Religious Left

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2/18/2009 9:00 AM PST - 1.5 hrs GayTalkRadio at 9 AM (PST). Call in during the live show (646) 929-2576 otherwise call voicemail at (360) 283-5052 or send me email tom@GayTalkRadio.org . Todays (Wednesday) show was about Gay Marriage, Lawrence King, Muslims and more. Join Tom for some laughs along with your news. Click here to listen now . We are on a mission to start a new dedicated LGBT Channel/Station. To hear more about this, click here . Donations and or sponsors are welcome. Please click here to donate . Please visit www.GayTalkRadio.org . All the best to you and yours.

Interview with Parvez Sharma, the film maker talks with The Edge about his recent film A Jihad for Love and more .

Pink News UK The tenth anniversary of the establishment of a leading Muslim lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans support organisation will be celebrated with a conference in London next month. Imaan is the largest network for Muslim LGBT people outside the USA. Delegates from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the UK will be joined by representatives of the Metropolitan Police, Stonewall, the Terence Higgins Trust, UK Black Pride at the fourth LGBT Muslim Conference in London from Friday 17 October to Sunday 19 October. The conference is open to all Muslim lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people, their family, friends, and supporters. full article

When the Muslim religion shows its hatred for gays we hear very little from the Muslim community. [ link ] [ link ] [ link ] [ link ] But now that a DVD showing Muslim's in a bad light is makinig the rounds, they are up in arms. Since you folks are selective with your simpathy and compassion, don't be surprised to discover "what goes around comes around"! Interesting how quickly you folks yell and scream when the shoe is on the other foot! The name of the movie on the DVD is OBSESSION: RADICAL ISLAM'S WAR AGAINST THE WEST . Click here to view the trailer .

B92 News Dozens of hooligans tried to stop the first exhibition of homosexual culture in Bosnia-Herzegovina. They threw rocks at the Sarajevo Art Academy building during the opening of the event. The police was able to push back the rioters. The hooligans, some with their faces covered, and other with long beards, were yelling insults at the festival participants and shouting, “Allahu Akbar!” full article

Over at Doc's Talk there's a interesting article in regards to Europe and Islam. Click here to read the article.

Blitz Muslims in Bangladesh are set to give warmest welcome to the holy month of Ramadan, which begins just in hours, right after the sun set of Monday. like every year, we do not want to see that the Ramadan turns into mere days of fasting for Muslims, while most of the evils in our souls and minds remain unchanged and un cleaned. But, the basic theme of Ramadan is to cleanse people’s soul and mind. It teaches us to burn all the evils within us. But, what we do in reality? Continue what we have been doing for the past 11 months of the Muslim calender year! We although fast from the sunrise to sunset, we do not change at all. Rather, evils within us turns much sharpened and wilder during this auspicious month. The name "Ramadan" is the name of the ninth month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm [fasting], charity, and ...

by Staff Writer Pink News UK The first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress has given very public support to gay rights. In a statement on his website Keith Ellison, who has represented the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota in the House of Representatives since January 2007, said: "I am proud to join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Barney Frank today in launching the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus." Ms Baldwin and Mr Frank are the only openly gay people in Congress. full article

Many christians would like us to believe Christianity is the only true religion. So I couldn’t help but chuckle a little when I saw the proverbial shoe on the other foot. A short blurb of news on Ecumenical News International informs how Christians in Pakistan (a Muslim country) are being charged under blasphemy laws.

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 11, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — President Yahya Jammeh’s reported threats to expel or kill lesbian and gay people not only encourage hatred, but also contribute to a climate in which basic rights can be assaulted with impunity, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the president released today . Human Rights Watch called on Jammeh to completely disavow all such statements, and to work toward repealing the country’s colonial-era sodomy law, which allows arbitrary and discriminatory arrests and invasion of privacy. According to the Gambian newspaper, The Daily Observer, Jammeh was quoted as saying, “We are in a Muslim dominated country and I will not and shall never accept such individuals [homosexuals] in this country.” During the speech he also vowed to “cut off the head” of any homosexual caught. The government has since denied that Jammeh called for decapitating homosexuals, without addressing his other reported threats. Gambia ratified the African ...

by Tony Grew Pink News UK Gay people in Holland have been shocked by a public attack on a gay man in Amsterdam. Model Mike Du Pree was taking part in a fashion show to promote tolerance towards gay people when a gang of ten Muslim youths dragged him from the catwalk and beat him. A Dutch MP has called for the youths to be deported. Mr Du Pree's nose was broken in the attack, which was motivated by homophobia. Police arrived on the scene but it is unclear whether the ten homophobic Muslim youths were arrested or charged. full article

Fitna is a 2008 short film (16 minutes) by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. The film explores Qur'anic motivation for terrorism, Islamic universalism, and Islam in the Netherlands. The film's title comes from the Arabic word fitna which is used to describe "disagreement and division among people", or a "test of faith in times of trial". [ more info at WIKIPEDIA ]

As the director of "A Jihad for Love" -- the world's first documentary to take a close look at Islam and homosexuality -- I am coming out as a Muslim man. My gay identity is secondary. Queer cinema is filled with stories of gays and lesbians revealing their sexuality, but my film is about people revealing their religion. With this film, the story of a 1,428-year-old religion is told by its most unlikely storytellers -- gay and lesbian Muslims. Making this film and finding subjects who would be willing to share their stories with me was a "jihad" (struggle) in itself. In many of the cases it took me years to convince the subjects to participate, and I had to build relationships of mutual trust with them. What made it easier and certainly worth the challenge was that I was a Muslim like my subjects and we had much in common because of the backgrounds we came from. The entire process took six years of my life -- and these six years I cherish dearly for everything t...

According to Amnesty International IRAN Makwan Moloudzadeh (m), aged 21, child offender Child offender Makwan Moloudzadeh, an Iranian Kurd, is believed to be at risk of imminent execution. He has reportedly been convicted of lavat-e iqabi (anal sex) for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old boy. Makwan Moloudzadeh was aged 13 at the time of the alleged offence. His death sentence has been passed to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences and he is due to be executed in public, near his home. He was reportedly arrested on 1 October 2006 in Paveh, in the western province of Kermanshah. He was detained in Paveh Prison and later transferred to Kermanshah Central Prison. Following interrogations in Paveh during which he was reportedly ill-treated, he was tried by Branch 1 of the Kermanshah Criminal Court and on 7 June 2007 he was sentenced to death. The witnesses and the two people who had pressed charges against him withdrew their claims after the trial. Under Iranian law, children (boy...

Many Muslims ascend on Mecca (pictured) during Ramadan. "Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast. This includes a fast of smoking, drinking (yes, even water) and even sex. They evening meal begins at sunset and is an event usually shared with family (almost like Thanksgiving everyday for 30 days). As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking. My Muslim ex-boyfriend once told me it's a time of absolution for the past years "regressions". During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. Th...