On homosexuality: Uganda's religious leaders

 

"Homosexuality is abnormal, and we have to do anything we can to stop it. These people need to repent, need to feel guilty, need to feel that they have sinned."
Imam Sheikh Ahmed Lubega, Kololo Jamia Mosque

"Homosexuality is something that can be corrected. No one is born gay, circumstances force people into it. I don't believe that God would create something so disoriented."
Reverend Father Christopher William Kiwanuka, St. Peter's Parish Church

"Sometimes, people make poor choices. We have a church disciplinary council that will form to address those who have violated our standards of morality, and we withdraw privileges while they begin the process of repentance. For those who are rebellious and refuse to repent, they may be excommunicated and removed from the church."
Jimmy Carter, Kampala Uganda Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"Religious leaders are here to shape the world. Everyone listens to them, everyone looks up to them. And we need to listen to all of our people, not just the ones we think are most righteous."
Rachman Nagwere, Kampala Jewish Synagogue

"You can be gay and you can be a Christian. It is your choice to come to the church and talk about salvation."
Reverend Ruth Galimaka, St. John's Kamwokya, Church of Uganda

"When we come to the temple, we are just thinking about religion and nothing else. We are expats here, and because we're here we will always respect this country's laws. But the more you discuss this law, the more it is going to become a big issue."
Derang Shah, Jain Samaj Uganda

"The bible says homosexuals are sinners, just like thieves and prostitutes. But as Christians we have to love them and help them. Discriminating against them will not change anything."

"I have over 100 homosexual and lesbian friends on Facebook. I use it to talk with them and point them to Jesus. We have to welcome these people into our community."
Brother Martin Walugembe, Grace Church Ntinda

"People need to be really taught about homosexuality first before they make up their minds about the law. I haven't heard enough about them, so I don't want to give my opinion because I don't know the facts well enough yet."
Pastor Emmanuel Wambala, Holy Temple Church

"The government can't justify what is right and wrong. My law is the bible."

"I found out that a high school friend is gay. If he was willing to have an honest conversation with me, I would want to understand how he got there. If he says he was born that way, it would help me understand."
Pastor Dennis Kilama, Lugogo Baptist Church

"If they must be homosexuals, let them do it as privately as possible. It's a shameful thing -- let them be ashamed, let them find Jesus."

"I take a Christian stand, but the idea of spending all my time as a specialist in fighting the gay movement -- no, that is not my calling."
Pastor Stephen Patrick Achillah, Deliverance Church

"If the West would stop putting so much pressure on Uganda and let us evolve for ourselves, I think our outlook could change."
Murungi Mukuru, St. John's Kamwokya, Church of Uganda

"We pray for love, we pray to be a better part of our community, but above all else we emphasize tolerance and unity. All of the different religions are just chapters in one big book. We cannot chase you away for having different beliefs."
Moses Kasule, Mother Temple of Africa

"Spiritually, it is against God's will. God created a man and a woman for reproduction. That is how we sustain humanity. If homosexuality continues, the human race will be wiped out."
Ibrahim Kagolola, St. Paul's Church Kiwuliriza

"Today you say you hate gay people, tomorrow God will give you a gay son. And what will you do then? Hate him? You have to work with people who have different beliefs."
Hassan Kimbugwe, Kabalagala Islamic Center Kassam Mosque

"I've never talked to a gay person, but I would like to be friends with one to learn more and help him understand that his actions are disobeying God."
Eddie Damba, Christ Centered Church

 

 It all started with David Kato, the Ugandan gay-rights activist who was bludgeoned to death in his home in 2011. That's what first drew award-winning photojournalist Daniella Zalcman to Kampala to meet the country's few but fearless gay-rights activists.

A year earlier, Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone (no connection to the music magazine) published names, addresses and photographs of 100 alleged homosexuals under the banner "Hang Them" (Kato was among those named).

"I reached out to the activism community, which was smaller than it is now -- and it's not exactly large," recalls Zalcman, whose ongoing reporting in Uganda has been supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. On that first trip, she took a series of portraits of Uganda's LGBT activists called "Double Lives," part of a larger series called "Kuchus in Uganda."

Imam Sheikh Ahmed Lubega

"I was surprised that they agreed to meet me. I can't understand the amount of bravery required for them to do that."

The next chapter

In 2013, the Anti-Homosexuality Act passed through parliament, but Uganda's gays and lesbians continued to feel the pressure.

The new law increased the penalty for homosexuals from a maximum of 14 years imprisonment to a life sentence, and introduced a fine and three-year prison term for anyone who, knowing existence of a homosexual, failed to turn him or her over to the authorities. The law was struck down in August on a technicality, but being gay still comes with a jail sentence.

While in Kampala, Zalcman decided she wanted to hear the views of everyday Ugandans, as well as their spiritual leaders.

Reverend Fred Komunda

"Everyone in Uganda goes to church, mosque, temple, whatever. And religious leaders aren't just giving sermons. They are really a support network. They are advisers and leaders in their communities and what they say really matters, so I wanted to know the breadth of opinion that was coming from the pulpit every Sunday."

Motorbike mission

Zalcman interviewed imams, rabbis, pastors -- leaders in every denomination represented in the country -- to ask them what their views on subject really were.

"I went to American-style mega churches in central Kampala and a Pentecostal church in a tin shack in the middle of a slum," she recalls.

"Whenever there's a news item on this issue, we quote a few evangelical leaders who say truly horrific things, wishing death and injury and a fiery hell on gay people. But they're not representative."

Zalcman encountered an array of voices, some stringently anti-gay, others tolerant, and many expressing uncertainty due to a lack of information and limited contact with homosexuals.

"I met one imam who had been educated in Egypt and worked in Saudi and essentially told me he wished sharia law could be enacted in Uganda. Then, I met another imam who said, 'today you say you hate gay people, tomorrow God will give you a gay son. What will you do then?'"

 

 

Source:CNN