The persecution of homosexuals continues in Nigeria with four young men convicted of homosexual relations and flogged on in open court. The judges and lawyers watched as the men (aged 20 to 22) were laid prostrate on the floor, stripped, and whipped on their buttocks in a demonstration of Sharia justice. The sadomasochistic nature of the punishment appears to have escaped the onlookers. While a crowd outside tried to grab the men to kill them, the court explained that stoning was not needed since the men admitted to homosexual acts previously but said that they were no longer engaging in such relations.
Each was sentenced to 15 strokes and may also face a year’s imprisonment if they cannot pay a fine of $120.
The case was brought under the the new infamous Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act in January that targets homosexuals. The crowd insisted that under Sharia law the men should be stoned to death.
The question that I have is why Americans, particularly gay and lesbian Americans, are expected to give large amounts of aid to a country that would execute or flog many of our citizens if they visited the country. At some point, it would seem reasonable to deny aid to countries who want to kill our own citizens.
Recently, Sweden cut off aid to Ugandan for its anti-homosexual laws. Is it time for the United States to do the same for countries like Nigeria? I would also add other core rights as a threshold test, including the denial of religious freedom and free speech and women’s rights.
What do you think?
Source: Guardian
Here’s the agenda again. If we go back are there rants against Muslims when Christian wacko stories are posted?
While we are worrying about ceasing aid to these countries, we need to focus on ceasing aid to our US corporations (and our government).
How many millions of Africans and Afghans/middle easterns are being slaughtered every day (either by weapons or diseases..a.ka..AIDS/HIV) by US corporations and the Feds for mineral resources (i.e. ‘blood diamonds, coal, etc’)?
It’s not just anti gay ideology they’re pushing, they are also influencing the leaders of these ountries on women’s reproductive issues, more about this in my link @ 9:40. Again, when Christian fundamentalism starts looking like Islamic fundamentalism, rational and reasonable people need to notice.
When it comes to objectionable behavior and aid there is always the question do we have more influence to bring about change with or without the aid.
One thing we could do is prevent homophobic citizens and groups from advising countries on anti gay policies and laws. My recollection is there are clear laws that allow our government to prevent private citizens from negotiating with foreign powers.
http://www.politicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/10/Colonizing-African-Values.pdf
American fundamental evangelicals and how they are transforming sexual politics in Africa. I’ve just begun to read this study, it’s chilling. Americans need to wake up to what these Christian fundamentalist groups are up to, they haven’t been able to get their way here yet so they’ve colonized thier belief systems to Africa, with vulnerable societies because of years of corruption in leadership.
15 strokes….. Hmmmmm…. They better be fast learners…..
The US should stop providing any aid to Nigeria and other countries that oppress humans.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/and-you-thought-uganda-was-bad-map-shows-where-in-the-world-it-is-worst-to-be-gay-9152558.html
I wouldn’t want to be gay in these countries.
From the article.
“Society should be alarmed when governments legalize human rights violations.” Arizona comes to mind. How close did we get to the first step in legally violating American citizens human rights because of their sexual orientation?
where do i ship the $480
http://www.bdlive.co.za/africa/africannews/2014/03/04/mugabe-backs-africas-antigay-movement
Mugabe in Zimbabwe backs anit gay movement.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2014/02/a-rising-tide-of-anti-gay-sentiment-in-africa.html
What’s behind the rising tide of anti gay sentiment in Africa? Nigeria enacted a new anti gay law recently, as well as Uganda. Senegal and Kenya are now enforcing old anti gay laws.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-peron/whos-helping-finance-ugandas-kill-the-gays-bill-you-are_b_2229509.html
I think when Christian fundamentalism and Muslim fundamentalism start sounding the same, it’s time to sit up and take notice. This may be Sharia law, but Christians in Uganda would do the same and possibly worse.
Stamping out bestiality, one flogging at a time.
I can imagine quite a few gay onlookers in the audience, really got off on watching those bare naked male buttocks being flogged.
Doesn’t matter which hat people wear. They frequently will just do their worst anyhow. Cut the aid period. It is just a political tool anyway.
Until I got to the end of the second sentence, I assumed it was Christians doing the flogging. It’s really hard to tell them apart these days — the Christian Taliban and the Muslim Taliban.
“Is it time for the United States to do the same for countries like Nigeria?”
~+~
Yep
Yearly, Americans import millions of barrels a year of oil from Nigeria, so next time you fill up that SUV, you can thank the Nigerian govt for helping you fuel that vehicle. Americans are shocked! by the brutality as they merrily ignore their complicit actions..
‘Europe is the largest regional importer of Nigerian oil. In 2012, Europe imported 889,000 bbl/d of crude oil and condensate from Nigeria, accounting for 44% of total Nigerian exports.
For the past decade, the United States imported between 9% to 11% of its crude oil from Nigeria. However, this share fell to an average of 5% in 2012 and 4% from January to August 2013. As a result, Nigeria has fallen from being the fifth largest foreign oil supplier to the United States in 2011 to eighth in 2013.’
http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=ni
Absolutely human rights should be a pre-requisite for aid, but that would interfere with the apparently more important goal of Western corporations taking control of valuable resources, particularly oil/gas and oil/gas transport routes. Human Rights don’t create large political campaign contributions.
If we’re sending any food to Nigeria….. Please, let’s stop.