Homophobia
I picked up a book called koolaids, in my drive to read for Arab writers, even if the books are written in English. Rabih Alameddine reflects on the Lebanese Civil War and immigration to the United States. The plots are non-linear and fragmentary, reflecting on the war and the shattered lives of the characters. Very interesting indeed. What I thought is courageous is that Rabih does not shy away from the core issue in the story which is homosexuality. Koolaids goes into the lifestyle of gays, how they lead their lives, how they face their choices, how they deal with HIV and watching their friends and loved ones dying. It is really touching, sad, shocking, amusing, honest and very human.
I was discussing the book with a friend of mine, and she surprised me by saying that HIV is a divine punishment for gays! I was disturbed by the notion of sickness, suffering and death as a divine punishment… because if this is true then every single gay person on earth through history should be HIV+ which is not the case…Obviously and everyone who is HIV+ should be gay?!! And finally it implies that all sick people on earth are sick as a punishment?!
How about the millions of African families who suffer from HIV with/without being gay? How about the millions upon millions who die of cancer every year? Is this a Divine punishment too? How about the millions of innocent children who die in war every hour not too far away? or who die a slow death because of lack of food?! or of other sicknesses.. heart attacks or diabetes..oe whatever is it that is killing people… And if it is really a Divine punishment…what is it that all these people are doing to deserve this punishment… maybe we could avoid doing it.. ya3ni just in case.. …
In short I thought that this idea absurd, is based on ignorance and is very hypocritical…. And regardless of what we believe or not believe… I do not think any of us should give a judgment on God’s behalf… because no human being is capable of knowing how God is, or how He judges or how He thinks… and as we all know God is Merciful and Forgiving… and as Christ said, ” he who does not have mistakes, should throw the first stone…” so if this person believes being gay is a mistake that should be … divinly punished should throw the first stone if she is perfect…!
![IMG_0039[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/6962859922_2342ea8985_m.jpg)
I am really sick and tired of people's homophobia. Homosexual's are human beings too, they have feelings. Love,Hate,Pain. Its not their fault that they were born gay. Homosexuality is not a disease, and we should stop treating them as aliens from out of space.
Besides, they are the most fun people to be with, great shopping companians and very good listners.
like it has more than one angle that are very intersting.
basbooos
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I hear you girl! i am more disapointed than anything else… i think human beings have to be more open minded because each and every one of us is different… how could we judge other people?!
(http://livejournal.com/users/madas)
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People who make such ignorant comments are hard to talk to sometimes, depending on their beliefes and values. If this person sad it because shes just not informed, then you educate her. If she said because that is her true belief, then you ignore her because arguing with her will just be painful.
Linda
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I agree, I don't like the whole idea of “Divine Punishment” for a specific group of people, 'cause we don't know wht to do out of 'em, so we create this “Divine Punishment” and we feel good about ourselves…
looks like someone else is Linda here
Linda
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Now i am confused! I always assumed there is one Linda… so to both lindas… welcome to my Blog… I dont think if the remark was said out of conviction… i think it is something most probably something that she picked up somewhere, and repeated it without really thinking of what it means… I mean after all… the whole sexuality conversation is still a taboo in our side of the world… people just say things because they are not exposed, and because they are afriad of things that different.
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Great post, I couldn't agree more…
I come from a small southern town in the US, and I've heard such comments like this. Jerry Falwell, the Baptist leader in the US (I'm Baptist and many of us dislike him very much), claimed that the US is attacked by terrorists as God's punishment for how many gays we tolerate. How ridiculous!!!
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Well well well…
i dont think what Jerry Falwell said on this specific issue makes sense… secondly.. it always surprises me how people can very confidently talk in the name of God… thirdly.. gay or not gay is really not the issue here, it is the whole idea of this selective divine punishement…I mean what i really thought was really silly is that Tsunami is a divine punishement… why is God punishing the poor and those who are helpless…? just a thought!
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We have the habit of adapting God's voice, and we have the habit of interfering with people's personal relation with God. Who gives us the right to judge that someone is gonna burn in hell or not, i mean do people seriously believe that God would punish in revenge? That God would kill the poor… or that God would want us to kill each other in the name of religion and God? This is absurd, we should stop judging each other… and focus on the integral solutions for HIV/Cancer….
P.S: Why are people afraid of gay people, they don't eat u by any chance.. they're humans just like us..
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I could not agree more
I guess because they are afriad of anything that is different… and yes, somehow the focus of how we view God changed frm a Forgiving and Merciful into Vindinctive…
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You are right, it is very disturbing. I hate nothing more than those who say God is punishing gays by HIV, or those who say some of my best friends are gay. It feels like being gay is like wearing a label that says judge me or pity me! needless to say i am gay, and by now i learnt how to be proud of it!
Manic
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I never thought that saying some of my best friends are gay, is annoying
well you can never guess what people think… Now i know that i should not say this… but in all honesty, and forgive my audacity… the thing with gays is that many of them go around pronouncing “we are gay” so it is in a way their fault if people tend to label them… you guys label yourselves… of course i am generalizing…
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