Egyptian authorities have ordered the
arrest of nine men who appear in a 1-minute video which claims to be
from Egypt's first gay wedding.
According to the AP, seven of the men
have been detained and police are still looking for two others.
The video created controversy when it
went viral on social media last month.
In the clip, two grooms and their
wedding party celebrate the couple's nuptials aboard a boat on the
Nile.
The men, both dressed in dark suits,
kiss and hug after they exchange rings.
A cake decorated with an edible photo
of the grooms appears near the video's end.
Gay couples cannot legally marry in
Egypt, nor are their relationships recognized by the government.
In a highly publicized case from 2001,
police arrested 52 men aboard the Queen Boat, a floating gay
nightclub moored on the Nile in Cairo. The men – referred to as
the Cairo 52 – were charged with “habitual debauchery” and
defaming Islam. Twenty-one men were given 3-year jail sentences.
The men involved in the current case
are accused of inciting “debauchery” and broadcasting footage
that “violates public decency.”
The public prosecutor's office said in
a statement that the images were “humiliating, regrettable and
would anger God” and described the video as showing “a devilish
shameless party.”