LABOUR Party MP Sadiq Khan is under police protection after receiving death threats for voting for gay marriage.
Sadiq Khan. Photo Associated Newspapers
The threats followed, according to the Peter Tatchell Foundation, after Mufti Muhammed Aslam Naqshbandi Bandhalevi, imam at the Jamia Islamia Rizvia mosque in Bradford, issued a fatwa declaring Khan – one of the five pro-gay marriage Muslim MPs – as an “apostate” and that he should:
Repent before Allah.
Sadiq Khan MP explained on his website why he voted in favour of gay marriage:
I firmly believe in marriage. Marriage is an important statement of love and long-term commitment, and has long been the main way that the state recognises and shows support for loving relationships. I believe that couples who love each other and want to make that long-term commitment to each other should be able to have a civil marriage regardless of their gender or their sexuality.
Other Muslim MPs who voted for same-sex marriage have also received death threats and fatwas from Islamist extremists and clerics in the UK and Pakistan.
The mad Mufti said that Muslims MPs who supported the right of gay couples to marry had put themselves outside of Islam, according to a report in the Pakistan-based newspaper, The News International.
The same paper reported that at least three Pakistani clerics have declared that the MPs were no longer Muslims and they must repent.
It quoted Anjem Choudary, former UK head of extremist group Al-Muhajiroum who has organised demonstrations against the MPs, as saying they had committed:
Apostasy by declaring war on Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) by
Islamic clown Anjem Choudary
voting for gay marriages. These MPs have allied themselves with parties that are responsible for the killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
Several UK-based Islamist sects have denounced the MPs, including Hizb ut-Tahrir; as have posts on extremist websites such as Islamic Awakening and Izharudeen.com
Peter Tatchell ?said:
We are delighted that most Muslim MPs voted in favour of legalising gay marriage. The ban on same-sex marriage is discrimination. Discrimination is not an Islamic value. The clerics who issued these fatwas are preaching hatred. Islam encourages love and marriage. Religious leaders should welcome the fact that gay couples love each other and want to get married.
The people making the threats are a tiny extreme Islamist minority. They do not represent most Muslims in Britain. Increasingly, gay and Muslim people in the UK are working together to tackle the hatred, discrimination and violence that affects both our communities. We are taking a joint stand against all intolerance.
He added:
There is a huge British gay Muslim population and openly gay Muslim organisations, such as Imaan. They believe it is possible to be both Muslim and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). The acceptance of gay Muslims by the wider Muslim community is growing; although there is more room for improvement.
Here’s an interesting quote from an openly gay Muslim in Denmark. Michael Sinan.
The Koran is my sacred book, but it’s written for people in another era. The complicated part is that you are the one that has to interpret it. You can’t set yourself up as God and judge other people. Those who do so should be careful how they use the name of Allah. I am gay, and that’s something between Allah and me.
Sinan, who was voted Mr Gay Denmark, said in an interview with the Huffington Post last year that he had taken part in the contest because:
My objective was to show the gay community, and also Muslims, that there are modern Muslims in Denmark. The media fixates on extremist, aggressive Muslims who live according to customs more appropriate in the Middle Ages. That’s not fair. There’s a lot of us, and we’re mostly modern. I wanted to demonstrate that to be gay and Muslim is both possible and okay.
Michael Sinan grins broadly as he is named Mr Gay Denmark
Sinan, a 34-year-old philologist, specialising in Pashto, Urdu, and Persian said he believed that:
The moment has arrived to come forward and assert the compatibility of homosexuality and Islam.
According to Sinan, Muslims have to adapt to the 21st century and, like Christians, abandon prejudices that are based on interpretations of ancient sacred texts.
We Muslims are numerous today, and it’s impossible to keep living in the past. Christians can’t live according to Biblical norms, and neither can we. There are things that even extremists can’t abide by.
I’m proud of being Danish, because we have freedom of expression and freedom of religion. We do have a problem with those who don’t integrate, but when it comes down to it, I believe that they really don’t belong to this society. I respect them, but perhaps they should consider moving to other countries more in line with their principles.
Hat tip: BarrieJohn (Khan report)
if it is so against idiot-slamb to be gay why do so many mud-slambs engage in anal sex – males with males. And homosexual activity. It is ‘rife’. As prevalent as it is in other places where love is real rather than odd or peculiar or disgusting where partitioners must be put to death.
Arabs are reknown for their boy sex activity. Buggery a national pastime. Less so now as the islam-ick play-world such as Dubai is crammed full of willing [female] whores.
Boy sex as in Afghanistan is now quite prevalent. Men openly parade their ‘little boys about’. It is ‘society’ that has a young male behaving as a female, employed as a female, performing female work [whatever that is supposed to be - anyway e.g. serving food and cleaning and stuff] ‘used’ for sexual purposes, a sort of she-male type young male. Not dissimilar to the Tahitian “huahine males” – which is the last boy born that is ‘brought up as a girl’ and turned into a sexual thing for his male siblings. Turning Turk is not just a reference to being made islamick but also a sexual male homsoexual reference.
And let’s be frank so much is known about homsexual activity in is-slamick countries. why don’t they just come out.
These people are donkey f**ckrs no more no less.
[I mean no insult to homosexuals]
I don’ t give a damn if muslims are gay or not. What I do care about are the verminous bigmouth muftis, immams and clerics who abuse the right of free speech in this country by issuing death threats to democratically elected representatives. These islamic fundamentalist criminals need to feel the full force of the law. Islam is a dangerous pernicious hateful primitive evil blight on humanity. It has no place in a democratic secular country like ours. If the mosques are used as hubs of terrorist activity then they must be closed down until the muslims can sort themselves out and behave in a manner that is in accordance with the law.
ROAS provide some evidence of your assertions rather than purilee name calling or shut your fucking racist mouth.
I just don’t understand it, this is so out of character for the religion of peace. (If only!)
I think Sadiq Khan should be rightly concerned for his safety; it is disgusting that in the UK a democratically elected member of Parliament has to have police protection just for doing what he’s paid for, being an active member of Government. Our hard fought for freedoms are under attack by an enemy within; freedom to practice their religion of choice cannot come at the expense of other peoples individual rights. These people see tolerance and an over deference to their religious belief as a weakness to be exploited for their own ends. A strong message needs to be sent out to these perpetrators by way of the courts handing out stiff sentences to everybody involved in issuing fatwas and making death threats.
‘The moment has arrived to come forward and assert the compatibility of homosexuality and Islam.’ – Yeah right, good luck with that one Michael Sinan!
Ian: You can argue that such practices are “cultural”, but then these particular people are exclusively Muslim!
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/246409/Boys_in_Afghanistan_Sold_Into_Prostitution_Sexual_Slavery
http://youtu.be/qUn018wpHqY
ian
try harder. Try reading. And not just the internet or wikipedia. Or try travelling the world.
Using such language against me is rather boring. You first need an intellect to debate with me.
Debate. Read about the issues I raise rather than just mouthing off like a tantrum angst little schoolboy. I raise issues to create debate. If you are too unintelligent to see this then don’t bother writing such nonsense to me. You have no idea, no clue and nothing to debate.
And the word you need is puerile.
Of course, Muslims have a open mind on the subject of homosexuality:
http://thedebateinitiative.com/category/homosexuality/
Meanwhile, in the Cameroon, a lawyer receives death threats for defending Gay people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/18/cameroon-lawyer-vows-return-to-defending-gay-rights-despite-death-threats-to-his-children/
Those following the debates since I joined this site, will know my thoughts and comments. Ian you are too ignorant and this isn’t for you.
Is-lamb has a real hatred against homosexuality as it is not tolerated. It is a crime for which the punishment is death. Iran and Afghanistan are good examples where such sentences are carried out. Britain is not this place. Britain has a system of democracy based on what the people want. Not what some fictitious sky being ‘is’ or ‘does’ [and we can safely conclude the answer is negative to both]. It’s not a crime to be homosexual in Britain.
Is-slamb is my fictitious gawd hates homosexuals more than your fictitious gawd – so we can kill them.
Do males in the Arab world engage in homosexual practices. Yes. Having lived there for a very long time knowing very senior Police officials, engaged in the legal profession, I profess to know such things. And further that homosexuality is at least as common as it is elsewhere in the world, amongst the many arabs because the middle east is full of arabs, Gulf Arabs, Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, Iraqis, Sudanese, Moroccans, Tunisians, Egyptians Yemenis, etc. even though a very serious crime. Several Police raids took place where Arab men were taken along with Filipino’s and ‘westerners’.
Do Arab men have homosexual traits. Yes some but not all. Sex with boys was common in the past. “Women are Ok but they’re nothing like the real thing”.
Are parts of the Arab world full of whores both male and female. Yes. Dubai is probably the best example.
Is it full of sexually repressed and angry young men that have sex with donkeys. Sexually repressed and angry -indeed. At times it appears full of them. Sex with donkeys? Some of course -but not all. Police and court reports from the Northern Emirates for example.
Did a Sudanese man marry a goat a few years back. Yes I read such a report. Did he have sex with it? I understand that in is-slam like xtinan-insanity marriage is consummated upon such an act.
[Goats and donkeys are not dissimilar in their passivity when domesticated. As to their sexual preferences – I have no idea].
Turning Turk is a phrase well known from history to be where xtian boys taken as slaves mainly were turned into mud-slambs. In the historical eyewitness accounts, mainly from having been constantly buggered by their captors. The phrase ‘Turk’ a misnomer as most of these captured slaves were held by Arabs. Turks are not Arabs.
Do I know that in the east of Turkey a ‘relatively large number’ of men have sex with donkeys. Yes. I read the Turkish press. Moreover, it’s a common if not wholly substantiated sleight against eastern Turks by their more modern Istanbulites.
Do Afghan’s have little boys effeminately playing & being women. Yes. I have seen this with my own eyes. Are they paraded about? Yes they are.
Do Tahitians have a ‘third sex’. Having lived there I have seen the effeminate nature of these boys – yes. They aren’t is-lambs. It’s a sexual reference example only.
Am I a racist. I guess this is an insult which doesn’t require a reply.
But I am an equal opportunity hater of all religions.
Now Ian if you have something to say about the post. Let’s hear it. It’s a post about many, but here are just two, things:
1. Britain’s clash of religion where MP’s and our right to democracy is challenged by is-lamb.
2. Is is-slam tolerant of homosexuality.
“Discrimination is not an Islamic value.”
Sorry, but Tatchell is talking outright bollocks here. Islam is nothing if not an extraordinarily discriminatory creed. I don’t think that telling lies on behalf of Islam is a clever tactic for people who ought to be sworn enemies of Islamic doctrine.
It seems ironic that part of the “White Man’s Burden” is to feel eternal guilt about the Slave Trade, whereas almost nothing is ever said about the Arab Slave Trade, which dwarfed that of the Europeans, especially now that Islam is gaining such a foothold in the continent and they are all “brothers”!
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Images:Slavery
I see Ian’s another one of those who don’t know the differnce between race and religion.
Where are those lovely moderate mud-slam imams issuing fatwas against those extremist imams?
Good grief, is this really the level of discussion at “The Freethinker”? Childish attacks on Islam full of laborious, unfunny puns and hate speech? I can only assume that “RabbitOnAStick” is in fact a fundamentalist of some kind whose task here is to make sure that no-one with any intelligence of sensitivity will stay for long. He or she has succeeded in my case.
I know nothing about Michael Sinan Thomsen but he doesn’t seem much of a Muslim role model – being blond, Aryan and immodestly parading himself virtually naked as Mr Gay DK. I wonder in what sense he considers himself Islamic if he doesn’t follow any of the rules. Denmark is a secular nation, it’s far better to ditch these absurd religious labels altogether.
From Ian to Ian: Some years ago (pre 1984) an acquaintance of mine, a John Briggs from Blackburn, just happened to be a Police Advisor to the Sheik of Dhubai.
He told us many tales of how they held a ‘market’ where pre-pubescent boys were bought from ‘the pool’, literally a shallow pool.
Their mantra was and, to the best of my knowledge, still is women are for children, boys are for pleasure.
It might also give some understanding why the very young recruits in the US army whose first taste of a culture that wasn’t US homegrown, were the make villagers of Afghanistan where the older men were offering them money in the street!!
These were good ol’ Christian boys from the good ol’ US of A being propositioned for sex in the street by other men. With their upbringing must have been something of a culture shock. (I understand Ted Haggard wanted to go but the US authorities wouldn’t let him).
In spite of what that nice man Armadinajad (sorry about the spelling) might insist that homosexuality in Islam, and especially Iran, is unknown he’s a liar.
Regardless of what their cultures are, I am of the belief that any cleric calling for the death of a democratically elected member of government should be arrested and tried for treason, they should also have their organisations’ “tax exempt” status revoked, as well as having their property (land & buildings) confiscated and sold, with proceeds going to the treasury. Then we will see how quick they shut their big mouths.
Islam is not a religion of peace; no religion really is. All have prospered through the preaching and use of violence. Of course, all religions have extremists but the main problem is not that such extremists are a majority, they may well not be. It is that they SEEM to be a majority because the so-called ‘moderates’ do not speak out and condemn the fundamentalists. This means it appears that the fundies speak for the majority.
Tatchell is committing, and repeating, a fundamental error of the left-wing and liberal politician – equating multiculturalism (a good thing) with accepting inequslities in minority populations for the sake of promoting integration (a bad thing). Islam, and the countries where it is the main religion are NOT, demonstrably not, promoters of non-discriminatory practice. Women, in particular, are not given equal status.
Oops – that was meant to read ‘inequalities’
Peter J. King
Bye bye. Mind the door and all that.
Peter J. King – ‘..that no-one with any intelligence of sensitivity will stay for long.’
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Do you?
Atheistsceptic
Islam is a religion and anybody can choose a religion. Not all the people who follow Islam are brown skined.
What is a roll model for Islam? Should he be full of hate and preach violence against those who disagree?
Peter J KingI can use whatever language the Freethinker web owners deem acceptable on this site. If not I would not be able to comment. I’d be banned or curtailed. I don’t use profane language save to ken, once.
You obviously missed the C word debate. That’s a shame.
Or even the F word being using with proclivity by one deemed a ‘saint’ of free thought. Criticise her if you dare.
I would suggest that you need to get yourself on a web site that can pander to your tastes. But I like to comment. I primarily write for myself and to engage others who share, or not what I write and comment. I can in that regard use any language and style. They don’t have to ‘bother’ with anything I write.
I have nothing to hide in anything I write. I can write what I like – as did you.
On this site I can criticise religion. And I am very grateful for that. I don’t have to conform to what you think or write in a way that pleases you. Not at all.
I like to make a total mockery in words of my choosing at these so called religions. I couldn’t care less if you don’t have the ability to respect that.
In fact I couldn’t care less what you think or read of mine or anyone else’s on this site.
And I certainly don’t care if you go away. You certainly have not contributed.
But to criticise me is your right. And that I do respect. I have no problem with it at all. But it is quite disingenuous and a shame that you then pretend that I alone am the reason for your inability to write something or continue reading. That is no different to a person who won’t vote then criticises the government of the day.
You have no right whatsoever to criticise free speech.
My right of reply: Grow up.
Good grief, is this really the level of discussion at “The Freethinker”?
Well, HE certainly contributed a lot to it, didn’t he?
Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/19/university-of-manchester-student-union-executive-launches-investigation-over-anti-gay-muslim-recording/
Peter J. King has a point, ROAS. You are labouring the puns to a huge degree and it just looks silly and childish. It smacks of Daily Mail comments from Middle Englanders who are all riled up about the latest outrage and want to stamp their feet and flip the bird at the PC brigade. To tell King to grow up given the nature of your own comments on Islam is a bit rich. “Idiot-slam”? Come on.
Also, the idea that if you don’t vote you don’t get to criticise is an empty argument. Not voting has nothing to do with what the winners of elections choose to do with their power. I don’t vote in US elections, yet I still criticise their government for blowing people up with drones. I might not vote in a UK election because none of the candidates in my constituency are to my liking but that doesn’t mean I have no right to complain when the eventual winner does the same shitty things the other candidates would have done given the chance.
That doesn’t make the content of your comments wrong, though. It is vital that we continue to point out the hypocrisy and the damage inflicted by Islam and by inappropriate applications of religious faith in general. The problem is you are simply not helping. You look like a rabid, frothing at the mouth opponent of Islam who just wants to insult the entire group and your very important points regarding the child sex trade are lost in a sea of silliness. I know what you mean because I’ve been here for a good while and have the patience to read between the lame insults but newcomers could very easily be put off by your attitude and dismiss your relatively accurate assessment and information as the ramblings of some anti-Islamic lunatic. Then what happens when they come across such information again? They might just dismiss it because they first heard it from somebody they presume to be a crank or plain racist.
Also, can we please stop playing semantic games over the word ‘racist’? Islam is not a race, and is not entirely synonymous with a particular ethnic group, but there is a significant enough overlap (particularly when comparing ‘Islam’ to ‘the rest of Britain’) that suggesting racial motivation to a stream of insults laid at the feet of an entire group of people who look different is not unreasonable. Having said that, I don’t think ROAS is racist so much as self-righteous, and with good reason, since he’s only trying to point out what utter shits Islam turns people into and provides cover for. But attitudes and perception do matter. Why should Ian bother looking up the accusations of some random commenter who keeps referring to ‘Is-lamb’? Would you believe a commenter on another site who keeps making lame puns about gay people if he claimed Elton John had been involved in trafficking minors?
I hope this doesn’t descend into another bout of bickering as people close ranks on dissent and try to justify their incessant urge to say rude things. Nobody is actually trying to stop you saying whatever the heck you want, but there are consequences. In short, I have to agree with the assessment that sometimes this kind of talk really makes us look bad and undermines the credibility of what we are all really trying to say.
You make some valid points, JMW, but comments here are not moderated, and very few people have been barred from commenting in my experience, so why can’t people ignore comments which they consider beneath them, and concentrate on the rest (unless we’re all considered just as bad!)?
Now, who was implying that Turkey isn’t concerned about human rights?
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/18/turkey-children-fostered-by-european-gay-couples-will-be-retrieved/
JMW
The person ROAS has good points. If you think his comments are childish because he uses idiot-slam or is-lamb then I think you miss the point. All I see on here is xtian RCC catlicks muzzies etc. when going at religions.
It seems to be the preferred language of many. It looks to me this is the theme.
Who gives a crap what slow-boaters on here think do or if they move away. Maybe it’s comment to generate debate.
Don’t knock the guy for trying. And don’t concentrate on his language skills. A lot of his points are very accurate, not ‘relatively accurate’.
Do you know muslims the way he does? He’s lived amongst them, and that doesn’t make him racist or a muslim hater just pretty damn observant of reality.
@ROAS: Carry on as you are – your posts are worthy of reading. Ignore the humourless ones, they also lack intelligence.
Thanks for the links Barry but I standby my comment to ROAS. Part of ROAS’s initial comment included the observation “Arabs are reknown for their boy sex activity. Buggery a national pastime. Less so now as the islam-ick play-world such as Dubai is crammed full of willing [female] whores.”. This contains no criticism of Islam, no cultural insight just hatred of Arabs in general. Sorry it does include some cultural insight regarding ROAS. Arabs include women, children, christians, atheists, islamists and many others but ROAS makes no distinction. The slur is directed towards a class of people based on race and this is racist and sometihing I would expect to see on Stormfront not Freethinker.
And Rabbit thanks for mentioning in me your posts. You seem to have a penchant for insult and self glorification, wonderful debating techniques; I’m sure you win many arguments at the local boozer. And you too please check your spelling and educate yourself regarding the distinction between partitioners and practitioners, it may ease your boredom. Bebate you, no thanks you make me sick.
A A thoughtful comment JohnMwhite. I’ve veiwed Freethought for a couple of years on a daily basis and watched the evolution of ROAS. I have no problem with the puns and informed comment. But when ROAS’s narrative changes from Islam is a plague to buggery is the national pastime of Arabs I have no problem with semantics.
Provoking comment is healthy. But to call a guy a racist because he makes a bad choice of words isn”t the issue. It looks like deliberate provocation to me. I doubt very much he thinks all these people fuck donkeys. Come on!
He said a few post ago he helped a Turkish guy at an accident. A muslim guy. He can’t be such a hateful person from this one bad choice!
The real issue is lack of comment from amongst people e.g. Ian on the topic. Ian you haven’t commented on the topic. And you told him to fuck off. Thats just stupid mate.
Yep ROAS used bad words. And I see it much tongue in cheek. No one can tell a person by these blogs, email for example is may be the worst from of communication taken out of context. Its a pretty damn sure way to piss someone off. I get offended a lot by such stuff. Then calm down and see it for what it is a crap communication tool. And i call people.
But you should comment on the topic.
Myself why is it allowable to in Islam to kill homosexuals. I don’t get that. I don’t see that homosexuals as being odd. And Britain doesn’t consider homosexuals engaging in sex is a crime.
You could say that all navy sailors are gay. Its not a ‘wrong’ statement but it can be analysed.
i got this on the BBC news web
about Afghanistan gays and a sorta ‘third’ sex.
The guy wrote a book about being gay and an Afghan.
Points ROAS made show he was correct
.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21426632
“They started calling me Hamida, the feminine form of my name and ‘Izak’, a colloquial term for someone who is neither male nor female,” he says.
It’s not possible to be openly gay in Afghanistan,” he added. “I would have been killed by my relatives, let alone the government.”
Islam is a shit f**ing religion.. We all should have sex wit men and eat pork.. F*** islam and get a life..!
FEAR ALLAH! I CURSE THE PERSON WHO BAD MOUTHS THE RELIGION OF ALLAH! REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE BECAUSE ONCE YOU MEET THE ANGEL OF DEATH THERE IS NO TURNING BACK YOU DEPART FROM THIS DUNYA (WORLD). SEARCH ISLAM UP BEFORE YOU EVEN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT.