BELEAGUERED homosexuals living in a largely Muslim enclave near Amsterdam have found an unlikely “guardian angel” – the 41-year-old Mayor of Slotervaart, Ahmed Marcouch.
Gay-friendly Mayor Marcouch has annoyed Muslim and Catholic fundies
Just a stone’s throw from the capital – but light-years away from Amsterdam’s anything-goes ethos – Slotervaart’s population is mainly of immigrant origin, many of the Muslim faith, like Moroccan-born Marcouch himself who came to the Netherlands in 1979 at age 10.
The suburb, according to this report, has recently been in the news for homophobic incidents, with gays being called names, spat on and generally harassed.
As part of his mission to end homophobia, Marcouch has invited Amsterdam’s annual Gay Pride parade to pass through his constituency when it takes place in August.
It is necessary to confront this issue, to say that homosexuals are normal people like all of us and that we require them to be respected.
Marcouch, Slotervaart’s mayor since 2006 and a former spokesman for Amsterdam’s mosques, added:
For cultural or religious reasons, some people reject homosexuals and compare them to animals. They don’t see homosexuals as humans. These people can be orthodox Christians, Muslims or immigrants. I always say: your freedom to be an orthodox Muslim is the same as that of a homosexual to be homosexual. Freedom is guaranteed in the constitution of the Netherlands.
On Marcouch’s initiative, the city council recently adopted an action plan for 2009 to 2011 that allows for the opening of a gay cultural centre. It will also permit gay associations to give briefings at schools and will take measures to teach mothers in immigrant households about gay rights in the Netherlands.
The mayor has also asked municipal police to be extra vigilant about homophobic aggression, and has even organised debates on the topic in mosques to press home his message.
More than 55 percent of the 45,000 inhabitants of Slotervaart are of immigrant origin and 22.4 percent are younger than 17 – two groups that Marcouch says are the least tolerant towards homosexuals. Gays themselves make up about 7.5 percent of the population of Amsterdam.
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise homosexual marriage, in 2002.
But not everyone is as tolerant as Marcouch. Dennis Boutkan, a spokesman for homosexual lobby group COC, pointed out:
Some inhabitants are furious and are challenging Mr Marcouch vehemently.
Among them is imam Mohamed Adardour of the el-Oumma mosque, who insists gay people are “impure” and accuses the mayor of “constructing his political career” at the expense of Muslims.
The local Roman Catholic parish has also refused to work with the mayor, according to Marcouch who said the parish told him:
Homosexuality is contrary to the laws of nature.
But the the Mayor remains undaunted:
At least I have opened the issue for discussion.
Atef Salib, who owns an Arab-themed gay bar in the centre of Amsterdam, says he is encouraged by the mayor’s efforts and is looking for a spot in Slotervaart to open a dance bar.
It would be a great step forward.
This was the depressing reaction of Said, a Slotervaart teenager:
If a homo bar opens here, it will soon burn down.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 1st, 2009 at 9:12 am
There is a most informative and enlightening site on the net called classicalislam.com. For the benefit of ignorant infidels, the site instructs us that "Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness."
"If a homo bar opens here, it will soon burn down"
I rest my case!
July 1st, 2009 at 9:15 am
Well done to Marcouch for his equanimity, i guess the first step is the hardest.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:18 am
Nice to see Father O`Paedophile weighing in with his divine wisdom here again! If I read any more of this nonsense about certain behaviour being "against the laws of nature" I shall scream. Anyone with a grain of intelligence must be aware that anything that happens in the universe must per se be "according to the laws of nature"!!
July 1st, 2009 at 9:35 am
Too true, Barriejohn.
If anything, Catholicism seems contrary to the laws of nature. How the hell these throwbacks are still crawling after 2,000 years, instead of regressing back to plankton and ooze, must be a mystery to most evolutionary biologists.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:36 am
This is a first to my knowledge – open equanimity to Gays from a Muslim – well done to Marcouch, i guess the first step is the hardest.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:36 am
*claps*
July 1st, 2009 at 10:59 am
Mr Marcouch sure has big ones. Possibly made of steel.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am
Nature controls the population of other species. Why do we fight it when it tries to limit our own population by encouraging sexualities which do not procreate?
July 1st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Well done Mr Marcouch; I just hope that he is sincere.
So the local kiddie fiddlers spokesman reckons “Homosexuality is contrary to the laws of nature”. Clearly he knows nothing of the laws of nature as there are many documented examples of animals, primates, mammals, fish etc that display homosexual behaviour. Religions' motto: Never let scientific fact get in the way of bigotry.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I raised this very point over at http://thebeattitude.com/ just the other day, as some bigotted fundamentalist was inveighing against "gays" yet again, and he replied that "animals" have no morality! Evidently, according to him, they kill one another with impunity, whereas humans act according to an unchangeable morality laid down by God six thousand years ago, when Adam was created in His very image. The degree of ignorance being demonstrated here on all levels is astounding, and what worries me even more, especially as an ex-evangelical, is that I know that this is just the sort of thing that children are being taught as "the truth" in these so-called "Faith Schools"!
July 1st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Ps I strongly advise all readers to go to http://proudatheists.wordpress.com/ (if you are not already a regular visitor to the site) and scroll down to the cartoons – especially the one where the fundie teacher is giving the kids a lesson on "Intelligent Design"! If THAT doesn`t have you wetting your knickers then nothing will!!
July 1st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
As long as Ahmed Marcouch keeps on annoying the fundies, whatever their religion, fine with me, but it's their influence on other people that's got to be stopped. Not only in Amsterdam have gays been harassed by, too often, youths of Moroccan descent.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I never thought I'd say well done to a muslim.
However the point about homosexuality is 'against the laws of nature' is a disturbing comment coming from a member of a organisation that actively supresses sexual urges.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I suppose celibacy is according to the laws of nature.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
barriejohn. Loved the proudatheists site. Would not want to miss it. I will be spreading that one around.
regards,
Broga
July 1st, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Thanks for the feedback – you wonder sometimes whether anyone reads anything that you put up! It IS a good site though, isn`t it?
July 1st, 2009 at 8:08 pm
It is if you`re as ugly as hell, Broga!
July 1st, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I'll assume that the majority on this website have came across http://www.godandscience.org on their travels. Piss poor ID. Worth looking at for the sheer desperation.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:33 pm
"If anything, Catholism seems contrary to the laws of nature": that one`s going down in the notebook Stuart – hahaha!!!
July 1st, 2009 at 11:34 pm
They have absolutely no idea what is "natural" Tony!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:40 am
barriejohn. I often feel the same way about what is being read. However, I have been surprised at just how much gets around from a site like this. I know little about the technicalities and how they work. However, I do remember spreading the "gospel according to atheism" to a favourite site of mine – the Raving Atheists Forum – on one subject: a moron garage owner in the Mohave Desert who said he did not want atheist customers. I picked this up from Barrie Duke. Barry later said he got "10,000 hits" back here. Don't know how they know this. The garage owner said it was all a mistake. The comments were from a PR man since retired. Bollocks. The notice was photgraphed and our boys got to work. Keep going. I love what you write. Although I am not always around to pick up on it. Regards Broga
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:00 pm
To Tony E, who comments "I never thought I'd say well done to a muslim" – I understand the positive nature of the sentiment behind this, but it makes me sad nonetheless for the negativity of the worldview that is surprised that a Muslim can say something sensible… As a gay Muslim, I suspect I understand being in the frontline of religious fundamentalism more than many, and I don't like it any more than you do – but for goodness' sake, whether you know it or not, Muslims are a pretty heterogeneous group, and that includes the homosexual ones!!