I’m writing this on Halloween. Not to sound like a downer, but this is a reminder that nothing is scarier than reality.
Paul Makonda, governor of Tanzania’s capital Dar es Salaam, announced on Monday an anti-gay witch hunt, threatening to arrest and prosecute people suspected of being homosexual. This government round-up will begin Nov. 6.
“I have information about the presence of many homosexuals in our province,” he told the press. He called on citizens of the province to report any information about homosexuals.
Makonda has held the office since 2016, and he is a fervent Christian. He said on Monday that homosexuality "tramples on the moral values of Tanzanians and our two Christian and Muslim religions.”
Makonda said that he expected backlash from foreign governments, but insisted he’d “prefer to anger those countries than to anger God.”
“These homosexuals boast on social networks,” he said. “Give me their names. My ad hoc team will begin to get their hands on them next Monday."
Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania; same-sex activity between men is punishable by as much as a life sentence.
Per the country’s penal code, it is criminal to have “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature.”
On the grounds that they promote homosexual activity Tanzania stopped providing healthcare to AIDS patients last year.
An estimated 33,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2016.
Police in Dar es Salaam arrested 12 men suspected of homosexual activity last year. Over four million people reside there.
For more on this, including some jaw-dropping facts about anti-gay discrimination and violence in other African regions, go to Pink News.
I remember the Anita Bryant
I remember the Anita Bryant days and the truth is that the new testament tells us to follow two of the ten commandments if it is too hard to follow all. Those two are, put no god above the one god and the other is Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Following these two you would not be able to commit the other 8 Commandments if your heart is in the right place. So the Government of Tanzania is the one out of step with their religion. I will even say both religions as I have read the Coran too and it is similar, though the process of getting there is not. I have not even mentioned that in some Muslim countries men go watch boys dresses as woman stripping and the men have sex with them at their table. The boy could be considered gay but, the man abusing the boy would be considered normal.
No me of compassion is
No me of compassion is ignoring the deaths of LGBT people in Muslim-extremist run countries. However there is a big difference between most practicing Muslims who are peaceful and these extreme countries that execute innocent people. The Muslim religion is not, at its heart, a violent religion, but like Christianity, it has biblical verses that can be interpreted as hostile to gays and some that are not. The Old Testament is very judgemental and harsh, and the New Testament which mainly covers the life and teachings of Jesus, Is for the most part not. So, like Christianity, there are a lot of good Muslims and some bad Muslims. There are good Christians and bad ones who would also like to punish gays… like… say… Mike Pence, for example. And yes, some ‘Christians’ believe gays should be put to death. So let’s not make this a Muslim-bashing issue. It’s more complex than just Christian = good and Muslim = bad. And the president of Tanzania said that homosexuals goes against BOTH their religions of Muslim AND Christianity so why are you only talking about the Muslims? Hmmm….
(It IS that simple,to this
(It IS that simple,to this gay man . It would be like saying "Nazis= bad, Allied Forces =good", during WWII).
“Western gays” don’t ignore
"Western gays" don't ignore the issue. We are well aware of it, that's why we don't travel there. And in America, imagine trying to convince Donald Trump that is a major concern he needs to address!
If Donald Trump addressed
If Donald Trump addressed that issue you'd all shriek, "You see?? He's an Islamaphobe! Who is HE to tell those countries what they can and can't do ??"
Well…..nine countries (all
Well…..nine countries (all of them Muslim theocracies) have the death penalty for homosexual acts. Most western gays want to ignore that.