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Pink News carries most of a rather verbose press release from the Gay Police Association. It defends its publication of the bloody bible ad, while reassuring faith groups that it wasn’t attacking ALL religion, mentions freedom of expression which comes with “responsibilities” etc etc.

Here’s a snippet:

In recent years and months, the gay community has experienced an onslaught of vociferous, homophobically motivated campaigns from religious extremists, frantic in their desire to prevent gay people enjoying the same legal rights, freedoms and protections they take for granted.

Perversely these groups used their religious belief as justification in securing discriminatory exemptions within equalities legislation such as the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the impending Equalities, Provision of Goods & Services Bill. They also campaigned actively against an equal age of consent, lifting the ban on gay people serving in the armed services and more recently the introduction of The Civil Partnership Act 2004. The flagging, yet residual influence of certain faith groups cannot be underestimated. Their determination to deprive gay men and women of equality has to be recognised as divisive and damaging to the cohesiveness of society, of which gay people are an integral part. It was perfectly acceptable for the police service to contribute to the debate and formation of racially and religiously aggravated offences.

The GPA are right, but the don’t half go on.

UPDATE: The head of the GPA Ch Insp Paul Cahill has received an email death threat, saying he would be “struck down in God’s name” and that his “days on earth are numbered”. Which, of course, just goes to prove his point.

The Pink News today reports that the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) have accused Christian Voice of hypocrisy after Stephen Green recently claimed to be responsible for the Gay Police Association’s “bloody bible” advert.

A spokesman told the Pink News:

“A few weeks ago Christians were complaining about Iqbal Sacranie (former head of the Muslim Council of Britain) and Lynette Burrows (author) being questioned by the police for making anti-gay remarks. They claimed at the time that it infringed their freedom of speech. We agreed with them.

“But now they are celebrating because gays are being investigated over supposed ‘Christianophobic’ allegations. It seems the ultimate in hypocrisy, but this is the way it seems to be going. Christians must have the right to defame and insult gays, but we mustn’t answer back or its blasphemy and persecution. It heralds a new front on the war that religion has declared against gay people.”

Gay Christian organisations are also condemning Christian Voice. The Reverend Martin Renolyds of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said:

Of course Christian Voice are going to celebrate this , the basic premise of the GPA advert is true, unfortunately some Christians and other religious groups have and do advocate harm to gay people,.

“Religious fundamentalists represent a real threat to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, they cannot be ignored.”

GALHA secratary George Broadhead has written a letter to the GPA expressing support for their stance. He said:

It is outrageous that Christians should suggest that complaints about their homophobia amount to an attack on their ‘religious freedom’. It increasingly appears that ‘religious freedom’ amounts to a freedom to attack and insult gay people.

“The Government’s granting of exemptions from equality legislation to allow religious groups to go on discriminating against gay people is an example of this. Under the new Goods and Services Discrimination Regulations which come into effect in October, it will be illegal to discriminate against gay people in the provision of goods and services from that date, but religious groups are pressing for exemptions that would allow them, uniquely, to continue to do so. How religious people can claim that their faith is not homophobic is incomprehensible.”

That last point hits the nail on the head perfectly. These organisations say that their religion is not homophobic, and yet want to discriminate against gays. Some of these, such as the Christian Institute are even registered charities. How discriminatory organisations are allowed to be charities is beyond me. But with holy Tony wanting to have US-style “faith based” welfare (read Chrisitan/Islamic based welfare) it could become more common in future.

MWW of course joins GALHA in expressing support for the GPA’s stance. As we mentioned in the original post on this, if the complaint against them is succesful, it would be illegal to suggest that religious belief can lead to violence.

Everyone’s favourite Christian fundamentalist Stephen “Dogshit” Green has chirped up on the controversy over the recent advertisment from the Gay Police Association.

According to him, it isn’t the Chrisitian Institute or the Chrisitan Police Association who are responsible for the furore. It’s him. He says:

Although the Gay Police Association cannot abide the Christian Police Association, it is the actions of Christian Voice which appear to have tipped them into the clutches of the men in white coats.

And also gloats over his poorly written spoof website “True Vision”.

Just when you think things are looking up. The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association has learned that the Rev “Macho” George Hargreaves, leader of Operation Christian Vote, is seeking a private prosecution of the GPA for their bloody bible ad.

The Crown Prosecution service dropped the case last week, dismayed the writer of Sinita’s 80s disco classic So Macho:

I believe there is a case to answer in this matter, and that there is sufficient evidence to prove the necessary legal test set out in the Public Order Act (not least the evidence of the 40,000 people who lodged official complaints with the police). I also believe that it is not in the public interest for this case to be dropped – to do so would give the impression that Police officers are above the law

One small matter you seem to be overlooking, Georgie: no law was broken.

He has the backing of the whinging hypocrites at the Christian Lawyers Association, a group that thinks that the right to free speech applies only to themselves.

(Thanks to Feòrag at the Pagan Prattle)

MWW has reported on the Christian Council of Britain and their links with the BNP before. Now Bartholomew reports that the founder of the organisation, the Reverend Robert West, has been suspended from the Conservative Party after addressing a BNP meeting in Huddersfield. A Tory party spokesman commented on the suspension, saying “The BNP is an odious and abhorrent organisation. The councillor has been suspended from the council’s Conservative group and local association pending an investigation.”

Mr West gave a speech in which he denounced inter-racial marriage, and quoted the Bible as the source of this belief. Scarily, this man is on the Lincolnshire Council for Racial Equality. He also said that the CCB has been formed to counter attacks on free speech. If that’s the case why did they use protests against Jerry Springer: The Opera to help get their message across?

The CCB was formed as a counterpoint to the Muslim Council of Britain, which has also claimed to support free speech, when Iqbal Sacranie was questioned by the police after his comments against gay marriage on Radio 4 back in January, and has also campaigned for censorship, with reagrds to to Mo-toons. So the CCB and MCB have at least one thing in common: Hypocrisy.

In reaction to the absurd police investigation sparked by Sir Idiot Sacranie’s anti-homosexuality remarks on Radio 4, a cross-section of Muslim representatives wrote a letter to The Times:

Sir, In light of the bizarre news that the Metropolitan Police is to “investigate” comments about homosexuality made by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, (report, Jan 12) we, the undersigned, Imams and representatives of various British Muslim organisations, affirm that Sir Iqbal’s views faithfully reflected mainstream Islamic teachings.

The Koran and, we believe, the Bible, together with all the Prophets of God, up to and including Muhammad (peace be upon them all), taught that marriage should be between man and woman, not between people of the same sex. The practice of homosexuality is regarded as being sinful in Islam.

We are deeply concerned about the breakdown of basic family values and the undermining of the key institution of marriage in Britain today. All Britons, whether they are in favour of homosexuality or not, should be allowed to freely express their views in an atmosphere free of intimidation or bullying. We cannot claim to be a truly free and open society while we are trying to silence dissenting views.

HABIBUR RAHMAN
President, Islamic Forum
Europe
ABDUL HAMEED QURESHI
Lancashire Council of Mosques
MAWLANA ABDUL HADI UMRI,
Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, Birmingham
MAWLANA RASHID RABBANI,
Jamiat-e-Ulama, Bradford
MAWLANA MUHAMMAD ADAM,
Bolton Council of Mosques
ABDUL KARIM GHEEWALA
Federation of Muslim Organisations, Leicestershire
MAWLANA BOSTAN QADRI,
Confederation of Sunni Mosques, Birmingham
IMA ABDUL QADIR BARKATULLAH
North Finchley Mosque, London
DR SUHAIB HASAN,
Islamic Shariah Council
MR ZAHIR BIRAWI,
Grand Mosque, Leeds
IMAM DR ABDUL JALIL SAJID,
Council of Mosques, London and Southern Counties
DR MUNIR AHMED,
Islamic Society of Britain
MR AHMED SHEIKH,
Muslim Association of Britain
MR IDRIS MEARS,
Association of Muslim Schools
DR ABDUL FATTAH SAEED,
Al Muntada al Islami, London
DR YUNES TEINAZ,
Regent’s Park Mosque, London
DR HAFIZ AL-KARMI,
Mayfair Islamic Centre, London
MR ISMAIL PATEL,
Friends of al-Aqsa
DR MANAZIR AHSAN,
Islamic Foundation, Leicester
DR AHMAD HASAN,
World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithnasheri Muslim Community
MR MUNAWWAR RATTANSI,
Council of European Jamaats
MR YOUSUF BHAILOK,
Former Secretary-General, The Muslim Council of Britain

MWW agrees with the undersigned that the police investigation is “bizarre”. And we particularly welcome the apparent change of heart evidenced in the final paragraph, which clearly means that those organisations which supported the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill have now seen the error of their ways and come to the realisation that free expression is no offence.

We are also looking forward to public expressions of support, on the same principle, for Salman Rushdie and Carsten Juste, the editor of Jylands-Posten who is about to be sued for “blasphemy” in the European Court of Human Rights.

Because they can’t all be hypocrites. Can they?