Gays to be Executed in Iraq! While We Watch!
Special Note! PapaM, my heart goes out to your wife and her father. I hope he's okay. We will keep him in our prayers. I'm sorry for deleting reader comments earlier, but I had to remove this article after reading PapaM's call for prayers. It was too important. Anyway, here's my post again from this morning.
Hello Papamoka Readers! We have another tragedy unfolding in Iraq! According to the UK Gay News group that, among other things, keeps a watch on gays and lesbians at risk of persecution in third-world countries, the latest gays to end up on death row come from our new ally IRAQ!"More than 100 prisoners in Iraq are facing execution. Many of them, says an underground gay rights organization in the country, are believed to have been convicted of the 'crime' of being gay, the UK-based Iraqi-LGBT group revealed this afternoon.
According to Ali Hili of Iraqi-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week. There is, said Hili, at least one member of Iraqi-LGBT who are among those to be put to death.
And the London-based group, which believes that a total of 128 executions are imminent, is calling on the UK Government, international human rights groups and the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva to intervene "with due speed" to prevent "this tragic miscarriage of justice" from going ahead."
I don't know about the rest of America, but this gets me extremely angry. I cannot believe that our young men and women died to free a country that is now supporting an elected government that is actively executing gays and lesbians.
Those Republicans who screamed about overthrowing Hussein due to his atrocities should join me and speak up about this pending Iraqi tragedy. Where is your anger? We need to do something about it, especially since we helped free their damn nation.
I hope you all agree that we should not permit them to commit these atrocities while we die to defend their freedom. We shouldn't allow it! President Obama and the US Government needs to act and STOP the killings. We have a right to interfere as long as we're helping them.
Please, get angry and help me. Join me in calling (202.224.3121 Capitol Switchboard) or writing to your representatives and ask them to get involved to save the lives of those people. I must admit, the whole thing makes me sick to my stomach. We have the power and influence to save them. We need to try.
a VERY ANGRY Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog
Update: Senator Boxer's office responded requesting the source of the news. They said they intend to contact various critical parties to do whatever they can to help. Thank you Senator Boxer and staff! Michael
Update: Senator Boxer's office responded requesting the source of the news. They said they intend to contact various critical parties to do whatever they can to help. Thank you Senator Boxer and staff! Michael
*****Crooks and Liars has kindly linked to this post.... Thank you!
Labels: death penalty, Iraq, Justice, Married Gays, Michael Boh
posted by Michael Boh at
7:45 PM
4 Comments:
I will be on the phone in the morning to my Congressmen and Senators as well as emailing this post around to my family and friends. I highly suggest that everyone and anyone that reads this, email it to your elected leaders in Congress and the White House! Send it to all your friends too! This is F'n insane! I agree with you Michael that this is a travesty of justice and a slap in the face to all Americans who's sons and daughters died for that piece of dirt in the desert! F'n animals.
My blood is boiling mad! Our troops died to get rid of a blood thirsty murderer and they start murdering innocent people? No FREAKING WAY!
Thank you for letting all of us know about this Michael and thank you for your kind thoughts on my wifes Dad. He's doing better but still in the hospital.
I agree this is a travesty to break the heart. As with Israel, these Middle Eastern countries are inseparable from their religion. This is a religion which stones women to death for adultery. So, when the U.S. says it has turned governing over to the Iraqis, it has turned it over to their religion, too. I am not condoing this horror by any means, but I question who can intervene as a country carries out laws based in its religion.
Good for one of my heroes, Barbara Boxer, for responding.
I’ll give Sen. Lindsey Graham a call.
BJ
I make the following points as an LGBTQ ally and an open critic of war and the death penalty worldwide:
1. American soldiers did not die to give freedom to Iraqis. Over 1 million Iraqis have left their country as a result of our illegal war there. What is left behind are normal citizens who are trying to do their best to get by, extremist militants, politicians trying to finagle their way to power in a time of chaos. Calling the Iraqi people "f'n animals" brings you down to the level of the executers, because guess what? They see you that way. So who is right?
2. Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein was secular, meaning that there was no official state religion. Iraq is not the same as Afghanistan. We have the right to criticize, but it is best that we get our facts straight before we do. Again, as a result of our illegal actions there, more radical Islamic leaders have taken advantage of the chaos to rise to prominence. Saddam Hussein was an egotistical despot, but like it or not, something like this most likely would not have happened under his rule. Understanding context is extremely important.
3. You are angry at this. I am saddened by this (seriously, I almost started crying at work). We have to turn our emotion into action. Getting in touch with Barbara Boxer was a great idea - maybe we should contact LGBTQ news outlets, do mass emails, etc. Action is power.
Alexia: You made excellent points, and most who blog and comment here are keenly aware of your facts. A few of us have been busy trying to encourage senators and media to get involved. Michael Boh contacted the networks, and they are aware of this situation, so see how much reporting is done on this, and how much is done on the latest celebrity gossip. You are right about Saddam, he was a tinpot dictator who was no threat to us. You are right about the victims of our aggression and occupation. If these people are being killed on the sole basis that they are homosexuals, there has to be religious law involved. We are all sympathetic to the plight of these souls and, hopefully, action across the Internet is bringing pressure to bear on those who would kill these innocents. BJ
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