Nemat Sadat

Nemat Sadat , born in 1979, is an Afghan-American journalist, novelist, human rights activist, and former professor of political science at the American University of Afghanistan. Known for his debut novel The Carpet Weaver and his campaigning for LGBTQIA+ rights, particularly in the context of societal and cultural Islamic attitudes towards homosexuality in the Muslim world. Sadat is one of the first Afghans to have openly come out as gay and to campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights, gender freedom, and sexual liberty in Afghanistan.

Early and personal life Sadat was born in Afghanistan during the Afghan-Soviet War. His family fled Afghanistan when he was eight months old. After living in Germany for a few years, they relocated again to the United States when he was 5. He grew up in southern California. His family maintained relationships with family and neighbors from Afghanistan, and kept closely to Afghan traditions. The prejudice that he experienced as an Afghan refugee, which intensified after 9/11, led him to maintain a strong Afghan identity, despite not growing up there. He never felt entirely at home in the United States.

Sadat began to identify as gay when he was 23. He was living away from family in New York City.

Sadat lived in a homeless shelter for a time after coming out. His sister contacted him after giving birth, because she wanted him to meet his nieces. Hearing about his condition, his mother invited him to move in with her and work on his novel.

Activism In 2012, Sadat moved to Kabul. He was initially hired as a consultant, but quickly secured the position of assistant professor in political science at the American University of Afghanistan. During his employment at the university, he used social media to mobilize an underground movement to openly campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights in Afghanistan. Rumors spread around campus that he was "a practicing homosexual and a lapsed Muslim," allegations which could earn him the death penalty. Sadat elected to stay despite the danger. Sadat was fired from his position at AUAF and he left Afghanistan, settling in New York City. His replacement was killed days after starting the job, and two of Sadat's associates with kidnapped in a Taliban attack. In October of the same year, Sadat faced a second wave of widespread hostility in Afghan media.

In June 2016, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, Sadat was interviewed by several media outlets that were interested in his perspective as an Afghan-American, gay ex-Muslim. He made several TV appearances, including giving interviews for CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Amara Walker, and Don Lemon, as well as NBC News.

Later that same year, Sadat participated in BBC’s extended news feature on Afghanistan's LGBTQIA+ community, as well as taking part in a BBC Pashto debate on Islam and homosexuality.

Sadat has been a vegan since 2016 and says that he sees animal right advocacy as a "natural next step" from human rights advocacy. and giving an interview for NPR.

Following the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021 to the Taliban in the Fall of Kabul, Sadat warned of the direct threat that gay men face under Taliban rule, appealing to the international community to speed the evacuation of vulnerable civilians.

In October 2022, Sadat condemned the murder of Hamed Sabouri, a gay man in Kabul who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by alleged Taliban members.

Journalism Sadat has published articles and papers in numerous publications, including the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and Out Magazine. Prior to accepting the position at the American University of Afghanistan, he has also produced content for ABC News Nightline, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and the UN Chronicle.

Publication Penguin Random House India published Sadat's first book, The Carpet Weaver, in 2019. Sadat says that the manuscript was first rejected by 450 literary agents in the US and UK. He believes this was motivated by fear of backlash from the Muslim world, considering the decades of persecution against Salman Rushdie, as well as Islamophobia.