I’m touching one of very sensitive issues in Ethiopia which people don’t dare to write or talk about it. Mean while, I believe most people are wrong in this regard and I want to make some remarks.
First off all, I choose the title of my blog post “Homosexuals in Ethiopia” on purpose. I am not here to write about homosexuality – which leads to many issues and explanations.
However, I happen to know few individuals online who openly told me about their sexual orientation and I reacted to it such harshly which I attacked them instead of the practice. And later on, I found out that I missed the biggest point – Love and respect for people regardless of what they believe and who they are.
You probably guess I am very careful in my choice of words that I don’t want to give people wrong assumption [In both side] but I want to make few points.
Freedom of belief: As a Christian whom I believe in Bible strongly, I believe that every practice outside Bible is wrong. Some people might think, I am old-fashioned, but I know whom I believe and how He will lead me to the eternal happiness. A person who doesn’t believe in Bible can easily disagree with me which I fully accept even if I believe he is wrong. In the same time, the same person can believe I am wrong, by no means; I try to attack him or support people who want to attack him no matter how much I hate his belief. The same is true with my other characteristic belief and values in life. Don’t get me wrong that I am correlating religion with homosexuality (which almost everyone does). But homosexuals have their own belief in their sexual orientation and they shouldn’t be attacked. Remember what Jesus said about the sinner woman, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. No one at that time, or this time have qualify enough to stone a fellow citizen. So try to take this crazy idea out of your mind that someone is destroying your culture, norm and belief. It is yours. As much as you don’t want others to attack you because of your belief, you also shouldn’t others.
Acceptance of Minorities in the society: Either we believe it or not, we have people with disability, people living in the bush, atheists, refugees… etc. Homosexuals are also minorities in the society. Take it; it is impossible to avoid minorities. They are part of our family, friends or citizens who have the same passport as we have.
After all, what is important is to love and respect and accept the person as who he is. We have the right to assert our belief, and to change a person for whatever we believe is good. But we can’t kill. We can’t jail. We can’t murder. (99% of murderers we have in the society are straight people anyway)
This piece is fully my perspective. I am not influenced by anyone. The angle I see the subject can be simple and without considering many facts behind it – which I shouldn’t. This is my blog, after all.
What is your reaction?
