The ban on homosexuality in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is being enforced by Kuwait, where a ban on gay foreign workers has also been proposed.
According to The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the GCC ban makes homosexuality “illegal and punishable by flogging and even imprisonment.”
On top of this, “a Kuwait Health Ministry official announced that during the November 2013 GCC central meeting in Oman, his country would propose a law mandating that the required routine medical examination for foreign workers seeking to enter the GCC countries would also include an examination of their sexual orientation.”
Foreign workers “found to be homosexual” would not be allowed in “Kuwait or any other Gulf state.”
Amnesty International has condemned the action, “calling on Kuwait and the GCC countries to refrain from marginalizing gays and to ensure they are not discriminated against.”
MEMRI reports that during the GCC committee meeting held November 4-6 there was no substantive talk on Kuwait’s proposal.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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