The gay rights problem isn’t with Qatar, it’s with Islam
by Tom Lennie, TCW:
[…] The Western world deems it unacceptable that any nation should in any way hinder the free expression of same-sex or transgender values. Qatar officials, for their part, sought to reassure fans ‘of any gender, [sexual] orientation, religion, race’ that ‘they’ll all be welcome here’, adding: ‘The safety and security of every single fan is of the utmost importance to us. There’s a lot of training going into security personnel to make sure that things that are culturally different are seen in that frame.’
Sexual offences in Qatar aren’t limited to homosexuality; extra-marital sex also carries a prison sentence, and all forms of public displays of affection are frowned upon, as they are in other Middle East countries.
In their outrage, Westerners conveniently overlook the fact staring them in the face: their real problem is not with Qatar, but with Islam. Qatar’s homosexual laws are rooted in Islamic Shariah law. Indeed, anti-homosexuality laws are common to virtually all Islamic countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Yemen all carry heavy sentences for homosexual offences (such as lengthy prison sentences, 100 lashes or even the death penalty). A great many African nations have similar laws; not least Algeria, Chad, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, and Comoros.
Anti-gay laws are by no means confined to Islam. Non-Islamic countries including Singapore, Myanmar, Zimbabwe and various Caribbean and Pacific island-nations (such as Jamaica, Grenada and the Solomon Islands) all criminalise homosexual activity. When the World Cup was held in Orthodox Christian Russia four years ago, LGBTQ fans were warned against holding hands and publicly displaying their sexuality.
Indeed, as we all know, homosexuality is condemned in the Bible (Lev 18:22; 1 Cor 6:9–10; 1 Tim 1:10; Rom 1:26–27). Ironically, preachers can face prosecution here in the UK for merely pointing this fact out, however gently.
As ever, however, Muslims seem to be largely immune from criticism on this issue. Western media will do everything to avoid pointing the finger at Islam, instead focusing on ‘easy’ targets, like Christianity.
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