Gay Muslims living in Germany walk a fine line between freedom and religious constraints on sexual self expression, and between their status as outsiders and a practical need to blend in as Europeans.

The New York Times published an article on the difficulties faced by gay Muslims (www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/world/europe/01berlin.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin) on Jan. 1, taking a look at a gay dance party called a “Gayhane” that takes place at a Berlin night spot called SO36.

The Gayhane events draw a largely Turkish and Arab crowd, reported the Times, many of them gay or bisexual.

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BERLIN — Six men whirled faster and faster in the center of the nightclub, arms slung over one another’s shoulders, performing a traditional circle dance popular in Turkey and the Middle East. Nothing unusual given the German capital’s large Muslim population.

But most of the people filling the dance floor on Saturday at the club SO36 in the Kreuzberg neighborhood were gay, lesbian or bisexual, and of Turkish or Arab background. They were there for the monthly club night known as Gayhane, an all-too-rare opportunity to merge their immigrant cultures and their sexual identities.

European Muslims, so often portrayed one-dimensionally as rioters, honor killers or terrorists, live diverse lives, most of them trying to get by and to have a good time. That is more difficult if one is both Muslim and gay.
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