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Fri 1 Apr, 2005 09:21 am
A rare alliance of senior Jewish, Christian and Muslim clerics held a news conference Wednesday demanding the festival not be held in Jerusalem, describing gays as lower than animals and calling their lifestyle unnatural and unhealthy.
JERUSALEM (AP) - A gay leader in Jerusalem said Thursday that the fervent opposition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders had made organizers of an international gay festival more determined than ever to go ahead with plans to hold the 10-day event in Jerusalem this summer.
The WorldPride festival, last held in Rome in 2000 where it attracted thousands, is to include street parties, workshops and a gay film festival and is hotly opposed by Muslim, Orthodox Jewish and Christian groups.
Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said Thursday that police had received a number of requests not to issue a permit for the festival but had not yet made a decision.
Why, I wonder, would they chose Jerusalem as the site to hold their festival? Was there any significance or was it to foster the conflict that was sure to follow. I believe that sometimes these people are their own worst enemies.
I know one thing, if I wanted to do something on a grand scale that was sure to stir up some shyt Jerusalem, that sleepy little burg where nothing ever happens, would be my first choice.
I may rethink my position on gays. Maybe they're too stupid to live. Try Mayberry next time fellas if their is a next time.
Meanwhile make sure your affairs are in order before you fly out. Sheesh.
Even in Jerusalem religious leaders have no right to demand that a particular festival be held or not be held. While I'm not explicitly familiar with Israeli law I would expect approving festivals to be a matter of local government beurocracy, not involving the religious hierachy.
However you're right that the motives of the festival organisers in hosting a gay pride service in jerusalem are dubious at best. Contraversy is the cheapest version of publicity.
I have no issues with Gays, and consider myself a Christian. In fact, I was part of a gay rights activist group at one point. However, I think choosing Jeruselem is a bad decision on their part. This is a city considered to be Holy by at least these three major religious groups. And as much as I'd like to believe that gays have a right to everything that straight people do (and I do believe that), I think at this point, its asking for trouble. Maybe religious groups will never accept homosexuality. After two thousand years, its still looking grim. And Im not suggesting that gay groups segregate themselves from religion either, and "stick to San Francisco." I just am unsure if the choice of the worlds Holy City is wise. Maybe I'm a hypocrit.
Lol - guess what - they CAN all come together - if only to hate.
Sheeesh.
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