Spreading Democracy in the Middle East
I found some interesting information on the More Light Presbyterian message board. This August, Jerusalem Open House, Jerusalem’s center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, is hosting an international interfaith gathering, WorldPride 2005. Religious leaders of various faiths who do not agree with this have launched an international campaign to pressure the Israeli authorities to cancel the event. Among Americans working to force cancellation of WorldPride 2005 are Texas evangelist Mike Evans; Leo Giovinetti, pastor of the Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California; and Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America.
Just imagine, for a moment, that WorldPride 2005 were being held in a city in the United States. Probably, no one would try to have it canceled. Demonstrators who did not agree with the participants would show up and demonstrate. The protesters would not be fond of the participants, and the participants would find the demonstrators very annoying. People would walk by the conference. They would find out what was going on inside, and they would hear the demonstrators. They would be able to think about it and decide for themselves whether they agreed with the participants in WorldPride, the demonstrators, or neither of them.
I don’t know who Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin voted for. I don’t know if they have announced how they voted publicly. However, I would think it is more likely they voted for Bush. Isn’t Bush the guy who says he is trying to spread democracy in the Middle East? In fact, since he’s president, doesn’t that mean that our country has a policy of trying to encourage democracy in the Middle East? How democratic is this to pressure the Israelis to cancel this event so that no one’s voice will be heard? Not only will a whole segment of the population be silenced; those who disagree and want to protest will be silenced as well. The people who could have walked by WorldPride 2005 will not get to see what is going on, hear the protests against it, think about it, and decide what they think about the issues raised.
Don’t the Israeli people deserve the same democracy and freedom of speech we enjoy in the United States? Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin seem to feel that the democracy we spread in the Middle East should be less democratic than the democracy they have in this country. If we are serious about spreading democracy in the Middle East, we must stand up for the same freedom of speech and assembly we have in this country, even if those exercising it are unpopular to some.
Just imagine, for a moment, that WorldPride 2005 were being held in a city in the United States. Probably, no one would try to have it canceled. Demonstrators who did not agree with the participants would show up and demonstrate. The protesters would not be fond of the participants, and the participants would find the demonstrators very annoying. People would walk by the conference. They would find out what was going on inside, and they would hear the demonstrators. They would be able to think about it and decide for themselves whether they agreed with the participants in WorldPride, the demonstrators, or neither of them.
I don’t know who Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin voted for. I don’t know if they have announced how they voted publicly. However, I would think it is more likely they voted for Bush. Isn’t Bush the guy who says he is trying to spread democracy in the Middle East? In fact, since he’s president, doesn’t that mean that our country has a policy of trying to encourage democracy in the Middle East? How democratic is this to pressure the Israelis to cancel this event so that no one’s voice will be heard? Not only will a whole segment of the population be silenced; those who disagree and want to protest will be silenced as well. The people who could have walked by WorldPride 2005 will not get to see what is going on, hear the protests against it, think about it, and decide what they think about the issues raised.
Don’t the Israeli people deserve the same democracy and freedom of speech we enjoy in the United States? Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin seem to feel that the democracy we spread in the Middle East should be less democratic than the democracy they have in this country. If we are serious about spreading democracy in the Middle East, we must stand up for the same freedom of speech and assembly we have in this country, even if those exercising it are unpopular to some.
posted by Theodosia @ 5:59 AM
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