When will the "truth to power"people demand the same tolerance from Muslims?
/Absolutely nothing wrong with this petition, in my opinion: it mirrors my own belief.
Joint Statement of NASCUMC Member Presidents
On the Called General Conference and the Subject of Human SexualityJanuary 5, 2019Embracing the United Methodist Church’s core religious and humanistic values that allpersons are of sacred worth and equal standing, the 93 United Methodist (NASCUMC) affiliated colleges/universities and their respective presidents serving over 260,000 students strongly affirm access and inclusion of all students, faculty, and staff on our campuses regardless of their race, ethnicity, creed, national origin, gender, gender identity/expression, or sexual
orientation.
Noble aspirations from an institution that, bowing to pressure from another constituency, permits a Friday call to prayer from its Muslim students, who preach exactly zero tolerance — when may we expect them to turn their attention eastward, or at least to their own campus?
Al-Tirmidhi (1456), Abu Dawood (4462) and Ibn Maajah (2561) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Loot, execute the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The Sahaabah were unanimously agreed on the executing of homosexuals, but they differed as to how they were to be executed.
Some of them, such as Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq and ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with them) thought that they should be burned to death. Some of them, such as Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) thought that they should be thrown from a tall building followed by stoning. Some of them thought that they should be stoned to death, which was narrated from both ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them).
See: al-Mughni (9/58).
The reason why the one to whom such an act is done should also be executed is because he is a partner in the sin, because this sin can only be committed if both parties take part, so it is only just to carry out the punishment on both of them. Similarly in the case of zina (adultery), the punishment is carried out on both the man and the woman. Moreover there is nothing good to be gained from letting the one to whom it has been done remain alive, because of the great evil that has befallen him and because of the great evil that may result from his presence.
It says in Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha (6/174): Even though adultery and homosexuality are both immoral deeds and are both evils that go against the wisdom of Allaah in His creation and His command, in homosexuality there are innumerable evils and it is better for the one to whom it was done to be executed than to let him repeat that evil action, because he has been corrupted in such a way that there is no hope of reform for him, and there is no goodness left in him, and after that he will not feel shy before Allaah or before His creation. The sperm of the one who did that will affect his heart and soul as poison affects the body, and he does not deserve to be guided to anything good, and every time he tries to do something good, something will happen to spoil his good deed, as a punishment to him. Hardly ever do you see one who was like that in his youth but he is the worst he can be when he grows old. He does not gain any beneficial knowledge or do any righteous deeds, or repent sincerely, in most cases. Once this is established, the evil consequences of homosexuality are among the worst of evil consequences, so its punishment is one of the most severe of punishments in this world and in the Hereafter.
The companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) agreed unanimously that the homosexual is to be executed, and none of them differed concerning that. Rather they differed as to the method of execution. Some people thought that this difference means that they disagreed about executing him, so they narrated it as a matter concerning which the Sahaabah differed, but it is a matter concerning which there was consensus among them, not a matter of difference.
(While you’re waiting for campus advocates to denounce the Muslims in their midst, indulge in this bit of black/homosexual/privileged talk from a Duke student:
Madeline Reyes, a first-year master’s student in the Divinity School, participated in the student protest in March and was one of four queer women of color who interrupted Heath’s speech.
“Duke is a historically and presently very Methodist and white school, so the culture of Duke is inherently white supremacist and oppressive to LGBTQ people,” Reyes wrote in an email.
The Divinity School currently has five black faculty out of a total of 59 faculty. Duke Divinity also does not have any faculty who are openly out.
“We were feeling frustrated about black faculty leaving before we even got here, then finding out that more black faculty would be leaving,” Harris said. “We weren’t sure what the school’s plan was to hire more people. Now it’s spring 2018, and at the end of the day, no black faculty have been hired.”
She added that there are no queer theologians at Duke and no queer theology courses. Peer institutions, such as Harvard University, offer queer theology courses.
Harris and other students previously identified a Ph.D. student who would be able to teach a queer theology course. They followed the formal process of setting up the course and obtaining over 200 signatures for the course. But the course was denied last semester, Harris said this was because they started the setup process too late. The Divinity School said they could take queer-focused classes in the gender studies department.
“In the end of the day, we felt silenced. We felt like our needs were not being met," Harris said. "We were not just going to sit back and let them wait us out until we graduate."
After the student protest in March, the protesters released a list of demands. Harris said that of the five immediate demands, the first three have mostly been met, but demands four and five have not. Of the five short-term demands to be met by Fall 2018, none of them have been met, although there is some work being done on the fifth demand.
The diversity issues within the Divinity School have taken a toll on the mental health and wellness of students, and some have been physically sick, Harris explained. She said that it has been “terrible” and “tragic” that they have spent so much of their time planning and organizing, which takes hours away from their study time.
Reyes said she is considering leaving Duke altogether.
“The climate, the backlash from the protest, and the general act of being a queer person of color in such an oppressive Christian space is having an impact on my health, my mind, and my spirit,” she wrote.
She explained that the diversity issues have made her experience harder than those who can choose to not deal with the problems.
There is not one day where she does not experience a microaggression, Harris said. One particularly problematic class was her first-year mandatory spiritual formation class, where a small group of students shared their personal spiritual thoughts. She said she experienced a lot of emotional trauma from the class by having to sit and listen to people say things that were harmful and hurtful to her.
“We deal with inappropriate comments from faculty, staff, peers,” Harris said. “There are people who are non-affirming, and there are people who are silent about it, which is just as harmful. Constantly feeling invalidated and constantly feeling silenced takes a toll on our wellness.”
Harris said she is disappointed in the education she was hoping to receive at Duke. She explained that she pays a lot of money to attend this school, and it is not wrong to expect a top-tier school to fit her academic needs.
Her ultimate goal is that the Divinity School hires a queer, trans, woman of color. If Duke Divinity was able to create a climate where a black, trans, femme person could thrive, then all marginalized students would be liberated, Harris explained. She also wants scholarships for queer people and people of color, and she hopes for more summer placements in black and queer communities.
I’m not a violent person, so no, I’m not (very) tempted to smack this silly, stupid woman upside the head, but I do wish she’d just shut up.