enslave people to bigotry. RIP. One more of us gone due to hatred.
TMBisAOK
I’m bawling. Goddammit I hate this fuching world!!!
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
And yet all you commenters here love people like omar and talib
Cam
Hey look, Rural Queer Socialist switched to one of his other screenames to deflect from the murder of an LGBTQ person so it could attack the people on here.
Your trolling is still old and tired.
Mister P
This shocking. Evil people use religion to justify this kind of thing. We would all be better off without religion which is all untrue.
Omar and Tlaib are not the problem.
cuteguy
Religion segregates ppl. God unites but it’s religion that discriminates
Jessie Nice
Is anyone really surprised at this? I mean c’mon! You far left democRATS can’t seriously be shocked to hear that a Muslim man and his family killed their own son in the name of Allah!? When will people wake up and realize that yes, although all religions are stupid, are you that brainwashed to hear and see that out of all of them, that Islam is a threat to this whole world!?
Cam
Funny, it isn’t Muslims that have been murdering LGBTQ people here in the U.S. and it isn’t Muslims who are trying to pass laws here outlaying LGBTQ people’s lives. Christian parents have abused, kicked out, or killed their LGBTQ kids.
There is no difference between crazy right wing Christians, and crazy right wingers in Islam.
They both hate and want to harm us. Trying to differentiate is ridiculous.
Cam
To all the accounts trying to claim that this happened because it’s a Muslim country and trying to pretend that Christians wouldn’t do this……
Apparently none of you remember the article from just a few days about about the gay man burned to death in Christian Latvia.
toronto
Exactly.
Shirtless Climber
He was so cute
Rock Star
I am fuming without adequate words to say how disgusted I am with Iran and in general all the middle eastern countries who continue to use religion for their secular laws..
That is why I always repeat the words of JFK.
“The separation of church and state must be absolute.”
Thad
This is why the rainbow flag should fly from United States embassies.
Trekbike
I totally agree. Trump and his Christian cronies stopped that from happening. Thanks to Biden it’s starting again.
toronto
Saddest thing I have heard in a long time. But, American Christians would do this if they could get away with it.
mecmass
That was my thought also.
Mike Pence, Franklin Graham et. al. must be having orgasms fantasizing about being able to do this.
Celtic
As an ordained graduate Seminarian, I believe that when acts in such a violent manner and taking the Hand of God upon themselves as God’s authority, they have simply done the work of Satan. While we express shock at this atrocity, we cannot forget how many trans folk are murdered routinely here in the U.S. We cannot forget how many “Christian pastors” have called for the extermination of LGBTQ people. Sexual orientation is a Gift from God. Those who believe differently simply have fallen under the spell of Satan.
Barlow
Heartbreaking. A very sad loss. I hope Alireza’s death will carry the same legacy as some other murders of gay men by straight men looking to hold up what they consider to be society’s norms. This beheading is barbaric, but no more so than the fate that befell Matthew Shepard in the United States in 1998 (Just 23 years ago, sweeties). That death elevated the plight of gay men in their home country. My this one do the same.
nandesuka
That’s appalling. I hope the God they think they know grabs them by the head and shakes then until their head is severed from their body. Additionally, I hope they feel the pain and fear 10,000 times over. Hell will be their crowning glory for eternity!!!! May they suffer forever.
Winsocki
I guess no one saw Brokeback Mountain in God Fearing good old USA.
darkanser
And they say Islam is a religion of PEACE!!. I think Islam has a different definition of “PEACE” than those outside of Islam. I was NEVER a highly religious person. However, when I learned many of the tenets of Islam, it prompted me to ask “What separates ANY of these religions from a CULT??, I’d like someone to tell me!!” There have been myriad atrocities done in the name of religion throughout history. However, of the three Abrahamic religions, Christianity or Judaism do NOT go nearly as far in ordaining violence as does Islam. I have family members who are avowed Muslims. To me, Islam is like a straight-jacket. We usually associate honor killings with women. I understand they used to also force sex changes surgeries on gay men. They condone honor killings for many things — including apostasy ( leaving the religion).
darkanser
Having said that I’m confident the VAST majority of people who claim to be Muslim are very lovely people. I just have an issue with the ideology of Islam.
My2CentsWorth
The biggest difference between Christianity and Islam is time. Christianity has had more years to get beyond the stage that the Islamic religion is (and maybe enough time to start reverting). There may not have been as many killing of people because of sexual orientation in the Christian “world” because fewer people were revealing their sexual orientation and the ways of being discovered may have been fewer in the past centuries.
“Christians” certainly did a lot of killing because of differences – even of each others because of differences in their approaches to the religion.
Cam
Christians in multiple countries have murdered LGBTQ people, right wing Jews in Israel have attacked and murdered LGBTQ people.
Religion is the problem, not any particular one.
Blue.Jacket
I can’t stop crying… Feeling powerless is getting more common in our community. Sad.
This article was the evil pin that popped my balloon of an otherwise lovely day…
BoomerMyles
What a tragic story. Utterly heartbreaking.
miguel
Anyone who thinks religion is not a direct result of this horrible murder is living in a fool’s paradise. Murderers, rapists, assaulters, rioters, homophobes, and creeps have long used religion (particularly their own interpretation of their chosen religion) to justify their murders, rapes, and assualts. It doesn’t help that a country like Iran also gives what could only be surmised as an “ataboy” to these stone cold murderers. Honor killings?? WTF? This horrible murder should not be theorized, studied, or forgiven. Someone should stand up for this beautiful kid and see to it that his good for nothing, murdering, rotten family see the inside of a very dirty, small, putrid smelling jail cell.
Chrisk
I’d settle on a eye for an eye kind of punishment. Love to round them up and find the rustiest knife and slowly go to town.
I hear it’s quite popular over there.
darkanser
I think you meant to say something like “thinks religion is not a direct CAUSE of this horrible murder….” etc. I tend to agree with your point. I don’t know if you watch the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale. I think drama gives a good glimpse of what theocratic states would be like with the added complications of widespread ecological damage and human infertility. The TV series tones down the racial element which was part of the original story. I suspect that was by design and might have been a good thing. I have a feeling many people would have found inspiration in the society depicted in that story and that’s frightening to me.
chillin_b4_a_drillin
His parents are animals and should be slaughtered and ground into dog food because they’re no more than that.
Chrisk
I don’t think the mom was in on it. The dad on the other hand..
My2CentsWorth
Why do you think that the dogs should be given such disgusting meat to eat?
Invader7
The family members involved are EVIL animals. Some followers of Islam are sociopaths /psychopaths !!!
MISTERJETT
with so much hate in the world that you have to deal with, you should be able to go home and get complete and total love and acceptance from family.
Prowelsh56
These are the real stories of the LGBTQ comminity around the World and so much more important that some Colton, whatever his name is. No one in the LGBTQ community should not care about this.