Even In Kenya, Gay Rights are Human Rights

According to the Kenyan President, his excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, gay rights and the entire debate surrounding the matter is a ‘non-issue’. At least, that is the famous rejoinder he issued to President Obama’s assertions that, and I quote,”I believe in the principle of treating people equally under the law. And that they are deserving of equal protection under the law and that the state should not discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation,”

Kenya may be grappling with many other issues pertinent to the economy and to the well-being of its citizens but under no circumstances is a gay rights issue a non issue.

I recently engaged a number of friends and colleagues from different faculties and specializations on the issue over Facebook and one thing stood paramount, religion and culture were the greatest impediments to the understanding of the gay rights issue. Not really because the two exist, but rather, because those ‘deeply’ embedding their beliefs on the already established trends in religion and culture refuse to see any other way round the matter.

On a recent trip to Senegal, Obama reiterated, “When it comes to people’s personal views and their religious faith, I think we have to respect the diversity of views that are there, But when it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody has to be treated equally. I don’t believe in discrimination of any sort.” These assertions pretty much summarizes my opinions on the matter.

Kenya is not a theocratic state. Therefore, religious beliefs or the lack thereof cannot be the basis upon which all individual and national issues are pegged. And suppose we decide to take the moral authority over the society’s sexual orientations, then what would be the ideal treatment for the Gay and Lesbian community that grows in courage and numbers day by day? Prosecute and persecute them? Burn them alive on the stake? Life sentence behind bars? Death by the hangman’s noose or lethal injection or what?

It is okay to hold strong religious beliefs over human actions and interactions, but should we expect the same of the state that has the obligation to protect the interests(including rights and freedoms) of all its citizens without fear of favor?

I will probably be stoned for this but just to quote my status update on Facebook:

“If we think the Bible is the solution to humanity’s problems, then Karl Marx could not have been any more explicit in his insinuations. More and more nations continue to see this. Does branding gays take the gayism away? In fact, the population has been on the rise. This is a people you will have to learn to accept and live with. Either way, they will thrive. They already have in the US. So what, burn them on the stake or throw them to jail?

These are rational beings most of whom choose to be gay. I know of several. Should I spit where they walk just because our sexual orientations differ? Hiding behind religion is not a solution to this sensitive issue. Let them be people, either way, if you don’t today, then others will tomorrow. Whether or not you use documentation, these people are here to stay. And they will not always be explained by the Internet or the Bible!

It is immoral to claim moral authority only when it comes to one issue. Do you castigate your cohabiting friends every morning you see them? Do you severe ties with them? Beyond that gay or lesbian is a judge, a teacher, a doctor, etc. Like Jesus said, only cast the first stone if indeed you are without blame.”

Human Rights issues cannot be undermined as a non-issue.  The state must take its stand on the matter and be counted either for or against. Either way, gay-ism and the entire gay rights issue is here to stay. We just have to figure out a way to live with it.

Ooko Victor

 

Is Islam a Terrorist Religion?

Many questions are of course being asked the world over on whether out Muslim brothers and sisters are practicing a genuine faith; or whether their key doctrines advocate for the massacre of fellow-men in the name of Allah. This comes in the wake of the killings in Mandera in which 28 people were allegedly shot dead for their inability to ‘recite the Qur’an. This coupled with a series of similar killings that rocked the nation over the past few months and most notably the Westgate Mall attack; the Matatu bombings in Nairobi as well as the unsolved Mpeketoni Massacre in Lamu are issues that point towards the need for a comprehensive solution to the root problems that are currently threatening to destabilize the very foundations upon which this great republic is anchored on.

First, it is my belief that Islam is NOT a terrorist religion. In fact, NO religion advocates for the killing of the very people the faith purports to protect. Islam is an Arabic word that literally means “surrender” or “submission”. As a faith, it calls upon total and sincere surrender to God, Allah, so that one can live in peace and tranquility. Islam is in fact derived from the word “Salaam” meaning peace. It is therefore apparent from these deductions that the founding father of Islam had other ideas for this faith that was far from what the fundamentalists are trying to make us believe.

It is a common phenomena to have “extremes” in every religion. These people come in the form of radicals and call for a complete societal overhaul to be in tandem to their faith. Such people are called Fundamentalists and they exist in every religion. The history of Christianity will present a not so surprising face of this extent of fundamentalism. These group of adherents take it upon themselves to interpret portions of their “holy” scriptures to propagate violence and justify it on their faith. This however does not make it right.

Just because Mohammed in the historical context had to fight against those curtailing the spread of his new found religion; or the Israelites had to fight the inhabitants of Canaan, their promised land does not make us justify our selfish ignoramus interpretations to the detriment of innocent populations. Those who propagate religious hatred and intolerance are not  adherents but terrorists out to quench their blood-lust.

It also has to be noted that the main underlying issue in any acts of violence will revolve around resource distribution; government discrimination and the pursuit of attention from the government of the day. It is vital that policies are formulated and enforced to iron out these inadequacies. It is also the responsibility of these communities who opt to harbor these heartless man-slaughters in the name of blood relations to revert to their pure faiths and flush out these destructive elements who hide and thrive amongst them.

Security is not only the responsibility of the state, but the individuals and societies that make up the state. When all societal components work in tandem; embracing good faith, then there is no need to keep looking over our shoulders.