Islamophobia

by Bruce Bawer

Beware: if you object to an imam who preaches that gay people should be executed, you risk being labeled an Islamophobe.  Consider comments made this weekend at a Muslim conference in Toronto by one such imam, Bilal Philips: 

He was expelled from Germany earlier this year for saying, documented on YouTube and elsewhere, that Islamic law teaches that gays and lesbians should be killed.

That wasn’t his focus on Sunday. Like his speech in Germany, his talk centred on Islamophobia and how Muslims can combat it, and misconceptions surrounding their faith, in a plugged-in world.

But he suggested his audience take his treatment in Europe as a lesson in “vigilant” PR.

“I got expelled from Germany for life, why? Because I said I believe that according to Islamic law, homosexuals should be executed if they are caught in the act. It’s Islamic law. I’m not allowed to believe that? … Just to believe that, you’re a threat to the society?…”

Kudos, by the way, to the Canadian gay publication Xtra for noticing this imam's theology (many gay publications choose to turn a blind eye to this aspect of Islam), and to members of the Canadian Parliament for giving a damn.