Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Ugandan newspaper begins anti-gay witch hunt, names 'top 200 gays' in country

Uganda is about to get Biblical. According to the Huffington Post:

A Ugandan newspaper published a list Tuesday of what it called the country's "200 top" homosexuals, outing some Ugandans who previously had not identified themselves as gay one day after the president enacted a harsh anti-gay law.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday's signing of the bill by President Yoweri Museveni marked "a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights" and warned that Washington could cut aid to the government of the East African nation.

"Now that this law has been enacted, we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the Government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values," Kerry said in a statement.

The Red Pepper tabloid published the names — and some pictures — of alleged homosexuals in a front-page story under the headline: "EXPOSED!"

The list included prominent Ugandan gay activists such as Pepe Julian Onziema, who has repeatedly warned that Uganda's new anti-gay law could spark violence against homosexuals. A popular Ugandan hip-hop star as well as a Catholic priest are also on the list.

My comment about Uganda getting "biblical" was not meant to be a joke. Throughout past controversies regarding the anti-gay bill, many knew that it would come to this.

It's bad enough that the law punishes lgbts simply for being who they are, but with today's news, the law carries a more sinister purpose.

Let me put it this way - for a country claiming to be Christian, it amazes me that Uganda seems to forget the  Biblical story of Naboth's vineyard.

Naboth was a man who owned a vineyard which a king wanted. But Naboth wouldn't sell it to him. So the queen sets up "conditions" in which Naboth found himself accused of a capital crime and executed. With his death, the king took control of the vineyard.

I've already written a post about another supporter of Uganda's anti-gay bill, Rev. Martin Ssempa, attempting to use the law before it became official to destroy other pastors and increase his finances and power base.

Now with law being official, we most likely will see more of this. How many Ugandans will accuse their neighbors of being gay for purposes of greed or maybe simply to settle a grudge?

We have yet to see how this thing will end but I have a feeling that for some who welcomed this anti-gay law, it won't end well.

1 comment:

Erica Cook said...

I say someone out the president.