Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said that Judaism “takes the mind out of the narrowness of self-interest.” During the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of the urgent need for American Jews to make this formulation real as I’ve turned my attention to a flagrant threat to human rights in Uganda.
Since October, the Ugandan parliament has been considering a so-called “Anti-Homosexuality Bill.” The bill promotes hate and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in Uganda by strengthening and adding penalties against homosexuality. Among its many cruel provisions, the bill would subject to up to three years imprisonment any person who fails to report within 24 hours a sexual act between individuals of the same gender. (In response to local and international pressure, the Ugandan government recently agreed to remove execution and life-imprisonment from the bill’s punishments for LGBT people.)
The bill also criminalizes the “promotion of homosexuality,” a provision that would result in imprisonment for anyone who “funds or sponsors homosexuality or related activities” — effectively any organization that serves LGBT people. This measure would severely threaten HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts since a key population would be denied services.
In part, we have the American religious right to thank for fueling — both ideologically and financially — the anti-gay fervor that has led to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. It’s no secret that there are strong and ever-growing ties between American and African political and religious conservatives. American right-wing zealots have lost the culture war in the United States and have taken their agenda wherever they can develop a base to condemn LGBT individuals and falsely assert that homosexuality can be cured. Many African leaders have adopted some of the American religious right’s most vicious homophobic rhetoric as their political platform and taken it farther than even many of their American allies might have imagined.
In recent months, American Jewish World Service has been listening to and working with our grantees in East Africa to strategically and effectively advance human rights in the face of growing insecurity and violence. AJWS has also joined with leading advocacy organizations in calling on the American government to swiftly condemn the bill.
The American government can — and must — use its leverage to oppose Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill. But the vigor of our government’s opposition depends on us. We need to contact our congressional representatives and pressure them to take action.
In recent weeks, both liberal and conservative Christian groups and clergy from across the political spectrum — including, most recently, the Vatican — have spoken out against the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Some Christian clergy who fiercely oppose efforts to expand gay rights still recognize that imprisoning or executing people for being gay — or penalizing those who support the LGBT community — is an egregious violation of human rights. These are powerful, public voices. Jewish voices must be counted among them.
Indeed, pursuing global justice depends on amplifying a collective Jewish voice to assert that every person — Jew and non-Jew, gay and straight alike — deserves to live a free and dignified life. We need not reach far back into the depths of history to find similar brutalities directed toward Jews, just for being Jewish.
It’s all too easy to ignore the injustices in the developing world. And of course, we must think critically and strategically about the consequences of American Jewish advocacy when people’s lives are at stake. But at the very least, I believe Heschel would have insisted that we confront our inclination to feel too disconnected to be outraged. At the end of the day, these human rights abuses are our problems, too.
Ruth Messinger is president of American Jewish World Service.
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Absolutely, you are right Ruth Messinger. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,"said Martin Luther King, Jr. And we, as Jews, certainly know the consequences of Injustice anywhere and everywhere.
As an African myself, I fully understand that African culture is threatened by the new global ethic which aggressively seeks to persuade African governments and communities to accept new and different meanings of the concepts of family, marriage and human sexuality. This is a cultural challenge. We face a second wave of colonialism, both subtle and ruthless at the same time. We Africans have a duty and obligation to protect ourselves from Western contamination, totalitarian liberal activism, and intellectual cynicism.
Over 60% of Americans disapprove of homosexuality. Approximately 30% think it's a norm. Once again, a small group of screamers are going to attempt to put a moral spin on this as hate mongering. We're all a little prejuidice about something, that's just the way society can be. If Ugandans wish to identify homosexuality as a moral negative, they can.
Only a fool fails to understand the difference between disapproval and persecution. This has nothing to do with western colonialism. It has to do with what Africans are willing to do to other Africans, the persecution and terror that you are too willing to visit upon the lives of your own African brothers and sisters and children who happen to be homosexual or who may know someone who is homosexual. To say otherwise is to lie through your teeth.
Why won't seemingly educated Westerners understand that the bill is what is it, a BILL? A private member's bill to be exact. To the uninitiated, it means that the views therein are the opinion of one out of 30 million Ugandans.
Am Ugandan myself and live in Uganda. Most Ugandans oppose the death penalty for any crime, let alone one of a sexual nature. The bill is at committee stage where it is being moderated and checked for consistency with other laws we have and conventions to which Uganda is a signatory. And of course the public has its input at this point. Should it pass this point, it will become law and no amount of screaming by Western homosexuals and their liberal apologists will stop that.
Many in the West will equate our criminalisation of homosexuality, like the other 37 African countries as backwardness. To the extent that the evolution of man as put down by Charles Darwin means that the most advanced homosapiens will be homosexuals, I agree with you.
We will take our chances.
I would like to know the views of Ruth Messinger about the treatment of Palestinians by Israel. Most likely the words "anti semitism" is thrown in whenever it is mentioned.
I recently read Gerard Prunier's book 'Africa's World War" & he makes a very interesting point. After the Rwandan genocide a number of well meaning American Jewish groups went out there and tried to respond to the tragedy based on the realities of the Shoah. They had no understanding of African realities, only a paradigm that suggested the Rwandan Tutsis of 1994 were the European Jews of 1944. Prunier makes the case that they ended up making things worse.
Ruth Messinger seems to be heading down this very same road. As one British journalist suggested in the 1960's "Africa is not Puddington on Avon" nor is it the Upper Westside of Manhattan. This is really something the Ugandans will need to work out for themselves.
When it rains, it pours.
For those of us whose Torah is not the Secular Torah which demands 'Thou shalt not consider Homosexuality an abnormal and perverted practise', what Uganda or any country decides to legislate as undesriable behavior is their own business. And, Ruth, get over the misuse of the 'Hate' label which along with 'Racist' are the two most incorrectly used words in the English language. To believe that homosexuality is an act of perversion has nothing to do with 'hate.' Unless you also believe that to be against cannibalism is also an example of 'Hate.' Grow up.
In your online edition, it would be helpful for the author's name ro be listed after the title of each article.
Uganda is a medieval society. Americans interfering with Ugandan life caused this to explode into a big problem. More Americans interfering will make things worse. We need to stop interference altogether.
If you want to help gay Ugandans, help them immigrate to the USA. If you want to help Ugandan Jews, help them get to USA or Israel. Don't try to force Uganda to bend to your will. This will backfire.
Imposing your own agenda on Uganda will make things worse for the people you are trying to help. Your foreign attention will only last for a couple years, until you get bored with it. When this happens, Uganda will still be a medeival country, and these people will still be in danger. *IF* they are even still alive, after your attention has made them easy targets for superstitious witch-burning mobs.
ASDF-True words of wisdom. You understand Africa. Ms. Messinger doesn't.
This issue has threatened to split the worldwide Anglican ( Church of England or Episcopalian) communion. It has already split the USA from the UK churches over the ordination of an American actively gay bishop. Africa tends to be very conservative compared to the UK or USA. Speaking of Africa, one must consider Islam which also has a big voice in some African states. From our Jewish perspective we must consider that the grave prohibition on sodomy derives from our Book of Leviticus, while the Western heritage from the ancient Greeks knew no such severity. As Americans we should object on the basis of human rights or civil rights, and as Jews we can object to capital punishment meted out by human courts.
There is such terrible ignorance about so many things in Africa and "Arabia," where does one start? You're asking them to accept homosexuality, and I agree of course. And how about the stoning of women who've been raped because the blame is placed on them! And keeping women covered up so that men don't rape them, instead of teaching the men how to respect the other 50% of their population! You're fighting a 1400-year-old Islamic way of life, that doesn't accept change, and despises anything that might change their thinking processes. They're taught not to question and that any deviation from what they're taught is worthy of punishment, torture and death. How does one deal with that kind of mentality? The only inroads anyone might make, possibly, is to work with the heads of state in the United Nations. My only other comment now is "lots of luck!"
why was the following posting deleted from this thread ?
Discovery Institute (the Evangelical creationist think-tank in Seattle) Senior Fellow and Orthodox convert David Klighoffer is the ideological godfather of Uganda's 'anti-homosexuality' bill. Check out Klinghoffer's homophobic rants at his BELIEFNET blog.
Tybee is correct when he says that
You're asking them to accept homosexuality, and I agree of course..And keeping women covered up so that men don't rape them, instead of teaching the men how to respect the other 50% of their population! You're fighting a 1400-year-old way of life, that doesn't accept change, and despises anything that might change their thinking processes. They're taught not to question and that any deviation from what they're taught is worthy of punishment, torture and death. How does one deal with that kind of mentality? The only inroads anyone might make, possibly, is to work with the heads of state in the United Nations. My only other comment now is "lots of luck!"
- EXCEPT the above applies not just to Uganda but to HAREDI JUDAISM as well!
After reading Rabbi Mayer Twersky [in today's JTA blog "Telegraph"], I look forward to reading Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, writing about those understandings/practices of Judaism which resemble the elements she confronted in this article in the Forward. [Excerpt from Twersky] "If he’ll tell us, “but it’s natural, but I’m wired that way” – does that diminish the revulsion one iota? There is sympathy, which is correct, which is a core, core Jewish character trait, at the heart of who and what a Jew is. Then there is legitimization of To'evah. There is no such thing as a Jew who should be publicly identified as chomed eishes reyehu – there should be no Jew identified as having an inclination toward Mishkav Zachor."*
As Messinger concludes [though pointing at Uganda and "the developing world"]: "At the end of the day, these human rights abuses are our problems, too."
* http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/article/2010/01/06/1010032/rosh-yeshivas-and-pulpit-rabbis
Re abuse of women in Africa, fortunately, there are organizations like Women for Women and others which help to empower women and give them the tools to fight back. Also, many of these empowered women can educate others so they will feel free to question and stop submitting to the current mistreatment.
Re abuse of women in Africa, fortunately, there are organizations like Women for Women and others which help to empower women and give them the tools to fight back. Also, many of these empowered women can educate others so they will feel free to question and stop submitting to the current mistreatment.
I strongly believe that Uganda is up against human rights abuses and if homosexuality is a right, then why the bill? Homosexuality in Uganda is now spreading like bush fire with clear indication that there are some individuals who strongly support and fund it with reasons best known to themselves. With referrence to the holly bible and the quaran, i do not think there is any chapter that talks about homosexuality as a good practice. The two sexes made by God are for a purpose and that is why He created a man to go with a woman, a cock with a hen, a bull with a cow for the purpose of multiplying to fill the earth. HOW CAN MAN TO MAN AND WOMAN TO WOMAN MULTIPLY TO FILL THE EARTH? Anti homosextuality bill therefore has to be given some more time for consultations and i strongly endorse that the penalties be relaxed if it is to be passed. CEO HORARD.
Although it hasn't made the rounds of most major media outlets, scientists can now change eggs into sperm and sperm into eggs. So, two men could possibly produce chidren (with the help of a surragate) and two women could possibly produce children.
What should we expect from a generation that was raised on the morals of Idi Amin? What a pity that in the harsh world in which they reside they can only see homosexuality as high on the list of their troubles. Are Ugandan men so irresistable that they suffer the fate of being cornered and raped by the relatively tiny proportion of gay men in Uganda? Wow, I can't resist myself, I'm on my way to Entebee! It's hard to understand human nature but when looking at Ugandan men they are not pin-up material. Sorry, I'm not gonna be politically correct for you. They just aren't! LOL You Ugandan women have nothing!!!! to be concerned about!! Come on and be real. So, to the majority of Ugandans who appear to support this hate legislation: "Go on, make your babies, , live in abject poverty, and blame homosexuality for your misery". Just let then have a chance to leave before you torture them for being what God wanted. Does it matter to you that your own family members might be in danger? You would put them in prison for life, or to death for being a product of God's plan? Go figure! By the way, Thanks, Ruth Messinger and I will continue support the work of your organisation after reading your words. Cheers to South Africa for being one of the few brave Afican nations whose men are secure and much, much better looking than Ugandan men. lolol
South Africa's President Zuma is sending a known gay hating ambassador to Uganda, Qwelane, Is that the response of a so called leader from a Nation that has one of the very few all-inclusive constitutions in the world? Please visit my Articles on the subject and call on ZUMA to take more of a proactive role of ant- discrimnation leadership in Africa. First withdraw Qwelane and then speak out against the Kill GAY Bill. Melanie Nathan http://lezgetreal.com/?p=25381 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=25258 and http://lezgetreal.com/?p=24629