Back in April of 2015, a Christian cake baker refused to provide their services for a same sex marriage. The Internet exploded -- and I was part of that explosion. We condemned the baker for his actions and took the opportunity to highlight the intolerant, backwards thinking that still permeates Christianity.
On June 12 a radical Islamic terrorist walked into a gay club and slaughtered nearly 50 people, injuring many more. However, in the the immediate aftermath those same people that condemned the baker, including many gay individuals, have refused to even acknowledge that religion played a role in the actions of Omar Mateen. Disregarding his stated allegiance to ISIS and his father's support of the Taliban, some people have convinced themselves that his perverted views of Islam did not play a role in his act of terror.
We as Millennials claim to be advocates for minorities. We claim to be the generation that supports the LGBT community and fights for their rights. Unfortunately that fight is limited to a cake baker and a Kentucky Clerk of Court. While these things are worth fighting, they pale in comparison to the threat that faces the global LGBT community from radical Islam and Sharia law.
Across the Middle East, the LGBT community faces varying degrees of oppression. But in areas under Islamic State control, gays face the threat of execution. There are 10 countries where homosexuality may be punishable by death, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran.
The Washington Post reported the following:
- The Islamic state has issued edicts against homosexual behavior and promises death for anyone they believe to be gay.
- LGBT rights advocates have tracked more than two dozen executions of men and women charged with crimes linked to their sexual identity.
- In a single day in September, the Islamic State killed nine men and a 15-year-old boy in a Syrian town who had been accused of sodomy.
- Islamic state fighters have pushed men accused of homosexuality off of buildings in Iraq and Syria – others have been stoned to death.
- Isis routinely executes men for being gay, including throwing them off rooftops.
Even the more “moderate” countries have turned out to be not-so-moderate. Tunisia has sent more fighters to ISIS even though they’re one of the more educated / cosmopolitan nations in the Middle East. A Pew Poll of Egyptians showed ~90% believed death was the appropriate response for leaving Islam. In Indonesia, 18% believe in honor killings. That’s nearly 1 out of 5.
These actions are repulsive, and they are the antithesis of what we as Americans believe in. As our generation continues to fight for minorities, and specifically for the LGBT community, let’s not let the fight be limited to bigoted Christians, or limited to the confines of our borders. Let’s take that fight to any religion, law, or culture that tries to oppress our brothers and sisters. Let’s take that fight to radical Islamists who believe we deserve to die, simply for our way to life.