Gay' bride' beaten in Morocco

AL-QASR AL-KABIR, Morocco, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Protesters in Morocco rioted over the lavish wedding of a gay couple whose celebration reportedly included slaying a bull and drinking its blood.

More than 600 people in al-Qasr al-Kabir turned out to condemn the northern city's leniency toward homosexuals and criticize the couple for a disintegration of Muslim values, al-Arabiya, a satellite TV station in Dubai, reported this week.

The bride, a well-known gay man named Foud, surrendered to police after being beaten and was sentenced to jail along with five wedding guests for violating laws against homosexuality, al-Arabiya reported. The whereabouts and identity of the groom were unknown.

The wedding, which lasted two days, resembled a traditional Moroccan ceremony with the bride adorned with jewelry over a gown. A bull given as a wedding gift was slain to the celebratory sound of ululations as the bride drank the bull's blood from a glass, one of the guests reported.

Though homosexuality is illegal in Morocco, gay men and women recently were allowed to form an advocacy group demanding equal rights and an end to discrimination.