'American Gods' goes bold for gay sex scene

Los Angeles: TV show "American Gods" is being credited for airing the most graphic gay sex scene, which featured two Muslim men, in network television history.

The intense four-minute scene, aired internationally on Sunday, saw actors Mousa Kraish and Omid Abtahi having sex in Abtahi's character's hotel room. They were both shown naked, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Abhtahi plays Salim, an Omani trinket salesman, and Kraish plays a Jinn, a nameless mythical creature from Arabian and Islamic mythology in the show, which is based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name.

Several fans praised the episode for breaking boundaries, labelling it 'romantic', 'tender', 'arousing' and 'sensual'.

And television critics including the New York Times's Abraham Riesman have heralded it as the most erotic gay sex scene in network television history.

Kraish said he was amazed by the overwhelmingly positive response, reports dailymail.co.uk.

He said: "Following the responses on social media, I am struck by amazement how much the fans are involved with every moment and how they've responded to this chapter in ‘American Gods' in particular.

"How they've responded to me and Omid as the Jinn and Salim have been so positive that I'm just happy that I'm doing all the fans justice. It's quite moving. A great loving fan base for Neil Gaiman and his work."

The fantasy show presents a modern day take on Greek mythology about the power struggle between the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world. It also features Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane and Emily Browning.