April 8 (Bloomberg) -- The young men who loitered at the west end of the Qasr El-Nil Bridge in Cairo spied the blue pickup truck, a sign they should scatter.

``They're police,'' said Ahmed A., making a two-finger gesture on his shoulder to indicate epaulets. ``They park and the pigs come out and grab everyone they can.''

For three months, Egyptian police have embarked on periodic sweeps of downtown streets to clear them of presumed homosexuals. The raids, independent observers and human-rights activists say, reflect not simply official disgust. They're part of an effort by governments throughout the Middle East to out-moralize Islamic parties that have denounced the perceived depravity of Arab societies under autocratic rule.

Homosexuality isn't illegal in Egypt, though it is a convenient target, says Hani Shukrallah, executive director of the Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism in Cairo.

``Meaningless crackdowns have become a regular thing,'' Shukrullah says. ``If not gays, devil worshippers. If not devil worshippers, apostates. The government needs to outbid Islamic opponents as guardian of morals.''

In January, six men in Morocco were accused of homosexual conduct, a crime in that country, after a video circulated that showed one dancing at a wedding dressed as a woman, according to Amnesty International.

`Prisoners of Conscience'

The men were sentenced to jail terms of four to 10 months. ``Persons imprisoned solely on the basis of their alleged or real sexual orientation are prisoners of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released,'' London-based Amnesty said in a statement.

Last December, Kuwait's parliament passed a law that criminalized ``imitating the appearance of the opposite sex.'' Subsequent roundups netted at least 16 suspects, New York-based Human Rights Watch reported March 31, adding that three detainees were beaten.

The suppressive wave created another stir among human- rights activists in February when Egypt's morality police arrested two men on a Cairo street. One said he was infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The police threw both in jail and, by inspecting their mobile phones, found the numbers of 10 acquaintances, whom they also arrested. They forced all to submit to HIV testing, according to the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

Egyptian Law

Four were sentenced to a year in prison for debauchery, a crime under Egyptian law defined as having sex for money or with a number of partners over an extended period. Five of the remaining eight face trial April 9 on the same charge, even though they were found to be free of disease.

``From a public-health perspective, this is dangerous,'' says Suha Abdelati, an EIPR official. ``It forces people underground.''

On April 7, 117 human-rights organizations from 41 countries sent a letter to the Egyptian Health Ministry and a government-sponsored doctors' union condemning the crackdown and participation of medical personnel. ``Doctors must put patients first, not join a witch-hunt driven by prejudice,'' Joe Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS program at Human Rights Watch, said in a news release.

The Egyptian government's National AIDS Program provides testing and treatment. When asked to comment about the impact of the arrests, Zein El-Din Abedeen, an official, says, ``we're not allowed to talk about.''

Ashraf El-Enany, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, declined to comment.

Cairo Cafe

Against this backdrop, it's dangerous to ``come out,'' a fundamental virtue in Western gay-activist thinking. Take Behaa Saber Semeda, 35. Police first arrested him at a Cairo cafe in 1997 with a group of friends.

He says he was beaten into signing a confession to prostitution; a court sentenced him to six months imprisonment. He appealed and remained free while the case languished for more than five years, during which he served in the army and worked in restaurants.

In 2003, he asked a court to dismiss his case on the grounds that the statue of limitations had expired. Instead, he was sent to prison.

In 2005, he became politically active, creating a double whammy. He says police found him with a Human Rights Watch report and jailed him for six days. In 2006, he was caught in a roundup of anti-government demonstrators and detained for 15 days. In 2007, he was charged with disturbing the peace at a pro-democracy rally. That case is pending.

No Future

He says he's unemployed and lives off his family. ``I don't have a future,'' he says, noting his original conviction for debauchery is still in his record. ``If they don't get me for being gay, they'll get me for being anti-government.''

Ahmed A., a 20-year-old computer student, says he has no intention of letting his predilections become public. He meets acquaintances in homes or wanders the streets for entertainment. There are a few clandestine bath houses and movie theaters where gays gather, he says.

``We don't go to discos,'' he says. ``In Egypt, everyone will push you away if you are gay.''

Ahmed and four gay friends decamped to Tahrir Square, a crowded spot where hanging out attracts little attention. Still, they were on the lookout when a pal rushed up and put his fingers to his shoulders.

``There's a policeman over there,'' he said, pointing to a man in a loose-fitting civilian jacket.

The group walked slowly up Talaat Harb Street and disappeared into the crowd.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Williams in Cairo at dwilliams41@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 7, 2008 18:24 EDT