In an October 7, 2019 article on the website of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Egyptian journalist and Muslim Brotherhood (MB) member Amer Shamakh wrote about the growing support for the LGBTQ community and same-sex marriage in the West, and in the U.S. in particular. Calling them "perversion" that is contrary to human nature and the monotheistic religions, he warned that if potential Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg became president, this would lead to a campaign of pressure on Arab countries to accept the LGBTQ community as normal, as it is perceived today in the West. Expressing concern that Arab leaders would capitulate to such pressure, he underlined that Islam views homosexuality as "one of the most loathsome deeds," that "Islamic law instructs that those who carry it out be killed by burning, being thrown from a high place, or stoning," and that the Prophet Muhammad himself even ordered that this be done.
Below are excerpts from Shamakh's article:
'Amer Shamakh (Image: Fj-p.com, July 10, 2019)
"After the world has experienced an extremist U.S. president who alarmed the world, especially the Muslims, with his madness and his strange decisions, it may in the future experience another [kind of] U.S. president: a gay one... The official U.S. candidate [sic] for the 2020 presidential election is 37-year-old Pete Buttigieg, a Democrat, who is currently mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He has been married for a year to his partner Justin, and the two have now declared that they want to start a family!
"This pervert wishes to gain the votes of his fellow [LGBTQ] Americans, whose number has increased many times over in [the past] 25 years. Surveys indicate that during this period the number of Americans who support homosexuality increased fivefold, the number of homosexuals in U.S. society rose from 3% in 1990 to 20% in 2014, and the number of those favoring marriage among these perverts rose from 11% in 1990 to 49% in 2014. This means that 20% of Americans are gay, and that 50% of Americans support the gay 20% and recognize them [as legitimate], in spite of their crime that contravenes human nature... and does not exist even among animals.
"Sadly, this is true not only for the Americans. This phenomenon is widespread, and is spoken about openly in all Western countries, without exception. It has become one of the [human] rights and one of the foreign policy goals of Western countries, and is a top priority of bodies like the U.N., the World Bank, and Amnesty [International]. In Europe and America, gay liberation is now regarded as a major principle of the human rights agenda and [human rights] lobby, including a variety of organizations that pressure regimes and governments.
"According to the data, 18 Western countries have already recognized same-sex marriage, in the wake of public opinion polls indicating [the public's] approval. Moreover, the leaders of five countries – Iceland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Ireland, and Serbia – are gays who spearhead [the pro-LGBTQ movement] and promote homosexuality inside and outside their countries. In addition to prime ministers, there are also thousands of other [gay] officials, who have used their authority to pass laws on various issues related to this phenomenon, such as the formal recognition of [LGBTQ people's right] to adopt children and [undergo] sex-reassignment surgery and hormone treatments, not to mention legislation to fight persecution and discrimination [against homosexuals].
"Another event, which occurred in May 2015, makes it likely that Buttigieg will win the election and that the U.S. will then steer [other] countries and governments towards homosexuality, just as it has steered them towards globalization. [In May 2015,] the Luxembourg prime minister married his gay partner, who later appeared alongside the first ladies at the margins of the 2017 NATO summit – and we mocked him for appearing among them. The ceremony was attended by the Belgian prime minister, who called Luxembourg 'a model of social progressiveness.' This paved the way to [same-sex] marriages among other officials, giving the phenomenon a new level of public visibility and [gay] pride. LGBTQ organizations proliferated around the world, as did ties [between LGBTQ communities and other elements], and countries began to be classified according to their acceptance [of the LGBTQ community] or their revulsion regarding it. Even some churches in the West have sanctioned marriage between these perverts.
"Will the world change if the Americans elect a gay president? Of course it will, especially since the phenomenon has expanded even beyond an [LGBQT] takeover of the leaderships of large countries, which prevents anyone from fighting or banning it – or even from considering the religious or moral position on it. After all, the three monotheistic religions condemn homosexuality. Judaism prescribes the death penalty for homosexuals, and some Christian sects do the same, while others regard it as a abominable major sin... that prevents the sinner from entering Paradise...
"And what about us Arabs and Muslims? Sadly, our leaders are bound to capitulate quickly, and many signs indicate that they are already being pressured. [For example,] we have begun to hear in our respectable media the word mithliya [a neutral term for homosexuality, referring to a same-sex spousal relationship] instead of the word shudhoudh [literally 'perversion'], to soften the impact of the word on our societies. There are also recurring news reports on this subject, to get audiences used to it.
"We have not forgotten what happened in September 2017, when homosexuals held a public celebration in Cairo that was attended by hundreds, where [rainbow] flags were waved.[1] That day, the Egyptian regime arrested several [participants], but released them after it was pressured, and even allowed them to continue expressing themselves and spreading their [pro-LGBTQ] opinions via social media and literature, which are not subject to oversight. This move is likely to be followed by others, especially since the pioneers of the phenomenon receive constant publicity in Egypt and are invited to [participate] in activities abroad. The concern is that Egypt will become another Lebanon, where the phenomenon began quietly but which is now a meeting place for homosexuals from Europe and the Middle East.
"We warn about the ramifications of this great sin, even if it appears in a humanitarian guise and is associated with human rights. We warn against succumbing to the blackmail of international elements [that pressure us] to accept this crime.
"In Islam, homosexuality is one of the most loathsome deeds, and Islamic law instructs that those who carry it out be killed by burning, being thrown from a high place, or stoning... For the Prophet said [in a hadith]: 'Whoever is found behaving in the manner of the people of Lot [i.e. engaging in sodomy] – kill [both] him and the one to whom it was done.' And the clerics say: 'Allah did not destroy villages where adultery was committed, but did destroy a village where this sin was committed.' May Allah protect us from all evil."
[1] The reference is to a concert by Lebanese rock band Mashrou' Leila, which supports LGBTQ rights. Al-Shorouq (Egypt), October 2, 2017. For further details on the controversy stirred by the band, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1342, Public Debate In Jordan On Freedoms And Values Following Ban On Rock Band With Gay Singer, September 5, 2017
