The Palestinian police spokesperson made a shocking announcement the other day when he declared that a scheduled event for an LGBT organization was canceled. He called people to inform them about any suspicious person related to this organization. He defied homosexuality and assured that it was against Palestinian unity and heritage.
From one side, the timing is absurd. Last week the Palestinian society was busy with a sexual harassment case that resulted in the shooting of the accused harasser who is a doctor six months ago, and upon requesting the presence of the doctor in the investigation, the union of doctors defied the order of the police and declared a general strike.
Can list tens of severe, dangerous, urgent cases that the police need to urgently interfere in, including violence against women, armed violence among youth, drugs, assaults, the land is leaking to the Israeli settler organizations, and nonstop corruption claims, and much more.
The LGBT event is not the most urgent Palestinian issue that Palestinian society needs to steer, yet it took over all forums.
From one side, it is an essential issue that one needs to discuss openly. From another side, it is hard to explain such affairs when you are watching out for the final defeat of Jerusalem into a complete Israelization and de facto rule.
When you need to watch out for yet another invasion on Gaza. When the expansion in the settlements is outrageous. When daily outbursts in the Aqsa mosques are taking place. All amid a rightist, an extremist Israeli government is seeking every opportunity amid the continuous Palestinian self-destruction.
The outrage that occurred among the public is much worse than the statement of the police spokesperson. You realize that you live inside a pre-explosive creature made of Daesh minds.
I always think that my critical views on the different aspects of the Palestinian authority are perceived with much scrutiny. This time the hundreds of comments that followed on my published articles were outrageous. The number of insults and rage was beyond expectation.
Facebook is filled with insults and rage against any post that defies the cancellation of the LGBT event. It is an actual hazardous, freaking situation—this amount of bitterness in the general public against homosexuality.
Sadly, or Ironically, homosexuality is increasing, and more and more people are coming out. The fact that you may encounter such a person is high. But yet, the denial accompanied by such rage is too much to understand.
The question remains, if homosexuality is a sickness, as these people are describing, then why not check out why these people are sick? Why not diagnose this sickness? Why not look for cures?
A basic answer to such “sickness” will lead to child abuse and harassment, and dysfunctionality at home, school, and street. So we know pretty well about the “sickness.” is it not proper to become ragouts on those who cause this “sickness” from parents, families, neighbors, and societal structure that leads to this?
Seeing the attacks people are raging on social media against LGBT is only a reflection of an internalized Daesh mentality that resides deeply in our brains. There is no logical explanation for this amount of hate expressed so boldly by the community on all its levels.
Cultural figures, as writers and poets. Journalists, politicians are joining forces in igniting hatred against homosexuals. It is no wonder that the community at large is expressing the same level of hostility.
I wonder if attacking LGBT will make them lesser. IF we continue to defy and insist on their non-normal existence in our traditional preserved cultures of religious background, would they disappear?
What scares me most in this wave of hatred is that LGBT is going out more and more. They are more conscious about their rights and more aware of their uniqueness; this makes them more exposed and makes the situation more explosive. IT makes LGBT closer to the protected zones of a society that actively believes that homosexuality is an act of occupation, colonization, and imposed western satanic culture!!! This person could be a brother, a son, a father, an uncle, a nephew, a neighbor, a teacher, or anyone we deal with frequently, and yet, he needs to hide his true identity because we might turn into his worst enemy.
It is so hard to be anyone in this society… but a repetitive noise of the mass.
Thank you Nadia.