Members of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have stoned two men to death because they were believed to be gay, making it the first execution ISIS has made specifically on the basis of a target's sexual orientation, AFP reports.
A 20-year-old man was killed in Mayadeen, in the Deir Ezzor province of Syria, and an 18-year-old was stoned to death in the city of Deir Ezzor for being gay, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The men were known as opponents of ISIS, and their supporters say ISIS had used the allegation that they were gay to kill them.
Earlier this year, the militant group issued a recruitment video during which members said they believe gay people are a danger to the public, the "worst of all creatures," and on par with "pedophiles." In the video, a masked ISIS fighter said interested parties should emigrate to ISIS-controlled regions in the Middle East to lend their various skills to the ISIS cause, lest their children attend school with gay teachers.
"Who is gonna teach your children?" asks the fighter. "It's gonna be maybe a gay, maybe a drug dealer, maybe a pedophile. You know? So it's very important for you to protect your children from these animals, from these dirty people. ... Allah says that they are the worst of creatures. You prefer to live among the worst of creatures than live among the mujaheddin ... make your decision."
