Homophobia on the rise in the Muslim world

[MNBrewer]

As recent incidents in Iraq show, in many Islamic countries, gays are ostracized, persecuted, even murdered

<http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/09/18/gay_muslim/>

[Ian David]

1. And unfortunately, we took one of the only two countries in the mid-east where gays were safe...

... and turned it into open season.

And by OPEN season, I mean the people killing the gay people use their real names in interviews with the press.

[Name removed]

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[joeybee12]

2. Let me be the first to say...geesh, how much worse can it get?

It horrific and getting worse, which seems incredible since we are spreading democracy over there. (where's that sarcasm button when you need it?)

[MNBrewer]

3. Right here

:sarcasm:

[orpupilofnature57]

4. America !!!! We'll bring you all the trappings of Democracy.

[Sultana]

5. They killed gays b4 the Iraq war

It's not a Western/American/democratic invention!

[orpupilofnature57]

6. MSM is, and Killing them and being phobic are two different things.

One is Religious the other Media generated.

[otohara]

7. The GOP Has Something In Common w/ Muslims

small world - six degrees - right-wing values.

[MineralMan]

9. More than one thing, if you include the fundamentalcase

Republicans.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. The more we persecute them from the outside, the more they will persecute minorities

and we lose our "moral" right to give them a human rights lecture. sad

[sui generis]

11. I don't think we can lose our right to judge

unless we're a politician.

I confess I have a very difficult time accepting islam in any form in any country, first among literalist faiths that I have an open dislike for.

I think for me the idea that you have a religion that does not separate itself from law, and therefore governance, makes it doubly dangerous; that ideology is the natural enemy of secularism and self-determination, and so islam is ahead of orthodox judaism (any orthodoxy really) and my rabid babble thumpers down here in the babble belt.

R and I went to pride in Dallas this weekend and got to drive past the screaming cross carrying banner waving megaphone blaring gay haters red in the face telling us we were going to heyull. I'm sure with little provocation those same people would gladly have helped us on our way with a pyre or gallows or chopping block, just as they ever have and still do in some countries.

The difference is at least some christians and some jews and some babtists are willing to stand up and say religion is a philosophy, not a literal exercise, and that people are free to choose their philosophies and their lives. I have yet to hear that from the islamic community here or elsewhere. It's disappointing.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. no one really loses the ability to give a lecture, but there is no point

really if no one is listening. currenly no one in the arab world is listening to americans about morality. sort of the risk you take when you occupy a country for no good reason at all, kill random civilians, and then wonder why they are killing you.

oh, yeah and also pass yourselves off as the more gentle religion.

[sui generis]

13. preaching to the choir

so to speak, :blush:

I guess I'm speaking more as a humanist than as an American or any other nationality. Oh yeah and absolutely there is consequence to what our "country" has done on behalf of our "freedoms" to other people and their "freedoms" in other countries.

Wars are fought between old men by the children of other men - I can't tell you the tears and rage and shame that have been in my heart at every new collateral atrocity we've done, I can't even imagine what the "other side" (and I say "other side" cynically) must feel when we call THEM insurgents in their own country.

Just the same, I really don't care about country or religion - if the movers and shakers on this planet could agree that human rights was the first standard for recognizing nationhood and sovereignty (and therefore economy), it wouldn't matter one bit what flavor of religion was in fashion that week because they would all have to deal with the reality of having a human rights standard or starving, and that would be driven by those chary old men who like to start wars, instead of our pie-eyed idea of rebels from within spontaneously bursting into democracy.

[donco6]

14. They already cut people's heads off for being gay.

How can it get worse?