by Bruce Bawer
In my earlier post about a Muslim conference in Toronto, I mentioned Canadian legislators who expressed concern about an imam who preached the murder of gays. A Canadian reader points out that these were members of the Ontario Parliament, not the national Parliament. I am grateful for the correction.
Another reader notes that “just as this Imam believes Islam calls for the execution of gays, so does the bible, literally.” This reader goes on to acknowledge that, yes,
the practitioners of Christianity have developed a more nuanced, enlightened view of the scriptures (albeit, not all Christians) and Jesus himself never addressed this matter himself. As such, even those Christians that do believe gays should be killed have walked back talk of killing their fellow citizens (mostly because it's culturally untenable in the United States). However, I'd offer Uganda as Exhibit A of what American Christians would do, if they could, to gay citizens. Based on the literal interpretation of the bible, which evangelicals have successfully pushed for, Uganda is currently writing that world-view into law. American evangelists are now trying to distance themselves from the evil they wrought, but make no mistake about it: They pushed for laws not just to criminalize homosexuality, but to make it punishable by death.
What’s going on in Uganda is, of course, terrifying. But it’s based on a colossal misunderstanding, or wilful distortion, of the gospel message. No widely recognized and respected Christian theologian today would suggest that “Bible-believing” Christians are obliged or permitted to kill gays. Even American Christians who radically distort the gospel into a message of hate, such as Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps, don’t talk about killing gays – they’re satisfied that the Lord will sort these things out in the afterlife. By contrast, the highest authorities in Islam, such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi, do speak openly and positively about the killing of gays, and base their views directly on Islam’s holy books.
The reader continues:
Islam has a long journey ahead of it, which it will inevitably undertake as its adherents embrace modernity and enlightenment. If Islam can embrace female equality in my lifetime, it will be a huge win.
That’s a big “if”.
Acceptance of gay people will follow – eventually.
Let's hope so. The question is, how many generations will it take? And what will have happened by the time it occurs? Will a non-accepting Islam have gained power in Europe? Already, in Western European countries that thought they'd gotten past the issue of gay equality, there are large, fast-growing, and increasingly powerful Muslim minorities that agree with that Toronto imam. Should we simply allow this trend to continue?
The reason we have to acknowledge the shortcomings within Islam without drifting into Islamophobia is that tolerance, and eventually acceptance, of gays, is a shift that has to be made from within: just as the debate and shift in the Christian position is currently being hashed out at fourth of July barbecues all around the United States.
I’m not sure what the reader means by saying that tolerance has to be achieved "from within." Is the argument here that the West should continue to welcome immigrants who preach death to gays, as that imam does, and should not actively resist the spread of such barbaric teachings? If so, I beg to differ. Every bit as dangerous as this imam and his ilk is the alarmingly widespread notion that it's "Islamophobic" for "outsiders" to stick their noses into Muslim community matters — even if the matter at hand is an imam who preaches murder.
The Dish 