Shocker! First Gay Pride in Pakistan is Protested by Extremist Religious Elements
On June 26th the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan sponsored the countries first ever gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pride celebration. As shown in the above video, Islamic fundie (sorta like our fundamentalists except maybe even worse) organizations responded harshly calling the event “cultural terrorism.” Officials at the US Embassy there said in a statement that the event, co-sponsored by Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies “… demonstrated continued US Embassy support for human rights, including LGBT rights, in Pakistan at a time when those rights are increasingly under attack from extremist elements throughout Pakistani society.”
In a press release the US Embassy stated:
Over 75 people attended [the pride celebration] including Mission Officers, U.S. military representatives, foreign diplomats, and leaders of Pakistani LGBT advocacy groups. In formal remarks, the Chargé [d’Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland] underscored President Obama’s May 31, 2011 GLBT Pride Proclamation that, “we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Addressing the Pakistani LGBT activists, the Chargé, while acknowledging that the struggle for GLBT rights in Pakistan is still beginning, said “I want to be clear: the U.S. Embassy is here to support you and stand by your side every step of the way.”
Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s largest Islamic party, issued a statement on behalf of various conservative religious groups saying that homosexuals “…don’t deserve to be Muslim or Pakistani, and the support and protection announced by the US administration for them is the worst social and cultural terrorism against Pakistan,” according to an Associated Press translation. “Such people are the curse of society and social garbage.”
As of yet there has been no comment by Pakistan government officials.
Image via
They call it “cultural terrorism” – this from Fundamentalist Islamists? If anyone knows how to do cultural terrorism, they certainly do – to gays, to women, to children. Of all the fundamentalist religious scourges in the world, Islam may well be the worst.
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I’m from Pakistan, and it was very imprudent of the US consulate to arrange this event. There is something of a gay subculture in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. There are gay parties, and other social gatherings. For the most people gays are left alone, if they stay “underground”. Bringing attention to this issue in a country as harshly fucked up as Pakistan will only make things worse for the people who are trying to get along.
I appreciate gesture that the US tried to make by supporting LGBT rights, but it was stupid and miscalculated and clearly shows lack of cultural understanding. The US consular staff and visa officers will leave in their next rotation, it will be the common gay man who will be persecuted and killed.
Just to put things in perspective, Pakistan has a blasphemy law which allows anyone to blame anything of insulting Islam, and the minimum sentence allowable is death. No one has every been acquitted. No proof is required by the court. The governor of the largest province was killed for trying to repeal the law, and his killer was garlanded with flower petals by the masses. Women are routine raped and paraded naked if their brothers are accused of having an “affair” with other women.
Pakistan is a deeply, fundamentally, messed up country. Agreed. I’m not protecting the country of my birth, or my people, but what I’m saying is that the US is powerless to influence change in such cultural matters, especially in areas as controversial as homosexuality.
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This is depressing, but I like that it looks like Pride looked in the beginning, when it was much more confrontational.
http://outfrontcolorado.com/of.....de-matter/
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“NO ONE deserves to be Muslim or Pakistani. Gay, Straight, black or white, that is a fate I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.”
Well in the year 1200 you might have said NO NOE deserves to be Christian or European… during a time when the Muslim world was more progressive and Christians were busy burning people at the stake for being heretics or witches.
I know plenty of Muslims who are plenty happy with being Muslim – many are gay Muslims too.
I used to think that Islam was totally incompatible with being gay, until I got Muslim friends, and realized that religion exists in the believer and not the book. So if a Muslim says “I believe in continual revelation and don’t take old scripture literally,” (and lots and lots of Muslims have that view) why not accept that?
The Quran doesn’t really go above and beyond the Old Testament/Torah when it comes to scripture that is violent and difficult to read. You’ll find lots of references to slaughter of innocents in Christian and Jewish scripture. Yet I know plenty of Jews who manage to creatively interpret away the brutal stuff, too, and they’re one of the most socially-liberal and pro-civil-rights groups in the U.S., in spite of having a religion that would *seem* to be otherwise.
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@ Matt Pizutti
You people are living in a world where you dont care about your own mother, sisters, you just go ahead and you can even sleep with them.
There are hundereds of cases if you see, in Europe that a brother made his sister pregnent and a mother was fuc***d by her son.
That are your moral values not ours !
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Its very shocking that its all happening in pakistan…
These Gays, USA and Indians are doing Propaganda against pakistan.
back in 2009 when india got gay rights, some gays did parade stuff in karachi…
it make me go insane that why the hell someone isn’t doing something against it?
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I am from Pakistan, Totally agreed with what @Ad says.. this event was a result of a complete failure of the US embassy. it is due to the lack of knowledge of the local culture and the ground facts & figures here in Pakistan. You american can never understand the true and bitter realities of this country. instead you want to rule the masses minds which is stupid.
Guys you never knows how miserable lives are of the rural LGBTs people. infact you have created more problems with them… plz plz plz dont mess up again.. otherwise you will creat an extreme social disturbance in the country. This will lead not only to another war between evil and sacred but also many many GAYs will lose there peacefull lives.. … yes there are many Gays who are living satisfactorilly with their hidden lives … remaining unnoticed is a blessing for them. but if you tried to create more messed up bloody confrontations then their unnoticed lives will become a hell on earth.
so please keep away.
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Me too from Pakistan, Totally agreed with what Murad and @Ad says.. this event was a result of a complete failure of the US embassy. it is due to the lack of knowledge about the local culture and the ground facts & figures here in Pakistan. You American can never understand the true and bitter realities of this country. Instead you want to rule the masses minds which is stupid.
Guys you never know how miserable lives are of the rural LGBTs people. Infect you have created more problems with them… plz plz plz dont mess up again.. otherwise you will create an extreme social disturbance in the country. This will lead not only to another war between evil and good but also many many GAYs will lose their peaceful lives.. … yes there are many Gays who are living satisfactorily with their hidden lives and they are happy without your fucking prides… To remain hidden and unnoticed is a blessing for them. but if you tried to create more messed up bloody confrontations then their lives will be no more unnoticed and become a hell on earth.
So please keep away. This is not your area where you can impress the world by your bloody crushing triumph
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Dear Friends
First of all i want to inform to you that i was a Pakistani gay and i hated to girls i have been in gay company in Islamabad /Rawalpindi/Peshawar / Hazara /Lahore/swat division/and sindh for 10 years and have relation as a top with up to 200 guys .i am openly say that i have sex relation with them .at first i found it a enjoyment act and found many new friends. i am handsome and tall guy so every guy like me and tried to be my friend .but i just used them for my lust. i was full information about gay finding places on ground and on internet . i join gay ship to get satisfaction and love . during my 10 years journey i met to every kind of guy ,some want long term relationship, some want just one meeting,some want friendship + partnership and some on sex relationship.
but i can not found satisfaction.love
from my personal experience i will openly say that gay ship is unnatural, religiousness,and case of collapse of a human character and personalities . what weasten world carrying Fundamental human right.where was USA human right theory when then drop tWo atom bomb on japan,killed million of muslam in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam millions of people die in the world due to hunger.Poverty,poor health. USA alway suppot tp one man rule in pakistan for USA national intrest.
” WILL Americani want that there son got fuck from dads, uncles,cousins,teachers,friends and from gernal public ” no human can thanks such for there lovers. so plz stop that agenda for Pakistan.and USA stop such dirty civilization in our culture
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me from pakistan also but i m in favor if any one is gay o elesben have a same right like a normal couples! i m marreid also but i m in favor in gay pride
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they r also hummans like us and normal pakis citizens lunga vita a pakistan
v need a libreal pakistan of jinnah no talibanization pakistan
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I think we need to congratulate the 75 people brave enough to show up