YOURSAY 'Shamrahayu is more worried about homosexuality than the corruption of Umnoputras that is destroying the nation.'

Islamic university holds rare forum on homosexuality

your say Member ABU: How nice if I could rephrase this particular paragraph as follows: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) constitutional expert Shamrahayu A Aziz asserted that corruption is "a sin as well as a crime", and cited concerns that if corruption becomes a right, it would lead to the slippery slope of allowing the country to become a hopeless bankrupt.

Shamrahayu, try telling this to Umno and see if they understand what you are saying. I am asking you this - can homosexuality bankrupt a nation? Is it that such horrible a crime? Touch your heart and tell.

1: Shamrahayu is more worried about homosexuality spreading one day than the corruption of Umnoputras that has already spread and is destroying the nation today.

Ferdtan: Shamrahayu was caught 'naked' by the audience in her contradiction when she had to reply to a question as to who she should hire - a homosexual or a promiscuous person.

Against pressure to come out with an intelligent answer she blabbered, "Give me the freedom of choice as an employer."

Isn't that is what the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) community is asking for from the authorities and people like her - to give them the freedom of choice?

To be cruel here, I just wish those who condemned and wanting to harm their fellow human beings who are different, should get a taste of the same medicine. That will be when a member of their family is born such.

Will that be enough to move them to have empathy?

Not Confused: "If you want to be a gay, that's your choice. Give me the choice to choose my employee," said Shamrahayu.

What an ignorant statement to make. Homosexuals do not ‘choose' to be what they are. Who in their right mind would choose to be gay, having to face up to a life of being vilified by idiots like her.

Can'tFoolMe: In Malaysia, when a married Muslim man is caught having extramarital sex, the almost immediate action is to get him to marry the other woman and then everything is considered all right. He is not treated like an outcast. Why is that so?

Let the male Umno leaders including Najib Razak tell us how many among them have not had illicit intercourse with a female who is not their spouse. Tell us!

Open Minded: No human is to judge another human, who through a genetic twist, has difficulty determining his or her true identity. Acceptance is a human virtue, which many of us do not want or are even willing to give a thought to.

What is more complicated is when religion, which is expected to be a compassionate and a tolerant force, starts to isolate and condemn these unfortunate people.

The existence of these fellow human beings is a reality and the more the authorities and religion sweep it under the carpet, the more animosity and anger it creates. It's better to promote understanding and acceptance, not resentment or rejection.

Simon Lee 3ed5: Islamic Renaissance Front chairperson Farouk Musa said: "The world is an ‘abode of trials', where people should be able make free choice, including to sin and to repent. It must come from your own belief, from your heart. Not because you are scared of the state, or the like, and to please other people, etc..."

We salute you, Farouk. If only most Muslims in Malaysia are like you, this country would be a role model for the rest of the world.

As for that so-called ‘expert' Shamrahayu, what she is espousing is it's absolutely right and ‘moral' and certainly her God-given ‘right' to hire a prostitute, a pedophile, a serial rapist, a corrupt person, a murderer, a Taliban terrorist, a Muslim bigot, a suicide bomber, and all those racists in BTN (Biro Tatanegara) to be a teacher in her hypothetical kindergarden, but it's immoral and not right to engage a God-fearing gay.

Kit Carson: There was a time where daughters-in-law were blamed for not delivering baby boys by their parents-in-law. Now we know it was their ignorance.

Likewise, these so-called learned personalities will one day realise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) is not a choice you and I can make, it's physiological and psychological as well.

AnakPinang: "We have to have a touchstone in this civilisation, and that touchstone is morality," said Shamrahayu.

Oh dear, what does that mean when Malaysian 'civilisation' has (just a sampling) bigotry, racism, misogyny, polygamy, violence, corruption and superficial religiosity?

The LGBT community are our brothers and sisters. They should be granted the same rights as accorded to all of us. It's time the homophobes come off their high horses and realise that we're in the 21st century.

If they decide to be so religious, just remember that at one time organ transplants, women wearing pants, interracial marriage and immunisation were also touted as sacrilegious by the God squads.

Anonymous_3hdchd: I don't blame Shamrahayu for her views - religious indoctrination is a very potent thing, but as an 'academic' she needs to think much more deeply about the philosophical underpinnings of what constitutes 'morality'.

It's a common error to confuse morality with religion, whereas in reality they have very little to do with each other given that morality is self-evidently a social construct.

Anonymous_4056: I really like this - seven cases of homosexual acts were recorded since 1938, and out of this more than half were connected with Anwar Ibrahim. Hear that, Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Of course, PM Najib Razak is just emulating Mahathir. Both, I am sure are specialists in this area of expertise and I wonder, are they ready to face Allah Almighty in the hereafter? Or they just don't care come what may?

Msiakini4all: May the one who is without sin cast the first stone. I don't have a problem with gays but I hate Umno with all their perverted ways of corruption, rape, murder, cheating and indulging in everything sinful.

Bernard Phillips: In Australia yesterday, Green party leader Bob Brown announced his intention to retire. He is gay, but guess what?

Brown and his party have contributed enormously in the last two decades in public service, mostly as a human rights activist fighting for Aboriginal rights, worker's rights, rights of minorities, particularly Muslims, and protecting the environment. I could go on with his accomplishments but maybe readers can google them.

What I want this panel of Islamic academics to know is that for the last 10 years, Brown has fought for the rights of illegal immigrants, almost all of whom are Muslims from Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq.

And because of his stand, the numbers of arrivals have gone up almost 20-fold. I ask just what has these experts done for Muslim refugees in troubled countries? Okay, that is going too far. Just what have these ‘experts' done for the Muslims in Malaysia?

 

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