I just read about Matthew Wayne Shephard’s death from one of my friend’s blog.Seriously I am feeling so sad about his death.His death was the price he had to pay for coming out of the closet and being openly Gay.Although the incident happened in 1998,it feels like it just happened yesterday,especially given the fact that the negative stance against homosexuality all over the world has not changed much.Atleast I can speak for Pakistan.
The national criminal code punishes acts of Sodomy with a possible life sentence and has other provisons that impact the human rights of LGBT Pakistanis.
Other than that according to the Shari’a law of Pakistan/Hudood Ordinance a person can be sentenced to capital punishment,though this has not happened yet,atleast not in my lifetime,but the mere existence of such a punishment means that it can be applied every then and now by the blood thirsty extremists and politicians.Pakistani law is a combination of the colonial and Islamic view. Under the Pakistan Penal Code(PCC), homosexuality is deemed a crime that is punishable by a life sentence or being stoned to death.
Homosexuality has been a very sensitive issue and has been proven,by American Psychiatric Association,thatits not a mental illness,hence its eradication from DSM-R 4.
In Pakistan we may have many Matthew Shephards only that they havent had the courage to comeout of the closet.But even then there were some you voice their opinions,such as the lesbian-transsexual couple of Faisalabad who were senetenced to imprisonment.And then such organization as Al-Fatiha and Salaam.
Last but not the least Irshad Manji,who has been able to gain alot of media attention due to her controversial book ‘The trouble with Islam today’.
See, We,too,have some Gay heroes.But the problem is that either there is no one to support them or the homosexuals,who are torn between religion and sexuality and choose religion over sexuality,rather then trying to blance both of them,turn against them.
We are the educated ones.The ones who know that homosexuality is not grotesque and a social evil.Therefore,whether you like it or not, the responsibility of spreading awareness about homosexuality and religion in the light of science lies with us.
The time is now my friends.The time is now to act.To bring about a wave of change.
Some people tell me that I should shut up and that I am not a gay scholar that I preach like that.They tell me that I should keep this evil inside me and not discuss it with anyone.How is it possible?
Can they do the same?No.Just because they are straight.
They tell me that I should not spread the word or else it can result in my death.They say that I would be kicked out of the society.
To them I reply ”I dont care.What if Martin Luther King thought the same.What if the religious leaders(founders of the religions)thought the same?We would still be in a racist enviroment and in the period of ignorance or what the Muslims call period of ‘Jahillyah’.
How,What,Where you propogate your rights depends on you.
You can comeout of the closet and try to form an organization(dont give your address openly),or comeout and write in favour of your orientation.Or you can be anonymous and use net to get your words across.
There are a million excuses to do nothing,but there are few to do something.
Wish you the best Nuwas. (the orkut profile name)
ReplyDeleteThe gay rights movement and perception of gays the world over has changed in the last 5 years much more than it has before... all due to the internet...
I know it will take quite a while but I still feel that the internet will do wonders everywhere... here in India or even there in Pakistan... keep the hope alive.. :) Tc.