Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s verdict which decriminalises homosexuality by partly striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
In a press statement on September 6, JIH Secretary General, Muhammad Salim Engineer said: “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is dismayed and disappointed over the Supreme Court verdict to legalise homosexual behaviour between two consenting adults, effectively scrapping section 377 of IPC and overturning the earlier judgment of the Delhi High Court. It may be recalled that JIH along with leaders of different religious organisations had welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court (delivered on 11 Dec 2013) wherein the SC had refused to do away with Section 377 and persisted with the view that homosexuality is a criminal offence. With that historic decision, the apex court had kept the country from going on to the path of moral degradation. But today the SC has ruled that ‘human sexuality cannot be confined to a binary and that homosexuality is not a mental disorder’.”
The statement further reads, “Thus by decriminalising homosexuality and permitting male-male and female-female marriage will destroy the family system and prevent the natural evolution and progress of the human race. Jamaat firmly believes in the fundamental rights of all citizens and is a strong advocate of freedom and minority rights. However we wish to remind fellow citizens that with freedom comes moral responsibility and no society can accept crimes, vices and anarchy in the name of freedom and personal liberty. We will persevere to educate the people and exercise all democratic options to resist this shameful perversion and decadence in values which ignores religious teachings, our culture and the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the people. Such filthy experiments have destroyed human society and violated the rights of women on large scale in certain countries and we should learn a lesson from it.”
Appealing to the citizens of this country, the government and all political parties, the Secretary General of Jamaat urged, “Save this country from falling into sexual anarchy, protect our children from vile sexual predators, safeguard the rights of our daughters and sisters and prevent the infringement of the fundamental rights of its citizens as the abrogation of Section 377 of IPC will have a cascading effect on the Personal Laws of many religions. We sincerely hope and pray that the country will be rescued from the dark precipice it is rushing headlong into.”