New Delhi, July 02: Muslim community leaders have come out in opposition of the DHC judgement. “It is wrong to legalise homosexuality. We will not accept any such law,” reacted Jama Masjid Imam Ahmed Bukhari. He was critical of the government’s role in this. “If the government makes such attempt to scrap Section 377, we will oppose it strongly.”
All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahli said homosexuality is not allowed by any religion. “It is against all religions. It is against the culture of Indian society. We feel there is no need to legalise homosexuality. This practice is unnatural. It should continue as a criminal act.”
As far as the Christian leaders are concerned, Father Dominic Immanuel said that churches have no objection to decriminalisation of homosexuality but with a rider that ‘it should not be legalised.’ We have no objection to decriminalisation of homosexuality because we do not consider these people as criminals on par with other criminals,” Immanuel said. “Churches do not approve of homosexual relations as ethical and moral rights of the people,” he said.
Immanuel elaborated saying that “It is against nature. Our position is that homosexuality should not be legalised,” he said with a word of caution that “such practice will increase paedophilia and HIV/AIDS.”
Gay right activists have welcome the judgement. Supreme Court lawyer and gay activist Aditya Bandhipadhyay said in his reaction that “It opens for us an opportunity to claim all civil rights denied to Lesbian Gays Bisexual and Transgender people for 160 years.” He was happy about that fact that in the eye of judiciary values of human rights is more then the “myopic public reaction and the tyranny of the majority.”
Another gay right activist, Arif Jafar who heads Naz foundation Lucknow, “I think it is a good news after a long time. The efforts of so many people have finally been rewarded.” He was hopeful that the cases of harassment and blackmailing by police will come down.
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