An anonymous artist is gaining a large following online by depicting queer relationships as experienced by those living in countries on the Arabian Peninsula.
The artist, who calls himself 'Queer Habibi', takes inspiration from his own life and community, aiming to bring visibility to Arabian queer culture.
“I want to show the world that you can live in Arabian countries and be queer at the same time and there is nothing wrong with it,” the artist said in an interview with .
Arabian countries include Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as parts of Jordan and Iraq.
He continued: “I want to break the stigma surrounding Arabian countries because in the end, love is a feeling which stands above every other in the world and experiencing it is just a miracle, because it’s the purest one."
“It’s like coming home from a long-long journey.”
“I receive thousands of messages by people who have gone through some tough situations considering their belonging to Arabia, and the choices and sacrifices that they have made,” he revealed.
“My ultimate goal is to inform and educate people about LGBTQA+ community of Arabia through my art.”
“My project is representing a very niche target, the LGBTQA+ community of Arabia, which is often misjudged as an unexciting social group” he explained, adding that he's chosen to remain anonymous due to a fear for his safety.
“My own will of spreading awareness lead me to do Art Queer Habibi to educate and inform all of the followers that there are people of LGBTQA+ in Arabia just as much as in any other countries of the world," he said.
He added: “However, the majority lives behind different boundaries because they are afraid to fully embrace who they are based on random obstacles of lifestyle choices."
“I must confess that feeling of honour and duty keeps me going on even though negative backlash and minor threats.”
