What does it mean to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Iraq? To love where love is forbidden, to flee and become a stranger, or to stay and live a double life?
Iraqi journalist Azhar Al-Rubaie weaves together the voices of those still enduring the shadows of their homeland and those navigating the precarious light in exile. Through intimate interviews, In the Shadow, In the Light reveals the harrowing choices faced by queer Iraqis: invisibility or danger, exile or imprisonment, self-erasure or defiance. A testament to resilience and the unbreakable will to survive, this book is both a document of oppression and a celebration of the quiet rebellions that keep hope alive.
Azhar Al-Rubaie was born in 1992 in Basra, a city in southern Iraq known for its rich history and cultural heritage. He is an Iraqi journalist, researcher, and writer whose work spans pan-Arab and international media outlets, including the BBC, The Telegraph, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, VICE, The Arab Weekly, The New Arab, Raseef22, and many others. Since 2019, he works as a correspondent for Deutsche Welle Arabic in Iraq.Al-Rubaie's firsthand accounts of significant events, such as the Basra uprising and the 2019 mass protests, have captured the essence of these pivotal moments in Iraqi history. Known for his analytical pieces, he has collaborated with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and has worked as an assistant researcher in the fields of water, environment, and climate change with the London School of Economics. Al-Rubaie began his journalism career in 2014. His reporting covers a wide range of critical issues, including post-ISIS events, national protests, politics and corruption, water scarcity, environmental and climate change challenges, and human rights. In addition to his journalistic work, he has collaborated with the Aliph Foundation to document and support the preservation of Iraq's cultural heritage in cities such as Baghdad, Mosul, and Dohuk.