Canadian Muslims invite execute-all-gays speaker to "unity" conference

That's a bit - no, a lot - like inviting a speaker who calls for the execution of all Muslims to one of our "unity" conferences.

I doubt Canadian Muslim leaders would be very thrilled with any of us inviting someone like that to any of our events.  How could they?

Toronto Sun:

Dr. Bilal Philips, a Canadian-born Muslim preacher with reputed links to terrorists who's been ousted from several countries, is to be a speaker at the Power of Unity Conference.

The event, being held by the Muslim Council of Calgary June 29 to July 1, aims to celebrate multiculturalism and more than a half-century of Islam in Canada.

On his website, the Islamic convert said AIDS is a message from God about the perils of homosexuality and last year in Toronto he was quoted as saying "according to Islamic law, homosexuals should be executed if caught in the act."

Oh and he's been banned from a number of countries, including Germany, because of his hate.  Nice, so he's a bigot who wants gays executed, thinks AIDS is a message from God, and he's reputed to have ties to terrorists.

So, Calgary's Muslim leadership wants non-Muslims around the world to believe the far-right stereotype of Muslims as backwards, terrorist, haters.  Congratulations, it worked. Read the rest of this post...

Israeli PM Netanyahu mentioned gays in his address to Congress

I'd missed this from the other day:

So today the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. And like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less traveled, the path of liberty.

No one knows what this path consists of better than you. Nobody.

This path of liberty is not paved by elections alone. It’s paved when governments permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers, when judges are beholden to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule.

Israel has always embraced this path in a Middle East that has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.

Before anyone poo-poos this, he's the conservative leader of a government that panders to religious extremists. Yet he has no problem mentioning gays in an address to another government that is somewhat equivocal on, and even downright hostile to, gay rights. It's not nothing. Read the rest of this post...

Hummus Queens

Very cool article about a gay Arab rave that goes on in NYC every month (except Ramadan).

The dancers included plenty of non-Arab men, many of whom Abraham said were regulars.
“Hummus queens,” a 24-year-old grocery clerk from Queens named Hilal joked at one of the parties. “That’s what you call white guys who go for Arabs.”

Some of the guests yearned for something more than just a good time. “There’s a lot of post-9/11 baggage that people want to deal with,” Hilal said during another party. “But the only option they have is to go out to a club and dance?”

Still, Hilal, wearing a “Hummus Is Yummus” T-shirt and a Mohawk haircut, took his place on the dance floor, too.

The next Habibi is this Sunday, Jan. 16 at La Pomme, 37 West 26th Street in Chelsea. More information is available from habibi@habibinyc.com Habibi e-mail address or the party’s Web site; its Myspace page or its Facebook page. There is a $10 admission charge.

The article reminds me of a gay Spanish dance club I went to in Barcelona, now a good ten years ago. I think it was BCN, but am not sure if it was a different club. I was dancing with some Spanish guy who asked me if I wanted to go to the "back room." In American parlance, a back room is a dark corner where you go to have sex. I said no thanks. He said, no, come on, we can watch people dance. Curious, I went. It was amazing. About a dozen Spanish couples (all male) dancing the Flamenco in this small, smoke-filled room. It was simply wonderful. And sad. My host informed that most of these guys were not out one bit during the day. That was ten years ago, perhaps it's changed. But it was thrilling to watch everyone come out, with flaming Flamenco, if only for a few hours every Saturday night. Read the rest of this post...

BBC on gay life after Saddam

They've got a radio report that they've posted online. It starts about 5:30 into the report. The BBC reports that gay life is actually worse in Iraq after the US invasion. Read the rest of this post...