Gay Rights Under Threat In Aftermath of Arab Spring!
The euphemistically titled ‘Arab Spring’ has been celebrated by Western elites and the chattering classes, but how much is it a beginning for Islamist tyranny rather than for democracy.
Pink News a gay news service based in the United Kingdom has highlighted a situation that seems to be emerging in Tunisia indicating that homosexuals do not deserve the same rights as other Tunisians. The article refers to remarks from the country’s Human Rights Minister, Samir Dilou, which indicate that the Arab Spring might not have been a festival for freedom after all. Some of the comments made in the discussion are unacceptible. Mr Dilou made the remarks in an interview with TV presenter Samir El-Wafi that discussed the publication of a new magazine in Tunisia. The following dialogue and associated commentary is quoted from Pink News:
“Dilou told El-Wafi he’s against having such a magazine in Tunisia: ‘This country has its own history, heritage, religion and customs and we need to deal with everything on such a basis.’
El-Wafi asked: ‘We can’t deny that this phenomenon of sexual perversion exists but shall we deny these people from expression mediums?’
And Dilou responded: ‘Yes, freedom of expression has limits.
‘They live as citizens but they must respect the red lines set up by our religion, heritage and civilization.’
When asked if the magazine should be banned, the minister said: ‘I have no knowledge if this magazine have applied for a permit or not but I’m against it even though I’m a minister of human rights.’
They concluded laughing that sexual orientation is not a human right and ‘sexual perversion needs to be treated medically’.”
Read the full article at Pink News.
We have heard a great deal about the ‘limits of freedom of expression’ in the West since Islamist groups began their political agitation. We have seen how the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has been putting pressure on Western governments to adopt what amounts to a global blasphemy law. We have seen Western politicians cave in to this pressure. Many Western countries now seem to be on the verge of placing limits on freedom of expression to the extent that such freedom is likely to lose all meaning. What will happen to gay rights in the West if sharia compliance continues to be a guide to the formulation of legislation?
Following the election of the Islamist Ennahda Party in October 2011 the BBC website reported the following:
“Ennahda has sought to reassure secularists and investors, nervous about the prospect of Islamists holding power in one of the Arab world’s most liberal countries, by saying it would not ban alcohol, stop tourists wearing bikinis on the beaches or impose Islamic banking.”
How long will this position last, and to what extent is it temporary window dressing while the Ennahda party consolidates its power? Islamic banking is an Islamist position that is even been encouraged in Western countries, so it is highly likely that it will eventually take root in countries like Tunisia. The attitude towards homosexuality of the Minister with responsibility for human rights perhaps indicates that the mask is already slipping.
Watch out for more electoral success for Islamist parties across North Africa and for more sharia compliant legislation in the West.
Sharia Watch UK