Michael Lucas‘ virulent, disturbing Islamophobia continues to blind his logic.
In his latest NY Blade column, in which he regularly spills ink against Muslims, the porn producer celebrates Charles Merrill’s Qu’ran burning, writing: “…I salute Charles Merrill for his artistic and social bravery in burning a Koran.”
Lucas spends the crux of the piece demonizing the international and American Muslim populations, highlighting Islam’s political intents and trashing bloggers, such as ourselves, who respect other people’s religions:
Gay blogs have been abuzz with commentary on Charles Merrill’s gay-positive artistic statements. Some of those comments irk me, especially those that suggest respect is automatically due religious texts and traditions. Just what about anti-gay religious texts should be respected? The Bible is dead wrong to call homosexuality an abomination, and the Koran and the Hadith are even more dead wrong to call for human beings who engage in same-sex intimacies to be killed.
Lucas’ argument, however, remains so one-sided that he fails to delve into Merrill’s activist intent – discredit spiritually-sanctioned homophobia found in the world’s three major religions.
When he burned that $60,000 Qu’ran, Merrill swore: “The purpose of editing and burning Abrahamic Holy Books is to eliminate homophobic hate.” Last time we checked, Christianity, Islam and Judaism all count Abraham as part of their religious tradition. Merrill’s already taken on the Bible and The Qu’ran. No doubt The Torah’s next on his “artistic” hit list. And we doubt Lucas will be singing his praises then.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Of course, Lucas isn’t totally unaware that Judaism can be used against the gays. But, to those who bring it up, he simply tells them to take a trip to Iran, where gays are regularly executed.
Another argument I see some gay people advancing in blog comments is that of moral relativity. According to the illogic of that position, because Christian and Jewish religious texts call homosexuality an “abomination,” those two religions are as bad toward gays as Islam.
I recommend anybody stupid enough to believe that to buy an airplane ticket to Iran. They can save themselves the need for and the expense of buying a round-trip ticket by standing in downtown Teheran, kissing another gay man.
We have our own suggestion to Lucas: film your next gay porn flick in the middle of a Haredim community in Israel. One of their brethren planned on blowing up Jerusalem gay pride.
Like all fundamentalists, Lucas’ arguments do nothing to help quell inter-religious violence. In fact, Lucas, who calls Allah a “Supreme Nincompoop”, only fans the hate-filled flames.
BillieXX
Ahhh, you have to love it. A defense of book burning.
stonerboy711
Burn baby burn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Queerty is only against Lucas because of his freaky face.
When the religious police come looking for volunteers for their “summer camp”, be sure to be the first in line. You deserve it!
Heck, they may even offer a class in spellcheck just for you!
adamblast
I’m siding more with Lucas than you on this one. Merrill’s “performance art” of burning an expensive Koran was self-important, wasteful and pointless, but not “islamophobic”–unless you think it is the necessary business of all gays to treat all religions with kid gloves. Or is it just this one you don’t allow to be criticized?
cjc
I think all of this rage would be gone if we could simply just have 10 minutes to freely beat the living shit out of the people whom we dislike. No guns, no bombs, no IEDs–just fists. Get the animal-like agression out.
cjc
Everyone gets broken bones and bruises. Everyone gets hurt. Everyone wins.
kamasutrajones
As much as I hate to agree with Michael Lucas, he’s very much right in his estimation of what it would be like to be a gay person in Iran. And QC, your logic doesn’t hold in that you compare the potential bombing of the Jerusalem gay pride to Lucas’s decription of what would happen in Iran to a gay person. The very large difference between the two is that what would happen is THE LAW in Iran. It would be government supported and sponsored. This is quite the opposite of a religious zealot bombing a legally sanctioned even in Israel. I’m surprised you wouldn’t see Islam as much more homophobic than either Christianity or Judaism, and that’s a pretty low standard to start with. But, even in the most staunchly Christian (Catholic) nations in the world, we have a helluva lot more rights than we do in in Muslim country that is ruled by sharia law.
stonerboy711
Like I said, Queerty is just pissed at Lucas ’cause of his pout. Either that or whatever fool copy/pasted that story together should put down the crack pipe and pick up the BONG ’cause you be smokin’ the wrong shit baby!!!!!
Tallskin
/////”People like ourselves …who respect other people’s religions”
Er why? Isn’t gays ‘respecting’ (whatever that word means) religions a little like turkeys voting for an early christmas?
I think if you check it out islamic sharia law insists that gays be put to death. So, being sympathetic to islam is, shall we say, a little stupid for gays.
Just take a far more sensible line and oppose all religions as being stupid beliefs in a sky god and inherantly anti gay.
Name me a gay friendly religion.
MichaelLucas
There is something really wrong with you guys at Queerty. It especially surprises me knowing that both of you, the owner and the editor of this website, are both gay Jews. And you have nothing better to do than to attack me and tell me that my mind is clouded.
I actually firmly believe that it is your mind that is clouded, and maybe it is because of the lack of reason and knowledge that you are trying to protect those who do not need your protection. Those who cut people’s throats and detonate themselves on public buses and subways.
And goodness, the language you guys use! “The last time we checked…”—that seems to be your favorite line in every post. What the hell are you checking? Where the hell are you looking?
I am an athiest, and I’m not really impressed with you making the silly suggestion of me trying to make a porn flick in the middle of a Haredim community in Israel. I’m not interested in making a porn flick in the middle of ANY religious community in the world. But I definitely can produce my porn flicks in any country of the West. But never in any Muslim country, be it what you call so-called more “moderate” or “fundamentalist.” Or do you think I would be able to film porn in Turkey? Or even kiss a man in the street of Turkey? I’ve been there. Have you? Stop dreaming about “moderate” Muslim countries. There is no place for gay Jews like you or me there.
But anyway, porn was not the issue of my Blade article at all. One of the important points was, that while the Western world is not ruled by the Bible, and Israel is not ruled by the Torah, the majority of Muslim countries are ruled by the Koran. And therefore I see Islam as a core of 30 years of terror unleashed against the West. And Islamic apologists like you are keeping people from waking up and facing the facts.
—Michael Lucas
CEO, LucasEntertainment.com
LucasBlog.com
fakechildhood
look:
being gay and living in iran may be a stressful situation. however, gay people in iran know what is up. i think the right for gay iranians to kiss in public might be pretty low on their priority list. furthermore, in a lot of middle eastern countires because of the rigid gender system there is a lot more room for slippage within those systems – ie. sexualized male friendships (its pretty common to see men in arab countries holding hands and it doesn’t mean they are doing it) and the sexualization of domestic space for women who desire women…
lucas is an asshole. if he bothered to talk to a gay muslim person, i think he might have gotten a little more understanding out of the situation. like for example how gay muslims use the quran to validate their sexual identities – and use the quran as a means to seek justice and equality. which are two key features that the quran is pretty into. but we’re all too busy without our racist fantasies to think about that.
also, pride in jerusalem – was it “love without borders” they were calling it – will be forever bogus as there is a fucking wall running throughout the city.
MichaelLucas
And let me add, people like you give the words “liberal” and “Democrat” a very bad meaning. They’re now associated with being unreasonable and ignoring the danger. Because of people like you, 2 million American Muslims are voting for Democrats (those Muslims who believe that the Holocaust never happened, that 9/11 was part of the Jewish conspiracy, and that suicide bombing is justified). And because of guys like you, the Democrats might lose again in the coming elections.
And PS: This year’s Gay Pride in New York City had representatives from all nations and religions from all over the world. If Muslims are so “moderate” and Islam is a religion of peace, how come they couldn’t find even 20 of them to march? Just 20 of of what… a billion Muslims?
BillieXX
“And Islamic apologists like you are keeping people from waking up and facing the facts.”
And of course one way to inform people of these facts is by book burning!
stonerboy711
Rip them a new one Michael Lucas. Fuck “fakechildhood” too (with a ten foot pole covered in dog shit and rusty nails).
If you think you can find anything affirming in any text by jews, christians or muslims, then get yo ass to the front of the line for the gas chamber BITCH!!!!!
In case any of you jews haven’t realized it yet. Muslims WANT YOU TO DIE. Ooops I stand corrected, they actually want TO KILL YOU! They HATE you!!!
cjc
Why has everyone on this blog become so incredibly angry with one another?
stonerboy711
Because we’re tired of stupid queens thinking that everything is going to be OK if we just shut up and go along with religious freaks.
It’s a fucking war and I don’t plan on going out like a punk-ass bitch begging for mercy.
I’m telling them to bring it on, I’m going to fuck them up.
adamblast
I’m particularly mad at you, cjc. I want a pony, dammit.
BillieXX
Stonerboy,
Ooooo. You are so brave and manly.
If you look at my posts, they have nothing to do with “begging for mercy.” I do not think book burning/defacing is a useful political tact. Should I name the people/groups who engage in book burning?
MichaelLucas
And also, give me a break, you so called “pacifists” who are so sensitive to the feelings of the Sons of Allah. So they can destroy the Western embassies and kill and burn for some cartoons that ran in a Danish magazine, and we cannot burn the Koran, which is the “Mein Kampf” of today? They can burn American flags on a daily basis, etc. etc. Why are you giving up your freedom of expression? In whose name? How much are you willing to put on the alter of political correctness? Why do you want to meet the Muslim intolerance with tolerance? My dear gay brothers, that has proven not to work. Do not attack people like Charles Merrill. He’s for you, for your rights, for your freedom of expression. He’s against homophobia. He is against intolerance. In the name of reason, support him! Stay behind your own people!
I think I’ve said enough. If I made someone of you think and look straight into the face of reality, then my goal is accomplished.
David in KC
Growing up Episcopalian, I thought the service ended with communion because we always left immediately after. Years later mom told me there was more service after, we just left then so we could go out and have breakfast before the restaurants got crowded.
Could my parents have accidentally discovered the recipe for world peace? Less organized religion, more shared meals with people you care about…seems better than what we’ve got now.
stonerboy711
Whatchu talkin bout BillieXXX?
I didn’t respond to your post so I’m not sure why you’re crackin’ on mine. I was responding to Queerty’s stance on the story.
FYI: I AM brave and manly. I’m also a shit-kicker!!!
stonerboy711
Oh, I forgot BillieXXX. Go FUCK yourself and maybe go back to school to get some reading comprehension lessons!!!!
BillieXX
Ooooo Stoner. Stop it baby. You are making me hot and bothered with all of your manhood. And your ability to weave an argument.
As for Merrill, he is a book burner. Plain and simple. He is not an advocate for free expression. People who believe in free expression do not burn books (and before any of you ask: this also applies to those who issue fatwas against writers).
It’s been fun.
24play
“Israel is not ruled by the Torah.” —Michael Lucas
Please, Mary. Why are hundreds of thousands of radical fundamentalist Jews parked in the West Bank? Zionism. What is Zionism? The belief that all of the biblical land of Israel belongs to the Jews as part of their covenant with God. Where does that misguided belief come from? The Torah.
Most Israeli politicians embrace the racism that is Zionism. And it has been the de facto basis of Israeli policy almost since Israel’s inception. In clear violation of international law—and in defiance of UN resolutions—Israel has allowed, encouraged, and protected settlements in the occupied territories for the past 40 years. And by the way, THAT (along with the presence of US troops in Arab nations) is the prime motivator for Islamic terrorists everywhere.
Don’t kid yourself that the putative democracy Israel isn’t ruled by the Torah. Settlement of the occupied territories and the stated objective of keeping Israel a “Jewish state” prove you dead wrong.
RyRy
Why do you want to meet the Muslim intolerance with tolerance?
Because Lucas, intolerance of anyone starts wars, causes needless death, and incites more hatred than anyone ever intended to create. We want Islamic hatred to stop? We show them humanity in the face of inhumanity. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? What did Ghandi do? They changed hearts and minds with reason, they challenged the opposition with rationalism. No one is saying that we should take it lying down, but burning texts that a people have lived by, texts that have inspired people so wholly — is just misled and STUPID. I mean, what are you saying exactly with the burning of it? I mean, for Christ sakes, you’re just inspiring more hatred because firstly, you don’t believe in the faith, you don’t follow the teachings, and you don’t respect the faith.
A couple months ago, I was with the Soulforce Equality Riders. We were at Patrick Henry College, a conservative Christian institution that wouldn’t let us on their campus at all. We didn’t go there to preach to them, or to push them over a cliff — we went there hoping to inspire dialogue. They didn’t let us in. They had fifty policemen there — did I budge for the place I protested? No. Did I burn the Bible? No. I stood there, hoping that anyone inside those campus buildings would see me there, and see what who I was.
Cord Jefferson
Well, MichaelLucas, if “the Western world is not ruled by the Bible” how about you or any gay man perusing Queerty go to Washington DC and marry the man you love? Oh, that’s right, Leviticus 18:22 continues to stand in the way of that. You’ve got blinders on if you think that major aspects of the country you live in aren’t fused – directly and indirectly – with religion. UNTIL 2005 IT WASN’T A HATE CRIME TO ATTACK GAY MEN! Have you been paying attention?
Next, while you can leverage the scaremongering of media to your advantage with many Westerners, you can’t do it with me. I spent four years in Riyadh, and though you’d like to paint all the “Sons of Allah” as bloodthirsty murders who worship “the ‘Mein Kampf’ of today” (perhaps the most laughable piece of your ridiculous rant) I won’t let you. Muslims can be as kind and generous as the most secular hippie in San Francisco. Are there a large group of Muslims who are uniquely violent relative to other religions? Absolutely. But what’s worse: A young Muslim man who considers homosexuality a “disease of the West” blowing himself up in a crowded market in the name of his beliefs or a reverend in Canada riling up young people to go assault gays? http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=703a408b-4c84-4c1f-a34c-2c2499aab6c9&k=66844
Religion is behind both attacks. Is the Canadian example better because they didn’t beat the man to death? By law it certainly is, but is it morally? I’d venture to say no.
Andrew was right: You’re a bigot stirring up the same kind of hatred you claim to despise. Only someone blinded by their own idiotic hubris could herald someone for being “against intolerance” before immediately begging for their brothers to support their “own people.”
Tolerance is supporting the good people, not one’s own people.
Get a fucking clue.
mag90069
It might be ‘stressfull’ being gay in Iran?! Are you paying attention? Gay people are executed there. For being gay. Islam and gay sexuality are incompatible. Being gay in an Islamic country is incrementally more dangerous than being gay in a judeo-christian one. Violence, bigotry and hatred against gays is almost universally justified by religion. It just comes in varying degrees. Whether it’s the American Taliban or the Afghanni one, the end result is the same: They both want us marginalized out of existence. So why would any self-respecting gay man have any religious inclinations? It’s the ultimate form of self-hatred. If you are gay and proud and comfortable with yourself you have to accept atheism. Seriously. It’s the only way. Religion has done us no good. And if you’re that afraid of dying (which when you come right down to it is the only reason anyone would bother with religion) that you’ll accept religion despite it’s inevitable support of hating and committing violence against gays, you are ironically hastening what you are most afraid of…get a life. Dump god.
Qjersey
I won’t engage in personal attacks other than to say…isn’t it a sad commentary on our community that a Porn producer is given a bully pulpit in a gay newspaper.
Most of us could care less what Mr. Lucas has to say, but if he said it WELL, we might still give it a read.
But I really think that Mr. Lucas writes such inflammatory articles simply because HE IS A MEDIA WHORE.
Bitching about what he writes just gives Mr. Lucas the attention he strives for. If you disagree with him, try to get others to ignore him…hit him where he lives.
BTW Mr. Lucas, you are not good with your facts AT ALL.
I watched the ENTIRE parade this year, and Gay Muslims did march!
Paul Raposo
Oh! Thank god we have Cord here. Whatever would homosexuals do without a heterosexual to tell us what to think?
Well, douchebag, using your example of the Islamic who blows himself up and the Canadian preacher who incites violence towards LGBTQ’s, let me ask you this; which one of those two asswipes are being taken to court by a human rights commission for their crimes?
Further, which nations voted to block Canadian and Swedish LGBTQ organizations from being accepted into status on the ECOSOC at the UN? Canada? No. The US? No. Iran? Yeah. Iraq? Yeah. Egypt? Oh, hell yeah. In fact, Egypt went on a campaign to get the UN to deny the RFSL’s application before it was even reviewed. Conversely, Brazil, an exceptionally Catholic nation, advocated strongly in favour of the RFSL’s behalf. Shall I continue?
[Links available but not posted because of…You guessed it, WordPress}
I’d rather ere on the side of caution; I’d rather hurt the feelings of ten “kind and generous” Muslims, than allow one Islamic to blow up innocent people.
Why don’t you read this piece by Larry Miller and follow the advice you gave Mr. Lucas and get a fucking clue:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Utilities/printer_preview.asp?idArticle=1568&R=1149416D53
Paul Raposo
I’d also like to say I appreciate what Mag90069 wrote; most religions are hateful and anti-gay. What’s unfortunate, is that many people within religions who do not hold their religion’s anti-gay tenets, rarely speak out against such things as Leviticus. However, some do speak out against homophobia and anti-gay bias and these people need to be applauded for their courage to take on thousands of years of bigotry and intolerance, whether they are LGBTQ, or straight. Whatever religion they belong to, if they speak out against anti-gay bias, they deserve our appreciation and acceptance. And I don’t mean that love the sinner hate the sin bullshit. I’m talking about people like Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong; Irshad Manji (who is also a lesbian); or Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson.
Paul Raposo
“Why has everyone on this blog become so incredibly angry with one another?”
I agree, cjc, things have gotten very tense here lately. I’m not pretending to be innocent, but there has been a lot of rage flying from all sides here. This only proves that LGBTQ’s are no different than straight people when it comes to religion and politics in that our opinions are wide and varying. I guess we’re just a little more bitchy about it.
Martini-boy
Jefferson: you’re my hero!
kamasutrajones
“People who believe in free expression do not burn books (and before any of you ask: this also applies to those who issue fatwas against writers).”
Funniest line ever!!! Sad to be so naive…
james_boston
Deja vu all over again…or something like that.
Martini-boy
I hear ya, James.
May I direct your attention to last week’s Queerty Rebuttal, and all its comments:
http://www.queerty.com/religion/queerty-rebuttal-9-20070727/#comments
pakipoptart
As a gay muslim, who did march in nyc this past year, I agree that gay muslims need to be more vocal. But I don’t believe that hatred can be erased by further hatred. People here have referred to Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi as inspiring examples, but I offer the recently deceased Tammy Faye Messner. She never had a hateful bone in her body and look how many people were touched by her. She created a dialogue for two communities (christian and gay) to foster understanding. This is what we need, not all this other bullshit.
Martini-boy
Thank you!
And I, too, believe that religion can be reconciled with one’s gayness. That coming from a die-hard atheist. After all, not everything has to be in black and white, you know: such thinking blinds us to other (existent or potential) possibilities for ‘something else’.
Militancy doesn’t always work out for the better.
james_boston
Whatever…As Martini-boy suggested, nothing can beat the awesome thread about this very same topic from last week…this thread is sloppy seconds.
Lady Penelope
Why do ageing porn stars who become directors think that we still want to see their saggy backsides in front of the camera? It’s like watching Norma Desmond banging Jason Ridge.
His recent DVD’s is what he should be flushing down the toilet.
Christian
You really amaze me, editors of Queerty. Don’t you know anything about islam? Burning books may be a rude gesture, but it is nothing compared to accepting the horrible tenets the “holy” scriptures contain, and to act according to them is an unspeakable horror. Which islam ruled countries witness on a daily basis. Christian countries and Israel, the only jewish country in the world, do not act according to the religious madness and do not generally commit wicked crimes based on religious and insane commands. Islam however combines the worst of Leviticus and Deutoronomium and the Inquisition and does it act the part, today, murderously, utterly cruel and bloodthirsty, a mad Aztec murdering party a thousand times worse than that man-slaughtering idiocy it was when the horrified Spaniards witnessed the cruelty of religion gone insane.
Christian
Excuse me, Deuteronomium of course.