Detours Gay Travel Blog
PDA No Way: The Do's and Don'ts of Traveling in a Muslim Country as a Gay Person
- Detours
- Jul 21, 2025
It’s 2025, and in a lot of places in the world, being openly gay is about as accepted as taking a walk in the park with your dog. 🐶 In other words, people don’t blink twice, and ain't that a wonderful thing!
But we know very well that this has certainly not always been the case, and there are still many places in the world where being openly - or even quietly - gay may not be as welcomed.
🏳️🌈 At Detours, we travel to all sorts of diverse destinations, and the levels of LGBTQ-friendly sentiment by country can vary widely. We’ve talked about traveling to super gay-friendly locales like Portugal and Greece, and we’ve also discussed traveling to places that have more conservative historical contexts, such as Peru.
We get a lot of questions from our awesome guests about traveling to countries where the predominant religion is Islam - such as Morocco and Egypt. One of our trusty trip leaders answered some of the most common questions and concerns we receive regarding traveling to Muslim countries.
We hope that this Q&A session will provide you with the insight you need to make an informed decision about where you choose to travel. 🙏
What is Islam?
After Christianity, Islam is the second most practiced religion in the world, with over 1 billion followers, who are called Muslims. There are five basic pillars associated with the religion: 1) Declaring one’s faith; 2) Prayer five times per day; 3) Donating to charity; 4) Fasting (during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, called Ramadan); and 5) conducting a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one’s lifetime, if possible. In the Islam religion, Mecca is considered the birth place of Islam (610 CE), and is located in present-day Saudi Arabia. Generally speaking, Muslims believe there is only one god, called Allah in Arabic, and while Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are considered prophets of Allah, in Islam, Mohammed is viewed as the final prophet. The Quran is Islam’s primary holy book.
What are some cultural beliefs I should know before arriving?
Like any religion, there are a wide variety of interpretations of the holy book, what it means to be Muslim, and how progressive or conservative society ought to be. Still, the following two concepts should be considered when trying to understand Islamic cultural beliefs. But note, it’s always important to remember that when discussing Islam and Eastern cultural and religious beliefs, there is always a bias because our own society is based on Western, and Judeo-Christian, values.
Jihad: This is a debated term, and has been translated as “exertion,” “holy struggle,” or “holy war.” The distinction between these translations is important, as it can impact how different segments of Muslims interpret the meaning of Islam and of Jihad. As Islamic scholar John L. Esposito writes, “Since the late 20th century, the word jihad has gained remarkable currency: used by resistance, liberation, and terrorist movements alike to legitimate their cause and motivate their followers.” Like with Christianity, this is one of many concepts that has been widely interpreted to mean very, very different things.
Islamic law: Islamic law stems from Sharia, or “the correct path,” which is again taken from the Quran, as well as from a variety of sayings that are attributed to Mohammed. Islamic law incorporates a number of values interpreted from Sharia, and depending on the level of secularity of the Muslim-majority country, can impact the level of conservatism in that country, both culturally and legally. Although the level of tolerance for the following subjects in Islamic law can vary, they are often contrasted against traditionally “democratic” Western values: corporal punishment, other religions, democracy, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Is it safe to travel to a Muslim country as a gay person? 🌈
The above, then, naturally begs this question: can you travel to a Muslim country as a gay person? And our answer is: of course, depending on the country, and keeping in mind certain best practices. Although attraction to the same sex is an accepted phenomenon, all the major schools of Islam believe that practicing homosexuality is sinful. And in the Muslim-majority countries of Mauritania, Nigeria, Brunei, Yemen, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, practicing homosexuality is subject to capital punishment under the law.
In Egypt, homosexual acts are illegal, and gay marriage is banned. According to Equaldex, outside of donating blood, openly gay people are banned from a wide variety of freedoms experienced by heterosexuals.
In Morocco, homosexuality is illegal, with imprisonment as punishment. Gay marriage is not recognized. Visit Morocco’s Equaldex profile to learn more.
Is PDA okay?
For the safety and comfort of your fellow group members as well as your own, we require that you do not engage in any public displays of affection. As much as we’d love to be out, proud, and sharing our love and fabulousness with the world, it’s best to keep it private when travelling to Muslim-majority countries - even those we take you on with Detours. That’s for sure disheartening, but that’s why Detours combines traveling to, say, Morocco, with traveling to Portugal, a country where being out and proud is totally accepted and even embraced! 🫶
Are there things I should say (or not say)? How should I act? Can I be myself?
Overall, my advice in response to all of these questions is: be discreet. In the same way that a woman is advised to dress modestly in Muslim-majority countries, it’s best to keep any overt displays or mentions of homosexuality within the confines of a safe space.
Can I use dating apps?
We don’t recommend using dating apps when traveling to countries where the predominant religion is Islam.
What have been the experiences of other Detours travelers?
Okay - so maybe some of my answers so far have been a bit offputting. But I want to be honest, and I want you to be prepared. The truth, though, is that as a company that provides exclusively gay group travel experiences, we wouldn’t take you somewhere where you would not have a fabulous, unforgettable experience. 💅 In Egypt, for example, to help improve the comfort, enjoyment, and safety of our travelers, Detours partners with local LGBTQ-friendly inbound operators and accommodations (yes, they exist in Egypt!), uses private services including local guides and transportation, and sticks to a well-trodden tourist itinerary around the country where locals have been exposed to countless diverse tourists over the years.
In Morocco, we only visit Marrakech and the nearby Atlas Mountains. Although the larger Moroccan centres of Marrakech and Tangiers were once hubs for liberal attitudes, we still do not recommend engaging in PDA when visiting Marrakech. Despite the overall sentiment, though, we’ve found Marrakech to be a safe place for LGBTQ travelers who respect the local customs and refrain from PDA.
In both places - Morocco and Egypt - our adventurous travelers have always had incredible, authentic, unique experiences. 🥰 We've always been warmly welcomed by the locals and travel providers, and we’ve found that Detours travelers end their trip with a better, more nuanced understanding about these unique cultural destinations. Don’t believe me? Check out the awesome collections of photos we have from our Detours trips to Morocco (and Portugal!) and to Egypt.
Is it worth it to travel to a Muslim country as a gay person?
Well, maybe I’m biased in saying this, but let me just give a wholehearted YES! It breaks my heart that being openly gay is not accepted everywhere, and that one can still be persecuted for who they love in 2025. At the same time, I accept that there are different cultures, religions, and societies, and that’s simply a reality of living in this world. I’ve only ever had good experiences traveling to Muslim-majority countries, and as we all are very aware: there’s gay people there, too!
Maybe it’s not for everyone, but so long as you practice discretion, you can have an amazing time in these countries, be warmly welcomed by the incredible locals, and experience what’s always expected on a gay tour with Detours: flexible and laid-back vibes, small groups, guaranteed departures, structured spontaneity, and awesome social opportunities! ✈️