An important gay voice...

Philip Wendahl's piece for the Norwegian Human Rights Service is required reading...

Islam needs books, soap operas and songs about religion. We need a Muslim Ecce homo exhibition, or perhaps a Muslim Hasse and Tage that dare to address Muslim customs and authorities. Thanks to our freedoms, the fifteen million Muslims living in the Western world have been given the best possible opportunity to set cultural change in motion – but in order to do this they must dare to stand up against all the madmen who would censor them. The courageous Cherin and Mohammad are two of the heroes who dare to resist.

One would think that such a film would inspire rage among senescent religious fanatics and homophobes. Strangely enough, however, the toughest criticism has come from gay activists such as the members of the group Arabiskt initiativ (Arabic Initiative) and from feminists. Arabic Initiative assumes the role of defender of the Arabs and Muslims and ignores the victims of the honor culture.

The feminists continue to stubbornly refuse to see the honor-related violence as anything other than the usual patriarchal violence that is also found in Western society. But honor violence is different in an important way – namely, that family represents a safety net – not for the victim, but for the perpetrator. This is a betrayal of the victim that is unworthy of the feminist movement.

In my view, those who shut their eyes to honor violence are racists. If ethnic Swedish young people were being treated like this, the mass media, authorities, and politicians would have taken action long ago. But precisely because they fear being called racists, the politicians have chosen instead to meet the Islamists halfway.

Exceptions have been made in the Aliens Act to allow child marriage. The children of devout parents have been deprived of the right to sex-education classes and swimming lessons. Authorities have permitted Islamic schools and full veils – those mobile prisons that symbolize Islam’s determination to control women’s sexuality. Thanks to schools, cultural associations, burkas, and mosques, Swedish society has made it possible for the oppression of women, gays, and others to continue even in Sweden.

Sweden must stop, once and for all, being tolerant of intolerance.

Please read the whole article....