Islam’s Homophobic Teachings Cannot Be Ignored as a Factor in the Orlando Mass Shooting

Hiba Krisht posted a series on Facebook asking us not to ignore the part Islamic teachings on homosexuality played in the horrific shooting at the Pulse. LGBTQIA Muslims and ex-Muslims all too often get erased, their struggles ignored, as we try to counter Islamophobic bigotry. It’s important that we recognize the dangers and challenges they face, even as we rightly point out that Muslims at large shouldn’t be attacked for the actions of a few.

This is not impossible. We manage not to target Christians for bigotry even as we argue against toxic ideas and teachings within Christianity. Finding the way to thread this needle starts with listening to the voices of LGBTQIA Muslims and ex-Muslims.

Hiba has given me permssion to collect and post her series here. Please add her blog to your regular rotation. Continue reading “Islam’s Homophobic Teachings Cannot Be Ignored as a Factor in the Orlando Mass Shooting”

Islam’s Homophobic Teachings Cannot Be Ignored as a Factor in the Orlando Mass Shooting
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Charlie Hebdo Journalists Murdered by Religious Fanatics

Ah, yes, adherents of the Religion of Peace™ peacefully protesting cartoons they don’t like by murdering cartoonists wholesale.

They want to terrorize people into silence. They will, if we allow fear to shrink us down to terrified little things skittering away at the slightest hint we may upset the religious sensibilities of men with guns. Well, I’m not interested in being a fearful skittering little thing today. I’m inclined to rub their noses in what they despise.

Cover of Charlie Hebdo. The man in the turban is saying, "100 blows of the whip if you are not laughing!"
Cover of Charlie Hebdo. The man in the turban is saying, “100 blows of the whip if you are not laughing!”

Like Yemmy says,

It would be a great idea to widely reproduce the images these barbarians killed people for. The world needs to say NO to this intimidation by these barbaric, bloodthirsty religious fanatics!

Cover of Charlie Hebdo for The Life of Mohammed, Part One: the Debut of the Prophet. Image is a goofy yellow man leading a sweating camel in a desert with rocky hills in the background.
Cover of Charlie Hebdo for The Life of Mohammed, Part One: the Debut of the Prophet.

I hope that Charlie Hebdo can continue on. I hope the magazine has enough staff members left to carry on despite the tragedy, and that cartoonists line up around the world to contribute their work. I hope a million Charlie Hebdos spring up around the world. Let the fanatics see that killing people who satirize their prophet will accomplish nothing besides making the killers and their enablers pariahs, giving a huge boost to apostate and progressive Muslims, and lead to most people in the world deciding that, no matter how many warm fuzzy feels they may have for religion, it needs some disrespect if its followers are willing to murder people over cartoons.

You want your religion to be respected? Use it to become the best people you can be. Make it something worthy of respect. Don’t think you can demand respect at gunpoint. And don’t think your religion can shield you from the consequences of your murderous actions.

Charlie Hebdo cover showing a Muslim man with crosses for eyes, holding a Koran in front of him. Both Koran and man are being riddled with bullets. The French captions say, "The Koran is shit. It can't stop bullets." The purple box says, "Slaughter in Egypt."
Charlie Hebdo cover saying, “The Koran is shit. It can’t stop bullets.” The purple box says, “Slaughter in Egypt.”

There’s nothing honorable or noble in what these people did. They aren’t honoring their god. They’re just proving that if it exists, and if it approves of this sort of brutality, it deserves nothing but our condemnation. They’d demonstrating that religion does not make people moral, and in fact, too often inspires murder. We must eradicate this inane idea that a deity is up there that cares so deeply about offensive cartoons that it demands artists be slaughtered.

My heart goes out to the survivors and the victims’ loved ones.

Charlie Hebdo Journalists Murdered by Religious Fanatics