This is the text of a speech given by Leo Igwe to the GALHA meetup that took place on Friday 14May10.

GALHA Chair Adam Knowles, Co-speaker and Friend, Rev Jide Macaulay, Fellow humanists, Distinguished Friends

I am very delighted to be here. And thank you for inviting me to speak at this event marking this year’s International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia(IDAHO). It is great to know that there is a day set aside to highlight the plight-persecution, torture, rape and abuse- of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender and Inter sex (LGBTI) people worldwide. It is encouraging to know that there is an international DAY to call for respect for LGBTI people around the globe. I want to thank all those who worked and campaigned over the years to ensure that we have such a great day. And as you know, my continent is one of those places where gay people are treated with indignity and disrespect. In Africa, LGBTI people face and suffer so much violence, hatred and abuse.

So I want to thank the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association(GALHA) for their thoughtfulness in devoting this particular event to discussing and developing advocacy strategies around the issues of religion, homophobia and transphobia in Africa. I hope in the course of this conference we shall generate ideas and strategies we need to defeat homophobia and transphobia on the black continent.

If the recent study conducted by the Washington based Pew Research Forum on Religion and Public Life is anything to go by, Africans are among the most religious people on earth today. And if we are to carry out a survey on homophobia around the globe, Africans would surely emerge among the most homophobic people on earth. So is there any connection between religion- I mean religion as professed and practiced in Africa- and homophobia? My answer to this question is Yes. Because if we are to take a closer look at the wave of homphobia sweeping across Africa, we would discover that religion is a dominant and driving force. Religion is being used to justify attacks, hatred, persecution and torture of gay people. Religion is being used by African people and politicians to block efforts to decriminalize homosexuality and recognize gay rights as human rights.

In fact what we are experiencing in Africa is largely a faith-based, mainly christianity and islam-based homophobia. There is no doubt that there are nuances of other faith based antipathies for gay people, but those of christianity and Islam are most pronounced. The leaders of these mainstream religions have not hidden their disgust for same sex oriented persons. Christian and islamic clerics and their political cohorts openly demonize homosexuals and incite the public against them. They portray homosexuality as a sin, as an indecent and immoral act, as an offence against god . They equate homosexuality to bestiality. Do they really know what they are talking about?

Religious leaders try to divinize and Africanize and sometimes, nationalize their antigay prejudice and propaganda in their bid to mobilize all god believing Africans against LGBTI persons. They claim that homosexuality is unnatural, ungodly, un-Biblical, un-Koranic and un-African. Unfortunately many Africans have not given a serious thought to these claims of religious leaders to understand how false, meaningless, hypocritical, absurd, conflicting and contradictory they are. For instance, the former Premate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola in a position statement sent to the parliamentary committee in Nigeria considering a bill against gay marriage, has this to say: “Same sex marriage, apart from being ungodly, is unscriptural, unnatural, unprofitable, unhealthy, un-cultural, un-African and un-Nigerian. It is a perversion, a deviation and an aberration that is capable of engendering moral and social holocaust in this country. It is capable of existicting(sic) mankind and as such should never be allowed to take root in Nigeria. Outlawing it is to ensure the existence of this nation. The need for doing this is urgent, compelling and imperative.” (1). Akinola claimed the homosexuality “contradicted the Bible and African values.”(2).
Interestingly, we have seen this hate speeched re-echoed by African politicians like President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yahya Jammeh of Gambia, former president Obasanjo of Nigeria, and other christian and islamic theocrats across the continent.

Both space and time will not permit me to analyse in detail this deeply flawed stance often used to incite the public against LGBTI people. But as you can see, these claims drip with hatred, intolerance and ignorance. It lacks that spirit of pastoral love, care, and support which Rev Akinola and his church committed themselves to showing all human beings including homosexuals.(3).

This position paper from Rev Akinola was presented as the position of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. The Anglican Church has over over 17 million members. I assure you that if this statement were circulated to all members of the Anglican church in Nigeria to sign, many of the members will not append their signature to this hate speech. The same thing is applicable to the islamic groups in Nigeria. A handful of Sheikhs, Imams and Ulamas with extremist views speak- or rather claim to speak for all muslims. They assume that their position is the position of Allah, and all the Ummah(the islamic faithful). At the 2007 public hearing on same sex marriage bill in Nigeria, a muslim scholar said that there was no debate over homosexuality in Islam. Because under sharia law, gay sex was an offence punishable by death. He suggested that the few gay people in the country be identified, rounded up and be killed to save others from being corrupted.

As the spokesperson and representative of muslims in Nigeria he claimed that his was the position of all muslims in the country. But I am sure there are many muslims in Nigeria who do not share his bigoted view There are muslims who want homosexuals to be treated with love, care, respect and compassion. There are muslims who interprete the Koran and the Hadith differently. There are muslims who practice a gay inclusive Islam. Certainly, this muslim scholar and cleric did not represent their position. In Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Senegal, Gambia, religious leaders who claim to speak on behalf of their members are at the forefront of the crusade and jihad against gay people on the continent.

<part 2 of the speech>

I want to give five reasons why religion, particularly christianity and Islam as professed and practiced in Africa, has been used to fuel and justify homophobia on the continent.

First of all these religions are scriptural religions. Their doctrines and traditions are codified. So there are provisions in the Bible, Koran or Hadith which religious believers refer and use to justify and sanctify their hatred and persecution of gays. Some of these scriptural verses include:

Lev 18:22-23 "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Lev 20:13 "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death." 1 Cor 6:9 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals" 1 Tim 1:9-10 "realizing the fact that (civil) law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers" Rom 1:26-27 "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

Though some theologians maintain that these Biblical verses are only being misinterpreted by fanatics and homophobes.

The second reason is that these codified words are divinized. They are alleged to be the words -in most cases the exact words and injunctions of God or Allah.So they are taken to be the eternal truths to which nothing can be added or deduced. These holy books are deemed sacred and are revered. So their provisions like the verses I quoted above are taken to the absolute guide for ‘all’ human beings for all times.

Thirdly Africans believe that the sacred texts, as ‘divine revelations’and absolute truths, should be followed to the letter, so no one should question them. Questioning the doctrines in the holy books is regarded as a blasphemy, and as an act of disobedience. Questioning the word of God is heretical, and an offence against God which could earn one eternal damnation in Hell. Of course no African wants to go to Hell (except me).

The same is applicable to questioning religious authorities like the Pope, bishops, priests, Shiekhs, Imams and the Ulamas. It is unexpected of true believers to question or challenge them or whatever they teach and preach. Infact religious leaders are believed to be infalliable. Challenging the teachings and positions of clerics is seen as challenging the positions of the ‘Almighty’. Because clerics are believed to be the earthly representatives, mouthpiece and instruments of God or Allah. And their positions are taken to be the positions of God. So, Africans are very relunctant, in fact most of them dare not challenge openly and publicly even when they know that they are wrong.

Now what is the way forward?

First, there is need for a religious reformation in Africa. Religion as practiced in Africa is a primitive and medieval stage. Most Africans still observe christianity and Islam as they were brought and introduced by western missionaries and Arab jihadists. Africans practice religion in a way that holds back their society-hampers intellectual and moral progress, and trumps human rights. And this situation must change
African believers, like their western counterparts, must begin to shed and abandon those religious anachronisms in the scriptures and traditions that hamper the realization of a dignified and meaningful life in this 21st century.

They should be made to understand that much of what is written in the holy books is outdated. And that they should not follow them blindly and dogmatically. Africans need to know that the scriptures were written at a different time and age. And the holy books reflect the opinions of the human authors, not of God. Africans should be told to exercise, and not suspend their reasoning and thinking faculties when practicing their religion.

As a strategy, we should cooperate with religious groups with liberal views and thoughtful interpretations of the holy books including churches and mosques that are gay inclusive. Such cooepration is critical to the realization of a gay friendly and human rights oriented society for all.
We should try and get Africans to muster the courage to challenge religious authorities-the Pope, Bishop, Sheikhs, Imams particularly when they make reckless statements or take positions that could undermine human rights and social justice as the Pope has been doing recently. Most Africans are not inclined to protesting the positions of the Pope or Bishop or Imam or Mullah.

As a strategy I endorse the PROTEST THE POPE CAMPAIGN. I urge you to go all out and tell Pope Benedict to stop interfering in the politics of Britain and of the world. It is high time we made this’ Protest the Pope visit’ a global campaign. Because the Pope uses his visits to countries to push faith based platforms that undermine human rights, public health and well being. You may recall that Pope Benedict during his visit to Africa in 2009, said the use of condoms was contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS. And again, yesterday, in Portugal, the Pope declared that gay marriage was insidious and dangerous to the society.

We need to put together programs to protest and challenge the positions of religious authorities including the Vatican, OIC when they try to interfer in our politics using their ‘insidious and dangerous’ doctrines. Let’s work to realize a secular Europe, a secular America, a secular Africa, a secular Asia and a secular world. Lastly let’s strive to popularize IDAHO and ensure that it is celebrated throughout Africa. Let’s strive to get all Africans to embrace this message of light, love and renewal:

HATE HOMOPHOBIA, NOT HOMOSEXUALS.

Thank you.

Hello, new member here,
I think Iran is has bad has Africa, or any other country where Sharia law is followed

Erin