Top Muslim doctor suspended for saying 'transsexuals are twisted and society needs protection from gays

04/11/2008

A Muslim doctor who claimed homosexuals 'prey on society' was guilty of
misconduct by undermining confidence in the Islamic medical community, a
disciplinary panel ruled yesterday.

Dr Muhammad Siddiq, at the time president of the Islamic Medical
Association, wrote to a GPs' magazine accusing homosexuals of spreading
disease and said they needed to feel 'the stick of the law'. He also branded
transsexuals 'twisted'.

The 65-year-old, who trained in Pakistan, stated that society needed to be
protected from the ' ravages' of homosexuality and claimed 99 per cent of
British Muslims agreed with him.

He later claimed the letter was a 'spoof' created by his son which he had
sent by mistake, but yesterday the General Medical Council said that was a
lie and found him guilty of misconduct.

It ruled that his 'offensive and homophobic' comments could have dissuaded
gay and sex-change patients from seeking vital medical treatment.

Dr Siddiq was also found guilty of misconduct over an inquiry into the death
of a baby boy he had circumcised. There was no direct link, but he ignored a
later order to stop doing minor surgery.

The panel suspended him from practising for 12 months, the maximum period
available.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1082842/Top-Muslim-doctor-suspended-saying-transsexuals-twisted-society-needs-protection-gays.html#

Vatican approves gay tests for priests

October 31, 2008

The Vatican has acknowledged that psychological tests could
help identify candidates for the Catholic priesthood who show homosexual
tendencies.
While condoning the use of such tests by Catholic seminaries, a document
released today and approved by Pope Benedict XVI says they must be strictly
voluntary.

"Deep-seated homosexual tendencies" and "uncertain sexual identity" are
listed in the document along with "excessive rigidity of character" and
"strong affective dependencies" as traits that might make a candidate
unsuitable for the priesthood.

The document, made public by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic
Education, stipulates that psychological testing must always have the
candidate's "previous, explicit, informed, and free consent".

Pedophile priest scandals that have hit the Catholic Church in recent years
were not the "primary cause" behind the document, as the church has
reflected for decades on the relationship between religious faith and
psychology, the Congregation's secretary, Monsignor Jean-Louis Brugues, told
a news conference.

But they helped "accelerate" the process and were "certainly a determining
factor," he said.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/vatican-approves-gay-tests-for-priests/story-e6frg6to-1111117908833

Identifikovan gen povezan sa transeksualnošću

27.10.2008.

Australijski stručnjaci saopštavaju da su identifikovali gen koji bi
mogao da objasni zašto su neki muškarci transeksualci, objavljeno je u
Sidneju.

Decenijama se vodi debata oko uzročnika transeksualnosti, a neke
skorašnje studije ukazuju da bi porodična istorija i genetika mogle da
imaju veze s polnim identitetom. U dosad najvećoj genetskoj studiji
obavljenoj na transeksualcima, australijski istraživači s Instituta za
medicinska istraživanja pri Monaš univerzitetu, došli su do zaključka
da bi tranšeksualnost mogla da bude u vezi sa AR (skraćeno od
androgeni receptor) genom za koji je poznato da modifikuje efekat
muškog seksualnog hormona testosterona. "Postoji društveni žig da je
transeksualnost samo životni izbor, međutim, naša otkrića podržvaju
biološku osnovu razvoja polnog identiteta", kaže vođa istraživanja
Vinsent Harli.

Australijski stručnjaci su prikupili uzorke DNK 112 muških
transeksualaca i ustanovili su da je kod njih povećana verovatnoća
duže verzije AR gena nego u drugoj razmatranoj grupi, koju je činilo
258 muškaraca koji nemaju transeksualne sklonosti. Duži AR gen
konstanovan je kod 55,4 odsto transeksualaca i kod 47,6 odsto
netranšeksualaca. Duži AR gen bi mogao da ometa efikasnost
testosteronskih signala - mehanizma koji maskulinizuje mozak u ranom,
možda već i u fetalnom razvoju. To bi mogao da bude uzrok nekompletne
maskulinizacije mozga, pa on biva feminiziraniji, odnosno stiče
karakteristike ženskog polnog identiteta.

Some news that should be gladly forgotten but...

October 24, 2008
FATWA ON TOMBOYS

KOTA BARU: The National Fatwa Council has ruled that tomboyism, where a girl behaves or dresses in a boyish manner, is forbidden in Islam.

Its chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said the decision was prompted by recent developments as there had been cases of young women inclined to behave like men and indulging in homosexuality.

Parents must stop their children from indulging in disruptive activities that are against Islamic teachings, he told reporters here yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's main body of Islamic clerics has issued an edict banning tomboys in the Muslim-majority country, ruling that girls who act like boys violate the tenets of Islam, an official said Friday.

The National Fatwa Council forbade the practice of girls behaving or dressing like boys during a meeting Thursday in northern Malaysia, said Harussani Idris Zakaria, the mufti of northern Perak state, who attended the gathering.

Harussani said an increasing number of Malaysian girls behave like tomboys, and that some of them engage in homosexuality. Homosexuality is not explicitly banned in Malaysia, but it is effectively illegal under a law that prohibits sex acts "against the order of nature."

Harussani said the council's ruling was not legally binding because it has not been passed into law, but that tomboys should be banned because their actions are immoral.

"It doesn't matter if it's a law or not. When it's wrong, it's wrong. It is a sin," Harussani told The Associated Press. "Tomboy (behavior) is forbidden in Islam."

Under the edict, girls are forbidden to sport short hair and dress, walk and act like boys, Harussani said. Boys should also not act like girls, he said.

"They must respect God. God created them as boys, they must behave like boys. God created them as girls, they must act like girls," he said.

Council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said the ruling was prompted by recent cases of young women behaving like men and indulging in homosexuality, according to the national news agency Bernama. He did not elaborate.

Malaysian media have reported on recent incidents of school bullying among girls, which have been caught on film and circulated on the Internet. In one film, some girls are seen beating up another girl in a bathroom.

A well-known Malaysian Muslim actress caused an uproar last year when she shaved her head bald for a film. Harussani and other muftis urged Muslims not to watch the movie, arguing that the actress had violated Islam by making herself look like a man.

"Muallaf," or "the convert," is scheduled for release in Singapore next month, but no date has been set for its release in Malaysia.

Muslims make up some 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people, and are subject to Islamic laws and the council's edicts, even if the rulings have not been enshrined in national or Shariah law.

It was not immediately clear what kind of punishment awaited those who violate the tomboy edict, or "fatwa." Malays generally follow the council's "fatwas" out of deference, but violators rarely get into trouble unless the edict is incorporated into national or Shariah law.

MALAYSIA BANS WOMEN FROM WEARING MEN’S CLOTHES AND LESBIAN SEXUAL RELATIONS
Malaysian women have been banned from "tom-boyism" and lesbian sexual relations in a fatwa from one of the country's top religious authorities.

By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent
The Daily Telegraph, Friday 24 Oct 2008

According to the chairman of the National Fatwa Council, Abdul Shukor Husin, many young women admire the was men dress and behave, which is a denial of their femininity and a violation of human nature.

"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," he complained, adding, "(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman."

"In view of this," Dr Abdul explained, "the National Fatwa Council which met today have decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned."

Male homosexuality - specifically sodomy - is illegal in Malaysia and punishable with up to twenty years in jail. Accusations of sodomy have twice been levelled against the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in what he says are politically motivated attempts to destroy him.

However, lawyers say there is no provision banning lesbian sex in Malaysia's civil code. The latest fatwa appears to be an attempt to push lesbianism towards illegality.

In addition to civil courts, Malaysia operates a parallel Sharia system which has jurisdiction over the country's Muslims.

Islam is multi-ethnic Malaysia's official religion and is practised by 60 per cent of the population who are ethnic Malays. Some members of the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities complain about rising conservatism in Malaysian Islam.

Women's dress is a particular preoccupation for religious authorities.  In July a provincial city issued guidelines urging women to avoid lipstick and high heels. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/3250905/Malaysia-bans-women-from-wearing-mens-clothes-and-lesbian-sexual-relations.html

Hartford, Connecticut - Najviši sudski organ u Connecticutu iznenadio
je sve sa svojom neočekivanom odlukom u petak kojom je zabrana
venčanja gay i lezbejskim parovima ukinuta, čineći ovu novoenglesku
državu treću u SAD koja je dozvolila punokrvne brakove za istopolne
parove.

Posle četiri godine pravnih zavrzlama u državnom sudskom aparatu,
Visoki sud Connecticuta izglasao je sa 4:3 da je zabrana gay braka
"jasna šteta" i zadiranje u "fundamentalna prava" istopolnih parova.

Ova odluka prati legalizaciju gay brakova u Kaliforniji nešto ranije
ove godine, kao i onu u Masačusetsu iz 2003. Aktivisti lgbt prava su
pozdravili poruku smatrajući da je ovo veličanstven dan za borbe u
raznim državama koje dele ljude na različite kulture.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/10/11/us-gaymarriage-connecticut-idUSTRE4996BE20081011

The head of the British Army has made military history by addressing a conference on homosexuality

12 Oct 2008

Gen Sir Richard said that respect for gays, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-sexual officers and soldiers was now 'a command responsibility' for the Army

In a speech to the conference in London on Thursday, – the first of its kind by any Army chief – Gen Sir Richard said that respect for gays, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-sexual officers and soldiers was now "a command responsibility" and was vital for "operational effectiveness".

    In the speech, he said: "We have made real progress in our understanding of equality and diversity in the military context, and there is a desire to achieve more yet.  My recent Equality and Diversity Directive for the Army sets the standard that we must live by, and, importantly, it communicates that standard to everyone in the chain of command.

    "Respect for Others", one of the Army's core values, is at the heart of this directive.

    "Respect for others is not an optional extra, it is a command responsibility and an essential part of leadership, teamwork and operational effectiveness.  We must get dealing with one another in the Army right, so that we also get it right when dealing with other populations on operations, when we often have men and women from other nations under command."

    The Army has often had a difficult relationship with the gay community in comparison to the Royal Navy and RAF.  Only last year, Gen Dannatt banned soldiers in uniform from attending the Gay Pride march.  By contrast, gay personnel from the Royal Navy and the RAF were encouraged to attend in uniform.

    Sources close to the general, who is a Christian with deeply held views, said that Gen Dannatt was determined to speak at the conference because he wanted to demonstrate that the modern Army is a tolerant organisation, where people of any sexual orientation can make a valuable contribution.

    The source added: "There will be a reaction to this by some in the Army but I think the majority of soldiers will welcome it.  Being gay isn't the issue it once was.  What matters on the battlefield is how you fight not who you sleep with – it's just not an issue."

    The armed forces ban on homosexual serviced personnel was lifted in 2000 following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which described it as a "grave interference" into the private life of individuals.