Adventist Support in Inter-Religious Council that Pushes Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Law
27 March 2023 |
A recent bill passed by the Ugandan parliament to crack down on homosexual activities has become the subject of much debate internationally. While laws against it are already present, the bill introduces a new set of offenses including being imprisoned for identifying as gay, supporting gay rights in any way, distributing pro-gay material, and even going so far as to combine acts of homosexuality with child trafficking and pedophilia. It also pressures members of the community to report on anyone they might see who is in a same-sex relationship to the government.
According to the BBC, some aspects of the bill discussed in Parliament included:
- A person who is convicted of grooming or trafficking children for purposes of engaging them in homosexual activities faces life in prison
- Individuals or institutions which support or fund LGBT rights’ activities or organizations, or publish, broadcast and distribute pro-gay media material and literature, also face prosecution and imprisonment
- Media groups, journalists, and publishers face prosecution and imprisonment for publishing, broadcasting, distribution of any content that advocates for gay rights or “promotes homosexuality”
- Death penalty for what is described as “aggravated homosexuality”, that is sexual abuse of a child, a person with disability or vulnerable people, or in cases where a victim of homosexual assault is infected with a life-long illness
- Property owners also face risk of being jailed if their premises are used as a “brothel” for homosexual acts or any other sexual minorities rights’ activities
Opposition lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa proposed the bill to Parliament, “saying it aims to ‘protect our church culture; the legal, religious and traditional family values of Ugandans from the acts that are likely to promote sexual promiscuity in this country,” according to CNN.
In February, the news site Monitor reported that a group called The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) “had vowed to do everything possible to have the anti-same-sex Bill returned to Parliament, as one of the measures to tackle the spread of homosexuality, especially in schools.” Key members of the Inter-Religious Council include:
- Presiding Apostle of the Born Again Faith in Uganda,
- Joseph Sserwadda Mufti of Uganda Sheikh, Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje,
- Archbishop of Church of Uganda, Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu,
- Kiyinda/Mityana Diocese Bishop Antony Zziwa, and
- Ugandan Seventh Day Adventist Church president, Moses Maka Ndimukika
A recent report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner states:
“The passing of this discriminatory bill – probably among the worst of its kind in the world – is a deeply troubling development…If signed into law by the President, it will render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are. It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other…Not only does it conflict with Uganda’s own constitutional provisions stipulating equality and non-discrimination for all – it also runs counter to the country’s international legal obligations on human rights and political commitments on sustainable development, and actively puts people’s rights, health and safety at grave risk.”
