Through the most retrograde verdict, July 2, declaring Section 377 of Indian Penal Code (which punishes unnatural sex) as violative of the fundamental freedom of ‘gays’, the Judges of Delhi High Court have made a significant contribution to expediting the ongoing phase of the country’s ‘cultural catastrophe’. If the morally debased and sexually perverted people can be called a ‘sexual minority’, and, therefore entitled to the elimination of all legal barriers on their debauchery, time is not far off when they may claim the constitutional right to make the demonstration of their heinous crimes on the cross roads, and the Judges like Mr. A.P. Shah and Mr. S. Muralidhar may not hesitate to concede their request.
Homosexuality is certainly prohibited among all the religions of the world, and even rising from the abstract notions of different faiths, this level of immodesty is a slur on the rich cultural heritage of India, which as a single entity, represents a composite national creed. It is a national offence: a crime against humanity. If in the West it has been legalised, it is against their basic cultural ethos, and religious scripts. The Church has always condemned it in a totally unequivocal language.
In India it is not the question of Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Parsi culture, but it is the question of the magnificent structure of the grand edifice of our sacred ancient heritage, which we must not allow to be spoiled by these ‘gays’ and ‘lesbians’. Right from the law-making bodies to the common masses, we have learnt the lesson of ‘constructive cooperation’ and ‘destructive opposition’, depending upon the exigencies of the circumstances. At the social level, we have had enough of ‘destructive opposition’, but now for the first time we are in the dire need of ‘constructive cooperation’ for the sake of our heritage, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our womanhood, and above all for the sake of those distinctive spiritual values for which India is still known as fountainhead world over.
If before independence we were one to seek country’s emancipation from the British rule, come on! dear Indian brothers and sisters, we must once again put an example of oneness to seek the country’s deliverance from the looming moral degeneration of this magnitude. With our collective strength, we must show to these happy ‘gays’ and ‘lesbians’ that Indian culture is not meant for them, and we cannot allow the Judiciary to make such colossal encroachments on the standards of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘moral’ and ‘immoral’, ‘modesty’ and ‘immodesty’, harboured by the vast multitudes of the country. Come on!, if our religious animosities have brought us to such a heterogeneous course, our unified approach towards ‘anti-homosexuality must now promote Indian homogeneity.’
Homosexuality: An Attack on India’s Religious and Moral Values
In a Joint Statement issued on June 30, Muslim leaders of India strongly condemned the government’s apparent move to legalise homosexuality, calling it “an attack on India’s religious and moral values”.
The statement signed by the various Muslim leaders representing the cross section of society, said: “We, the religious, political and community leaders of the Indian Muslim community, are shocked to see reports in the media that the Union Government is considering the repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which means making homosexuality legal.
“We strongly feel that this is not simply a question of repealing an old law on the statute but it is an attack on the very moral and religious fabric of our society, as all religious communities in our country are unanimous that homosexuality is a sin and a social evil which will only lead to societal disintegration and break-up of family, the basic unit of society, and as such it should never get legal sanction.”
The Muslim leaders strongly urged the government, especially Prime Minister and Union Ministers of Law and Home Affairs not to be influenced by the decadent trends of the Western culture and not to give in to the demands of a miniscule minority which displayed its vulgarity on the streets of various Indian cities including the capital as soon as it felt that the government of the day will not enforce what still remains a law on the statute.
“The government should not test the patience of the silent vast majority of the country which abhors such behaviour. We feel strongly that the government before considering any change in the concerned law should encourage a debate and discussion on the subject with all sections of the people,” they averred.
The signatories to the statement included Maulana Jalaluddin Umari, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Maulana Syed Nizamuddin, Syed Shahabuddin, Mufti Muhammad Arshad Farooqi, Hafiz Rashid A Chaudhry, Maulana Yasin Akhtar Misbahi, Abdur Rahim Qureshi, Dr M.H. Jawahirullah, Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, Maulana Ataur Rahman Qasmi, and Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan.
NO TO “GAY HO”
Just after a day the Delhi High Court decision of Section 377, a large number of students protested against the ruling decriminalising homosexuality at Azad Maidan, Mumbai on July 3. Students Islamic Organisation of India, a Pan India student’s organisation, rejected any changes or dilution in the Section 377, criminalising homosexuality. The students holding playcards in their hands with slogans like “God made Adam & eve, not Adam and Steve” , “Human rights are bound by Human Dignity”, “Support Gays to promote AIDS” etc. agitated and demanded that the central government should stick to Section 377 and must challenge the recent high court verdict in the Supreme Court.
Homosexuality is a psychological disorder and a major cause of AIDS opined Mr. Kamran Baig, an engineering student. He also quoted the data from a 2005 study by the Centre for Disease Control of USA which observed that 71% of all HIV infections among male adults were Gay.
Today on the argument of human rights homosexuality is legalised, tomorrow on the same argument we will have to legalise child sex lovers, animal sex lovers, drug addicts, etc., suggested Waheed Shaikh.
National president of SIO of India Suhail KK concluded in his press statement “Gay and Lesbianism are against basic humanitarian values and against the social fabric of a civilized society. No person is born homosexual just like no one is born a thief, liar or murderer. These evil habits are acquired from surroundings. The agenda of homosexuals is just to universalise their behaviour and make the notion that it is normal. It is extremely sad to see that instead of trying to implement measures to curb heinous and uncultured practices, even courts are legalising them.”
Although this High court ruling is limited to Delhi but will pave the way for repealing Section 377. It should be stopped here and now. There must be a clear differentiation between human rights and social obligations. Even the family system, the bone of any civilized society is at stake, Mr. Aslam Ggazi, spokesperson, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hind, Maharashtra, said in his statement.
Delhi High Court’s Judgement Shameful: Rajasthan Muslim Forum
The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, a united body of representative Muslim organisations in the State, staged a dharna after Friday prayers on July 3 to protest the doing away with Section 377 of Indian Penal Code and thereby legalising homosexuality by the High Court of Delhi.
Addressing a huge gathering of Muslims, the convenor of the Forum Qari Moinuddin said the court’s judgement is ‘shameful’, as it will leave a negative impact on and diminish moral standard of the society. He said the court’s decision to scrap Section 377 is injustice with the majority noble, religious and moral people.
Eng. Muhammad Salim, State President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said homosexuality is a totally unnatural act and medical science classifies it as a mental disease. To legalise it is harmful to society. No civilized society can bear a heinous crime like homosexuality. The right to personal freedom enshrined in the Constitution does not mean the right to practise immorality. Turning the pages of the Qur’ān, he said history bears testimony to the fact that the group that adopted this shameful practice and gave it social consent was ultimately ruined.
In a resolution adopted on this occasion, the President of India was urged to intervene into the matter to annul this decision. Mr. Muhammad Shaukat Quraishi of All India Milli Council announced the people’s resolve to launch a joint, massive campaign against this court verdict if it is not withdrawn. Abdul Latif Arko, member of the Forum called upon the High Court to review its judgement.
Darul Uloom Deoband against legalising gay sex
A leading Islamic seminary on June 29 opposed Centre’s move to repeal a controversial section of the penal law which criminalises homosexuality saying unnatural sex is against the tenets of Islam. “Homosexuality is an offence under Shariat Law and haram (prohibited) in Islam,” Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abdul Khalik Madrasi said. Madrasi also urged the Government not to repeal Section 377 of IPC which criminalises homosexuality.