Now that’s an unexpected group
Sir Iqbal “gays are harmful” Sacranie (centre) cuddles up with Councillor Simon Wright (far left), secretary of the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights and Pav Aktar (far right), ethnic minority representative of the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights, at the launch of Islam awareness week 2005.
In this context, are “(far left)” and “(far right)” references to positions in the photo or political inclinations?
You demand your rights and respect, but you will not extend it to Muslims. Islam teaches that homosexuality is wrong there is no, ifs or buts. I do not like your lifestyle but we live in a democracy and I must tolerate you, just as you should tolerate those who express views you do not like. Grow up.
Guess what, Ajab? Nearlly every LGBT activist that I know has got a long history of campaigning against ALL forms of racism and bigotry, including Islamaphobia. I think it’s you who needs to grow up.
Ajab - This works both ways. I could as well say to you:
“You demand your rights and respect, but you will not extend it to lesbian and gay people. The long history of lesbian and gay persecution by religions teaches us that most religions are homophobic and hostile to lesbian and gay people: there are no ifs or buts. I do not like your lifestyle but we live in a democracy and I must tolerate you, just as you should tolerate those who express views you do not like. Grow up.”
Ajab:
Homosexuality = what you are. I.e. something you cannot choose or control.
Islam = A belief. I.e. something you can change, something that you have *chosen* to believe.
It makes sense for people to be able to disagree with beliefs - it is everybody’s absolute right to disagree with someone’s beliefs. However, it is absolutely absurd to disagree with what someone is - especially if they can’t change it.
I work at the University of Surrey with people from all races, religions, sexuality, etc. and we all work together to ensure that diversity is celebrated without the unnecessary discrimination that occurs.
You have the right to believe what you want. But please don’t forget, we similarly have the right to not believe it.
Chris:
I’m not sure that your statement “However, it is absolutely absurd to disagree with what someone is - especially if they can’t change it.” is really correct. Before I carry on with this comment, I had probably better point out that I am not in any way implying an equivalence between being gay and between doing things that most people consider wrong, so please don’t get the wrong end of the stick.
Let us imagine a compulsive kleptomaniac, a paedophile or someone with compulsive well-poisoning disorder. These people are attracted to stealing, raping small children or poisoning wells. It’s the way that they are, and they can’t change it.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t “disagree with” stealing, sex with children or pouring strychnine in the municipal water supply. We would, could and should arrest those people, and prevent them from committing further crimes. We would consider all three of those people to have some kind of mental disorder, and give them treatment. We can be understanding about the fact that some people are sexually attracted to children, but wouldn’t tolerate them having sex with our own children.
I’m sure that you can extend that argument to homosexuality yourself.
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The difference, of course, is that theft, poisoning and child rape all harm innocent members of society, whereas gay sex taking place between consenting adults involves nobody else.
Whether homosexuality is a choice, an innate tendency or some combination is irrelevant. To use the “gay by nature” argument is in effect a case of special pleading, saying “it might be wrong, but I can’t help it, so please let me off”. The real argument is that it’s nobody else’s $#@! business what consenting adults chose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms.
This argument - that individual people have rights, and can decide what they want to do with their own bodies - is the only argument that classes homosexual sex as an entirely legal activity for consenting adults, rather than as evidence for a mental abnormality. The claim of individual rights is a powerful one - don’t dilute it.
An idea Antonia?
Run that pic on your blog as a caption competition?
If Sir Iqbal “gays are harmful” Sacranie is not happy here, he can go to live in Iran