Truly, love knows no bounds
Love has a way of winning out – even in the most dangerous of settings. That's exactly what happened back in 2003 between to gay men, during the height of America’s involvement in the Iraq war.
It was then that US Army interpreter Nayyef Hrebid and Iraqi soldier Btoo Allami found one another.
In touching piece run by the BBC, the men’s story is being told unabashedly. After reading all that the couple went through to be together, it was difficult for us at the blog to hold back tears.
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Here is a snapshot of their story, as reported by the British news site:
“In 2003, Nayyef Hrebid found himself in the midst of the Iraq war. The fine art graduate had signed up to be a translator for the US Army after he couldn't find a job.
“I was based in Ramadi, which was the worst place at that time. We would go out on patrols and people would be killed by IEDs [roadside bombs] and snipers. I was asking myself: ‘Why am I here? Why am I doing this?'”
However, a chance encounter with a soldier in the Iraqi army changed everything.”
He goes on to share:
“One day I was sitting outside and this guy came out of the shower block. I saw his hair was shiny and very black and he was smiling. I just thought, ‘Oh my god, this guy is really cute.
“I felt like something beautiful had happened in this very bad place.”
Hrebid was in the closet – a necessity for personal safety.
“In Iraq being gay is seen as very wrong and brings shame on your family. You can even get killed for it so you have to be very careful,” he shares.
But what the U.S. service member didn’t realize was that the man he was sweet on also happened to be gay – and attracted to him.
“I had this strange feeling like I had been looking for him. My feelings grew over time and I knew I wanted to talk to him,” Allami shares with BBC.
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The two men got the chance to better get acquainted when the took part in a mission to clear insurgents from the city's general hospital.
“After patrols we would come back to the safe house and one day Btoo invited me over to eat food and talk with him and the other soldiers,” Hrebid shares.
“We talked night after night and my feelings for him grew.”
As time went on, the men developed deep feelings for one another.
“On missions I'd try to be close to him, when I should have been with the Americans. We would walk together and we took some pictures together,” Hrebid says.
“I felt like something beautiful had happened in this very bad place.”
Their affection did not go unnoticed or go without consequences.
“I was telling my American captain about Btoo and he helped bring him over to stay with me at the American camp for a few nights,” says Hrebid.
“But some of the other soldiers stopped talking to me after they found out I was gay. One of my translator friends from my home city ended up hitting me with a big stick, which broke my arm.”
Both men would spend the next 12-years in a dangerous struggle to live together.
After years of hiding, living in danger, dealing with red tape and bureaucracy, the duo ultimately married on Valentine’s Day in Canada.
Today they live together in an apartment in Seattle. Hrebid, who now works as a home decor department manager is a US citizen. Allami has a green card and is due to become a citizen next year. He works as a building supervisor.
Their story has been turned into a documentary called, Out in Iraq which premiered at the LA Film Festival last year.
We do not have to hide. I can hold his hand when we walk down the street,” Hrebid shares.
Allami agrees. “It's so different for us now,” he says.
“Before we were so hopeless but now we feel like a family. It's a gay-friendly city. I'm living the dream. I'm free.”
You can read the entire article on the BBC website.
Gay Pop Buzz wishes both men hugs with fond wishes for the future.
h/t: BBC
