Don't let the nutters grind you down
After a week of threatened violence from religions' lunatic fringes, World Pride organisers are calling on people not to cancel their trips to Jerusalem for next month's week-long festival.
"Jerusalem is a very powerful international symbol," said Hagai El-Ad, executive director of Jerusalem Open House, which is planning the event.
"That symbol has been hijacked and is being abused by religious leaders that proclaim to have a monopoly over the interpretation of what Jerusalem is about.
"It's very cynical of them on the one hand to be inciting violence and on the other to be talking about Jerusalem's holiness."
Organisers have not yet secured a permit for the parade on 10 August. The police, who grant such permits, have questioned whether their forces can maintain public safety if there are violent protests.
It remains to be seen whether police are concerned enough about public safety that they’ve actually arrested any of the people seen handing out leaflets in Jerusalem earlier this week offering money to anyone who "kills a sodomite".
El-Ad went on to tell uk.gay.com that having a major LGBT event in Jerusalem is part of the process of "reclaiming" the concepts of tolerance and acceptance as religious values.
"Jerusalem is about diversity, Jerusalem is about inclusiveness, Jerusalem is about different communities getting along together, Jerusalem is about different communities respecting each other.
"These are the true teachings of the great religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism," he continued.
Lovely ideas. But it's probably easier to believe in faries at the bottom of the garden than it is to believe that religious loons are suddenly going to develop an iota of common sense and tolerance. It's just not the nature of the beast.
And even the fanatics don't follow their own religions… well, religiously. Would you care to bet that Jews and Christians who just love to quote Leviticus over homosexuality won't conveniently forget a few other things in that Old Testament book? Like a woman ensuring that she's 'cleansed' after her period by taking two doves down to the local priest to sacrifice.
Is Jerusalem sinking betneath the weight of all those dove carcasses? The RSPB should be told.
"Jerusalem is a very powerful international symbol," said Hagai El-Ad, executive director of Jerusalem Open House, which is planning the event.
"That symbol has been hijacked and is being abused by religious leaders that proclaim to have a monopoly over the interpretation of what Jerusalem is about.
"It's very cynical of them on the one hand to be inciting violence and on the other to be talking about Jerusalem's holiness."
Organisers have not yet secured a permit for the parade on 10 August. The police, who grant such permits, have questioned whether their forces can maintain public safety if there are violent protests.
It remains to be seen whether police are concerned enough about public safety that they’ve actually arrested any of the people seen handing out leaflets in Jerusalem earlier this week offering money to anyone who "kills a sodomite".
El-Ad went on to tell uk.gay.com that having a major LGBT event in Jerusalem is part of the process of "reclaiming" the concepts of tolerance and acceptance as religious values.
"Jerusalem is about diversity, Jerusalem is about inclusiveness, Jerusalem is about different communities getting along together, Jerusalem is about different communities respecting each other.
"These are the true teachings of the great religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism," he continued.
Lovely ideas. But it's probably easier to believe in faries at the bottom of the garden than it is to believe that religious loons are suddenly going to develop an iota of common sense and tolerance. It's just not the nature of the beast.
And even the fanatics don't follow their own religions… well, religiously. Would you care to bet that Jews and Christians who just love to quote Leviticus over homosexuality won't conveniently forget a few other things in that Old Testament book? Like a woman ensuring that she's 'cleansed' after her period by taking two doves down to the local priest to sacrifice.
Is Jerusalem sinking betneath the weight of all those dove carcasses? The RSPB should be told.
posted by Amanda Kendal at 11:21 am
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