International Political Will

When a country allows religious extremists to export their dangerous ideology of hate and intolerance – Nigerian airline bombers coming from Yemen, CIA-assassinating Jordanian double-agents in Afghanistan, or anti-American clerics in Pakistan – it’s a problem.

But the origin and strain of religion sometimes affects the response.

At a press conference last October in Kampala, President Museveni of Uganda said:

“If you rape a woman in Uganda, you will face the firing squad. Or if you rape a man, you will face the firing squad. Of course, [men getting raped] is mostly a problem in Europe – we don’t have this problem in Uganda.”

Hmm. I liked the whole “rape = firing squad” thing. But the rest smacks of the kind of denial that Ahmedinejad made famous during his speech at Columbia University when he said Iran “doesn’t have this [homosexual] phenomenon” like we do in America.

And Museveni’s remarks come at a time when a proposed law in Uganda is aimed at making homosexuality illegal. The bill (supported by Museveni) would, among other things:

• Give a minimum life sentence to gay men and women convicted of having sex.
• Sentence anyone to prison who is aware of homosexual activity and does not report it to the government (including parents, siblings, neighbors, pastors, teachers, doctors, etc. who might be aware of “gay” activity).
• Execute people convicted of having homosexual sex with a minor (Actually, I have no problem with this if they would make it ANY kind of sex with a minor).

This law wouldn’t be anything new in the world: there are many other countries that still have draconian laws on the books. Most gays arrested in Saudi Arabia escape the death penalty and receive “only” a whipping. Iran has executed more than 100 alleged homosexuals since 1979. India last year finally took British-era laws off the books, opening the door for possible civil unions or marriage.

But Uganda’s proposed law is different in two ways:

It’s new.

It’s Christian.

This isn’t some colonial-era, throwback, sodomy law like they have in Alabama that has been around for a hundred years. It’s new legislation that, if it took effect, would be enforced by a democracy in the modern era.

At least 85% of Uganda is Christian – including Museveni – and this opens the country up for American experiments in fundamentalism that have profound effects on society and development.

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback and Representative Joe Pitts, both openly committed fundamentalists, saw an opening and helped President Bush shift HIV/AIDS prevention and birth control funding in Africa to ineffective “abstinence” programs.

Enter Rick Warren – he of the “Purpose Driven” fame.

Warren had already implemented his “Purpose Driven Nation” plan in Rwanda with the help of President Paul Kagame. The idea, using the acronym PEACE (Plant churches/changed to Promote reconciliation, Equip leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick, Educate the next generation) is to create countries that reflect the Christian ethic.

Noble goals – but what about methodology? By its very definition (Equip leaders) and its involvement with Rwanda’s president, Warren’s plan is political in nature.

After getting settled in Rwanda, Warren set his sights on Uganda as the next stop on the “Purpose Driven Nation” tour.

When Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill was proposed, Warren was strangely quiet. He did cut ties in late 2009 with Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor that started organizing anti-gay rallies (Ssempa took “abstinence” programs to a new level by sponsoring condom-burnings – which at the time Warren apparently didn’t think conflicted with the “Educate” part of his PEACE plan).

But when asked to comment on the law, Warren initially refused, stating that:

“It is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations.”

Uh, Rick – you already have interfered. Setting up your purpose-driven churches throughout Rwanda and Uganda…pumping money into these countries for “abstinence programs” in place of real HIV/AIDS prevention measures and birth control…Equipping leaders…

Warren finally was forced to issue a Christmas video message to Ugandans on his website. He urged Uganda pastors to not support the bill – but before giving his five reasons for doing so, first offered a disclaimer of sorts:

“While we can never deny or water down what God’s Word clearly teaches about sexuality, at the same time the church must stand to protect the dignity of all individuals — as Jesus did and commanded all of us to do.

…Jesus reaffirmed what Moses wrote that marriage is intended to be between one man and one woman committed to each other for life.”

Warren then made a case that Jesus would not have wished homosexuals dead. But the preface to his reasons diluted his message – kind of like telling someone: “Beating a child is wrong – unless they deserved it.”

I wonder if President Museveni received Warren’s mixed message. Museveni’s up for reelection again next year (he’s been in power since 1986), and – as America’s conservatives have shown – there’s no better way to distract a public and rally them for an election than grabbing the pitchforks and finding the nearest queer.

The influence of fundamentalist Christianity in Africa extends beyond social policy and into development.

Religious prohibitions on birth control not only inhibit any attempt at female empowerment, but add to population pressures in some of the densest regions on Earth. At a Congo refugee camp on the Rwandan border, families have lived for 13 years in a one-room, UN-donated hut- yet try to raise 8 and 9 young children on UN rations.

If they were Muslim, the NGOs and media would use it as proof that Islam is misogynistic and incompatible with modernity. But since the Congo refugees are all Seventh Day Adventist Christians…no one says shit.

And since Uganda and their anti-gay law is Christian…we all just look the other way. We ignore the extremists in America who can’t implement biblical law at home that have now taken their fight overseas.

Religious foreign policy – sponsored and supervised by fundamentalists.

Warren made a last-minute New Year’s Eve plea for $900,000 in donations to his Saddleback Church – and received $2.4 million. He now has plenty of money to keep exporting his brand of religious fundamentalism across the globe in 2010.

Spreading religious fundamentalism that inspires hate and intolerance.

Isn’t that what we bombed Yemen for, even before the Christmas Day underwear fiasco?

Tags: gay, foreign policy, fundamentalism, death penalty, homosexuality

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