Gay Humanists Welcome Home Secretary’s Stance on Islamic Extremists

KENILWORTH, 24 AUGUST 2005 — The UK-based Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has warmly welcomed the announcement made today by the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, concerning the deportation and exclusion from the UK of extremist Muslim clerics. It hopes that this ban will include Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who visited Britain in July 2004 at the invitation of London’s mayor, Ken Livingstone, and was given a warm welcome at the GLA’s City Hall. This welcome was met with strenuous protest from a coalition of gay groups including GALHA, OutRage!, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, and School’s Out!, as well as Hindu, Jewish and Sikh groups.

GALHA’s secretary, George Broadhead, said: “We have written to the Home Secretary urging him to ban Sheikh Al-Qaradawi who has made his extremist views very clear in his speeches and books, and via his website, and who is currently banned from the USA.

“Sheikh Al-Qaradawi supports the killing of homosexuals to keep society pure, the killing of Israelis (including civilians), the killing of apostates, and the mutilation of women’s genitals. More information about his extremist views can be found on our website.

“We hope that Mr Clarke will also consider banning extremist Christians who advocate violence, such as the US evangelist Pat Robertson who has recently called for the assassination of Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president.”