Monday 13 June 2016

The Guardian: half of all British Muslims think homosexuality should be illegal poll finds

Following an attack at a club in Orlando, Florida in which 50 people died, once again we see yet another example of a cultural clash.

Although the attack took place in the United States of America where there is a very heated political struggle at a time when the country is heading towards the election of a new President, you sense that something is not totally right in Paradise. A survey carried out by Channel Four tells you the difference between fantasy and reality.

On the one hand, you have politicians telling you that we all love each other and that we are one and the same. On the other hand, you have the truth of conflicting values that can sometimes lead to tragedies like the one that happened in the heart of the gay community.

To be fair, homophobia is not the monopoly of Muslim Communities. Quite a few people outside Muslim Communities don't feel comfortable with what is generally described as gay rights. Not long ago, two white girls - non Muslim girls - beat and kicked a gay man to death in Central London.

Having said that, we must recognise that amongst religious communities and in particular Muslim Communities there are anti-homosexuality attitudes that can very well lead to homophobic violence.

The situation is even more difficult if homophobia is linked with political and geopolitical agendas. Mentioning that Islamic State (or whatever it is called these days) stated that the killer follows Islamic State's agenda gives what would have been the actions of a loner a completely different dimension.

There is the certain danger of copycat killers, of individuals that given the amount of publicity given to the events in Orlando, Florida, might decide to gain notoriety by carrying out similar attacks and do so on the name of Militant Islam.

People should be reminded of the fact that regardless of strong views that they might have about homosexuality, the said views are not a license to go around engaging in acts of violence and that religious views are not a licence to harass, hurt or kill those you do not agree with.


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