of how to copy advanced technology and
entrepreneurship from developed countries for
the development of Nigeria, waste their lives
abroad copying homosexuality and lesbianism
are now in an absolute danger of languishing in
Nigerian jails if they dare practise or talk of
their weird, beastly gay culture in my
fatherland, Nigeria. Thanks President Jonathan
for signing the anti-gay bill into law. Nigerian
gay idiots abroad like E.O Eke should stay in
UK and USA to practise their abomination in
the name of beastly civilization and inhuman
rights.
- Basil
Basil, Basil, thank you for your thoughtfulness.
The idiot, Eke, should tell Nigerians in his
frustrated and hopeless articles on nigeriaworld
how much medical technology and
entrepreneurship he has brought home to
Nigeria in his donkey years of living in the UK.
A homosexual CAN NEVER teach Nigerians how
to govern or develop Nigeria. It is only Nigerian
gays and lesbians abroad that care to read the
trash he churns out on that website.
- Femi
Basil and femi, I appreciate your understanding
about homosexuality and lesbianism in Nigeria.
We, Nigerians should continue to resist the
temptation of allowing Americans and the
British to teach us what human rights and
human freedom mean. Americans and the
British are accustomed to teaching other
nationals the need to respect human rights and
freedom while the fire of racism,
discrimination, suppression, domination,
prejudice, and racial hatred against minorities
is smoldering or burning unquenchably in every
aspect of their public and private lives.
Homosexuality is inherent with numerous
health hazards and diseases. Nigerians who
want Nigeria to decriminalize homosexuality
should, first of all, build and furnish hospitals in
Nigeria to take care of the numerous diseases
that come with homosexuality and lesbianism.
In the State of North Carolina, USA, where I
live, 70% of hospital ownership and
management belongs to American private
individuals, not to the government. Instead of
Nigerians abroad to learn good ideas from their
host countries and use those ideas to improve
the lot of our people at home, what they
emulate is homosexuality and how to castigate
Nigerian government for not developing the
country for them. The evil people do always
follows them.
Thanks, Alphonsus
Efew days ago I got the above mails from
three Nigerians who have stalked me with
abusive mails and threats ever since I
opposed the criminalisation of
homosexuality in an article. Since then, President
Jonathan has assented the bill stipulating 14 years
prison term for gay marriage and suddenly, there
have been wide arrests of suspected homosexuals
who are not married or in relationships. The
criminalisation of homosexuality, the persecution
of suspected homosexuals and their wanton
arrests, have become something of joy to
Nigerians like the above, whose intolerance,
ignorance and bigotry, justifies injustice and evils
against people who are different or do not share
the same worldviews with them. This is unjust,
discriminatory and a violation of the liberty and
fundamental human rights others. It shows a
worrying intolerance and deep seated prejudice
against people for the only reason that they are
different or chosen differently and it is frightening.
This is the real reason and foundation for all
genocides. Nigerian government has passed an
unjust and discriminatory law, which seem to
have given impetus to bigots and religious
fanatics to act out there hatred and prejudices
against those who do not share the same world
views with them. This is wrong and unjust, and
would not lead to the development of a tolerant,
peaceful and better society.
The attitude of many Nigerians towards things like
homosexuality is shaped by religious and
traditional beliefs. They are often grossly ill-
informed about any other aspect of the problems
apart from what the Bible and Quran say and deal
with the issues with all the ignorance and
prejudice of the religion and tradition. Such
attitude has no room for difference and very
intolerant of dissent. This makes it difficult for
them to examine their intolerance, and
discriminatory attitude and unable to understand
that it constitutes discrimination and violation of
the individual liberties of others. By their attitude,
they show that they have no respect for other,
and only respond to their beliefs. They have no
understanding of liberty and are unable to
appreciate why criminalisation of behaviours, in
which no one, but those involved are affected is
intolerance constitutes violation of individual
liberty. Their minds function like the minds of
extremists and only respond to what they like,
believe in, or want. Their minds are minds formed
on the altar of beliefs and hold whatever they
accept as the truth with delusional intensity. Such
minds are incapable of civil debate, do not
understand tolerance and often resort to abuse
and or aggression to have their way.
I derive my moral compass from the Christian
religion. I hold the view that homosexuality is
immoral; having been taught in the church that it
is an abomination. However, having grown up,
studied, learnt and experienced and seen life from
many perspectives, I have seen the limitation of
the religious narrative in securing peaceful
coexistence and the need for people to be
tolerant. I am also too well aware of the evils of
prejudice of the type people who are in support of
criminalisation of homosexuality express and what
they are capable of doing to others in the name of
religion and God. As Apostle says, when I was a
child I thought as a child, and now I have given up
childish things and seen things clearer. As a
democrat who believes in liberty, tolerance,
equality and separation of religion from politics
among other values, I abhor the use of political
power in a secular democracy to criminalise what
religion condemns. Therefore the targeting of
homosexuals in Nigeria is an act of discrimination,
bigotry and intolerance. It is akin to the witch hunt
of the 15th century Europe, when the Church of
Rome used its powers to criminalise sins and
persecuted a great number of people including
homosexuals and mentally ill people, either as
heretics or witches.
By giving assent to this bill to become law,
President Jonathan is demonstrating that beliefs
are more important than knowledge, liberty and
justice as fairness and this is simply unfortunate to
say the least. This is an unjust law because it is
based on nothing, but ignorance, intolerance and
bigotry. Nigeria has entered a dark age from
which it must emerge, if it will develop.
Criminalisation of homosexuality is just the
beginning; the legislators and their extremist
supporters will find more bad behaviours to
criminalise except, dishonesty, wanton looting of
the treasury, child marriage, marrying many
wives, abuse of political, extremism and
prejudice.
There is a better way to structure a society apart
from modelling it in the image of one religion,
religious dogmas or traditional beliefs alone. The
intolerant way many hold their religious beliefs in
Nigeria today is a sign of ignorance and primitivity
because intolerance and ignorance are the hall
mark of primitive societies. Societies can be
structured on civil values and the rule law, which
guarantees the freedom of all, saints and sinners.
Any society in which men find reason to sanction
others based on religious convictions or dogmas
and find reason to legitimise the persecution of
others for the only reason that they are different,
is an unjust and intolerant society. Nigeria has
legitimised intolerance, injustice and
discrimination of those who are different. This
cannot be right.
I do not advocate the promotion of homosexuality
because it is not different from any other immoral
behaviour which the Abrahamic religions
characterise as sin. What I am against is hiding
behind religion to legitimise persecution, injustice
and discrimination for the simple reason that what
is good, cannot be unjust and what is unjust
cannot be fair, no matter the underlying
traditional beliefs or religious convictions and
justification.
History tells us that Europe did in dark ages, what
Nigeria is doing today. Europeans were drunk on
religion and traditions and believed in demonogy,
and attributed all their ills to the devil and sexual
perversions. They saw the world in black and
white and those who were not with them were
against them. This religious and traditional world
view sparked the witch hunt in which even science
for a time, collaborated with religion to perpetrate
some of the worst inhumanities human beings
have inflicted against those who are different.
They were rescued by enlightenment and mean
who found the courage to speak out against
popular opinion. Today, European countries are
more tolerant of diversity and have become
places of refuge for those persecuted for their
religious beliefs or differences.
The Nigerian anti gay law is an example of where
Nigeria is on her evolution as a developing society
and should give every well meaning person
serious concern. One can condemn an act (sin)
without criminalising it. I condemn stealing, but
against the lynching of thieves or cutting off of
their hands as some believe appropriate and
approved by God. I condemn murder, but against
death sentence. I hate and condemn smoking, but
do not think it is appropriate to criminalise
smoking. The list is endless. I hate sin but love the
sinners, being one of them. Unfortunately not
every person learns to think this way, even though
they can, if they try.
Instead of addressing the issue of corruption in
Nigerian, the legislator found in homosexuals a
convenient target to project some of Nigeria's
woes which have nothing to do with them. Nazi
Germany under Hitler did the same. Homosexuals
are not one of the main problems of Nigeria. In
fact, they cause little or no problems. Most
criminals and corrupt politicians in Nigeria are
heterosexuals and from large families which are
also religious. Their religion often prohibits family
planning, which put the lives of women at risk and
leaves families with many children which they
cannot educate or care for. These are the real
cause of Nigerian problems.
It is ignorant for anybody to think that Nigerians
current attitude to religion and morality is superior
to western attitude. The common argument that
the west wants to corrupt Nigeria is nonsense.
Nigerians who want to be corrupted are already
corrupted. There have always been gays in Nigeria
from antiquity. Those in support of this
discriminatory legislation are simply mistaking
sanctimonies platitude and religious bigotry for
virtue. There cannot be morality where there is no
justice and there cannot justice without equality
and no one can honestly claim equality, when
they have discriminatory laws as we have in
Nigeria.
Therefore, the bigots who keep sending me hate
mails because I defend the right of people to live
their lives they way they choose, should simply go
back to school, or read more to understand what
really makes a good society and how evil religion
can be, when used in the way they want to use in
Nigeria; or used to defend discriminatory
legislation targeted at a minority population: as is
the case with the recently promulgated anti
homosexual law. Being a cleric, having a PhD
degree or graduating in medicine or law is not
enough to enable an individual understand what
constitutes a good society and how it should be
structured and Nigerians should be guided by
those who understand that there is more to
morality than religion teaches its adherents.
The Nigerian anti-homosexual law has all the hall
marks of a bad and sinister law. It targets a
minority population. It criminalises a behaviour
that harms no one but those who engage in it. It
validates religious prejudice and seeks to use the
law to enforce religious morality. It is intolerant
and violets other peoples' liberty and fundamental
human right to choose how they live their life.
These and more, are the reasons why I oppose
and continue to oppose the anti homosexual law.
It is not because I am a homosexual or consider it
morally neutral. I will defend the right of my
enemy to liberty, but would make sure in a lawful
and civil manner, where possible, that he does not
use his liberty to injure my person or interest. This
is enlightenment. There is a better way of dealing
with such issues and there is no reason why
Nigeria should not aspire to do better than the
west. Instead of using something the west used in
the middle ages to deal with the same problem
and found out after hundreds of years that
criminalisation of homosexuality does not work,
Nigerians should seek a better way of balancing
liberty with religious morality to achieve peaceful
coexistence, without the persecution of a minority
groups.
I believe in social justice, rule of law, justice as
fairness and equality, and no one has any right to
criminalise what God has given people right to
choose, if they so desire. God is the judge and not
Christianity or Islam. The government should
repeal the anti gay law and we should have an
honest debate on the best way to treat our
brothers and sisters who have chosen a life style
we will never choose. After all, Jesus said love the
sinner but hate the sin. How can we love the
sinner, if we are happy to lock him up for 14 years
for doing the same thing (sinning) many of us do
every day?
Religion is an unsafe construct on which to build
any societies. Every single attempt in history to
do this failed. Current attempts have not
succeeded. It gives rise to very bigoted and
divided societies, where injustices and persecution
are rife. It does not bring God down; rather, it
gives the devil opportunity to show how evil the
religious can be. The morality it preaches can
easily be inculcated in people without its
intolerance and prejudice, which puts people who
are different at risk. There is no need to witch hunt
homosexuals. They have the rights to a life style
of their choice and God has not mandated any
religion to get rid of homosexuality in this world.
This is pure religious intolerance and prejudice and
it is sad.
I speak out against this injustice because it is
wrong. Persecution of sinners has never been an
act of righteousness, as apostle Paul found out on
his way to Damascus. The government should
pause and realise that criminalising homosexuality
will not stop people choosing to express their
sexuality in that way. It will not stop one single
Nigerian from becoming a homosexual, if he or
she so decides. The government should repeal the
law and bring in a better way of encouraging
people to choose what is morally generally
acceptable and allowing those who choose
differently to live their lives in peace. The aim
should be peaceful coexistence and not a
religiously inspired utopia, where all will be forced
to live as one religion prescribe
E O Eke is qualified in medicine. At various times
he has been a General medical practitioner,
Medical missionary, Medical Director and senior
medical officer of health in Nigeria. He specializes
in child, Adolescent and adult psychiatry and lives
in England with his family. His interest is in health,
religion philosophy and politics. He cares for body
and mind.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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