The African nation of Uganda currently is considering a law that would punish HIV-positive men found to have committed “aggravated homosexuality.”
The proposed punishment is death.
I’m sorry, but this is just wrong.
Usually, I subscribe to the notion of “their house, their rules.” Uganda being a sovereign nation, it has the right to put forth any laws its legitimately constituted government sees fit.
This Ugandan law, however, appears to have some shadowy religious strings behind it. Strings that extend back to the United States in the form of an extremist Christian outfit called The Family.
Thanks to National Public Radio, you can learn about them here.
Other nations around the world are speaking out in protest. The official position of the United States government is that passage of such a law would be a major step backward for human rights in Uganda.
Perhaps someone should explain that to the ultra-conservative types in Congress who apparently have been helping The Family influence Uganda politics.
If you have a problem with HIV, you educate your people. You provide them with condoms. You don’t arbitrarily put them death because of who they are.
Unless, of course, the little voice in your head is telling you that God says it’s cool.
Christianity, Islam, whatever…whenever and wherever extremism in the name of religion rears its head, it leaves cruelty and tragedy behind it.
Uganda has natural beauty to rival any in the world. I would love to encourage people to go there and see it. But so long as this measure has even the possibility of becoming law, I can’t do that.
And I won’t.
Good grief. Why would you want to go to Uganda anyway, once home to Idi Amin? I suspect it’s a beautiful country but with a horrible history and now this. When I win the lottery, I’ll restrict my travel to safer destinations.
There aren’t many nations in the world that don’t have some bloody skeletons in their closet. If horrible history were the deciding factor on where to travel, I couldn’t leave home. Hell, I couldn’t leave my house! That said, what the Ugandan government is proposing is to codify ignorance and legalize atrocity. It’s a shame. On natural beauty alone, this place should be a mecca for tourists.
Hi there!
I’m new to your blog and I wanted to leave a quick comment on the Uganda gay-Holocaust. I am not sure what the TRUE reasons are for the fervor about this legislation but I doubt it has anything at all to do with religion. Men have raped children CLAIMING that it was all due to their religion… I won’t even mention the compound in this country that was in the news. That cult CLAIMED to be Christian! Yeah right.
The bottom line is that people who want to commit any atrocity will ALWAYS claim that they are doing so as followers of a religion…that’s always the cover story of every psycho, oppressor or hater of another group.
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
@ Ray Huard
You are saying that no one should want to go to Uganda because of its atrocious history…hmmm…surely you aren’t living in Amerikka…right?
Lisa–
Welcome to the blog! Hope you’ll come back often.
Re Uganda, this legislation is, to me, a pretty compelling illustration for the need for separation between church and state. One of the weaknesses of democracy is that its very nature leaves it vulnerable to extremists of all stripes — and as history shows us, religions are just as capable of producing extremists as any other social influence. I would further argue that people have a right to be as extreme in their views as they want to be. What they don’t have is the right to impose their views on a nation.
Again, welcome. I hope you’ll become a regular here.