Iraqi Cleric Orders Gays Eradicated

In yet another example of the toxicity of fundamentalist religion of all stripes, Moqtada Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric in Iraq, has ordered that the "depravity" of homosexuality must be "eradicated." Out of the other side of his mouth, of course, he calls for a cessation of the murder and torture of gays - no doubt to avoid even more outspoken condemnation by international groups - as if somehow gays will quietly vanish on their own. Or perhaps he believes the "choice myth" so popular with the Christo-fascists in the USA. Meanwhile, I can't helping thinking that since many of the loudest homophobes in the is country always seem to be the ones hankering for some secret gay sex themselves, what does that say about Sadr? Personally, he looks like a pretty nasty piece of work to me. Here are some highlights from Pink News:

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Moqtada Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric in Iraq, has ordered that the "depravity" of homosexuality must be eradicated . . . . His spokesman Sheikh Wadea al-Atab said today that a series of meetings are being held with clerics, tribal leaders and police to tackle the "phenomenon". According to AFP, Atabi said: "The purpose of the meetings is to fight the depravity and to urge the community to reject this phenomenon. The only remedy to stop it is through preaching and guidance. There is no other way to put an end to it."

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Following reports of the [recent] murders [of gays], Amnesty International took the unusual step of writing to Iraqi president Nouri al-Maliki to demand "urgent and concerted action" by his government to stop the killings of gay men in the country. The letter suggested that evidence shows police are encouraged to target gay men and calls for officers who incite homophobic attacks to be "held to account and either prosecuted or disciplined and removed from office".

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"The western invasion of Iraq in 2003 ended the tyrannical Baathist dictatorship. But it also destroyed a secular state, created chaos and lawlessness and allowed the flourishing of religious fundamentalism. The result has been an Islamist-inspired homophobic terror campaign against LGBT Iraqis."

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"Queers are being shot dead in their homes, streets and workplaces, . . . . "Even suspected gay children are being murdered. They killers claim to be doing these assassinations at the behest of the 'democratic' Iraqi government, in order to eradicate what they see as immoral, un-Islamic behaviour."