Its Happening Again.....

Its APPALLING. James had a curious coda at the end of his blog today saying, "Remember Moscow...." And I thought, "What the...?" So being somewhat perceptive, (but certainly not always) I figured it was a gay issue, as the architects say. (Well, actually what they say is "issue", not gay issue, as few things in architecture ARE technically a gay issue.....but I digress.) So there I was thinking, what has my beloved Russia landed in NOW? So I Googled it. There it was before my eyes, Moscow's mayor had forbidden this Saturday's Gay Pride Parade. Religious leaders of all three of the leading faiths, Christian, Jewish and Muslim had banded together protesting the parade. In a portion from Peter Tatchell's article for the Guardian, titled MARCHING IN MOSCOW, he notes that,

Much of the anti-gay sentiment that is sweeping Russia has been whipped up by religious leaders. Threatening violence against Moscow Gay Pride, the chief mufti of Russia's Central Spiritual Governance for Muslims, Talgat Tajuddin, said: "Muslim protests can be even worse than these notorious rallies abroad over the scandalous cartoons."

"The parade should not be allowed, and if they still come out into the streets, then they should be bashed. Sexual minorities have no rights, because they have crossed the line. Alternative sexuality is a crime against God," he said, calling on members of the Russian Orthodox Church to join Muslims in mounting a violent response to Moscow Gay Pride.

Russian Orthodox leaders responded by lobbying Mayor Luzhkov to ban the parade. A spokesperson declared that homosexuality is a "sin which destroys human beings and condemns them to a spiritual death".
Not to be left out, Russia's chief rabbi, Berl Lazar, said that if a Gay Pride parade was allowed to go ahead it would be "a blow for morality". He stopped short of calling for violence, but warned that the Jewish community would not stand by silently. "Sexual perversions", he said, did not have a right to exist. Lazar declared that Gay Pride marches were "a provocation" similar to the cartoon depictions of Mohammed.

Its an absolutely appalling state of affairs that in this day and age in a country that has a new constitution, ostensibly espousing ALL human rights, that government and religious leaders lose their minds, and let their phobias and prejudices take control of their sense of morality and duty. What is the point of democracy at all, if when the first time its mandate is truly tested, that it should be shoved aside to satisfy the overwhelming hatred of mob rule? Is not democracy THERE to be tested? Shouldn't examples like a gay pride parade be used to demonstrate the power of responsible government, not the fallibility of its so-called societal leaders? Any civilized culture, especially one that has survived the 20th century, knows that mob hysteria and homophobia is reprehensible enough and knows what calamities it can lead to. But that the same sort of prejudices and hatreds should be incited by government and religious leaders in this day and age is totally and completely inexcusable.

Yes, we all should certainly remember Moscow, and more importantly, the world should focus its eyes on Moscow's 1st Gay Pride Parade this weekend. If violence occurs, then the world's condemnation should be swift and fierce in its outrage that not only has homophobia struck again, but that the democratic voice has been willfully ignored. Otherwise, what can any of us hope for from democracy if it proves to be only a shadowy illusion?