UN members take a firm stand against tolerance for gays
Kelly McParland Mar 8, 2012 – 10:33 AM ET | Last Updated: Mar 8, 2012 11:10 AM ET
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The Organization of Islamic Cooperation once again established its progressive credentials on Wednesday, walking out of “historic” UN talks on gay rights. The talks were historic because it’s the first time the UN Human Rights Council has held a session on discrimination and violence related to sexual orientation. The Islamic countries let everyone know they weren’t falling for any nonsense about homosexuality being acceptable though. Saeed Sarwar, representing the Pakistan mission, spoke on behalf of other like-minded members when he questioned the whole concept of human rights based on sexual orientation itself.
Being gay, he argued, is just “licentious behavior promoted under the so-called concept of sexual orientation” and is “against the fundamental teachings of various religions, including Islam. From this perspective, legitimizing homosexuality and other personal sexual behaviors in the name of sexual orientation is unacceptable.”
So there, sexual rights and equality advocates. This is the UN’s very own human rights body remember. The UN is that glorious organization so beloved by liberal and left-wing groups who see it as the embodiment of international cooperation and civil advancement. There are those in Canadian politics — NDP members, are you listening? – who would hand over great chunks of Canada’s foreign policy to the UN, basing Canada’s international activities in many cases to UN imprimatur. In this instance what that would get you would be a large group of countries from Africa, the Middle East and Asia who are quite happy discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, because God wants it that way.
To be fair, you have to give the UN for trying. Last year the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, released a report that identified “a clear pattern of targeted violence and discrimination directed at people because they are, or are perceived to be” lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. It cited reports of killings, rape, physical attacks, torture, arbitrary detention, the denial of right of assembly, and discrimination in employment, health, and education.
Among the disturbing examples cited was an account of lesbians being gang-raped in Kyrgyzstan, and an Uzbek human rights defender who was charged with homosexuality, beaten by police, and threatened with sexual assault. The report also documented the Russian authorities’ refusal to allow gay-rights activists to hold parades.
In June, the council approved (barely) a resolution expressing “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”
But there are 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and they aren’t having any of it. Pakistan appears to be taking a leading role in the opposition; Pakistani Ambassador to the UN Zamir Akram wrote on behalf of the IOC to complain that the human rights body planned to promote “abnormal sexual behaviour” at the Geneva meeting.
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http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...take-a-firm-stand-against-tolerance-for-gays/
