When 16-year-old Mila sharply criticized Islam on Instagram (responding to homophobic and misogynist insults coming from a Muslim individual), she received thousands of homophobic, misogynist and above all life-threatening messages that forced her to drop out of school and live in secrecy under police protection. The so-called “Mila scandal” that erupted in France in January 2020 proved once again that the individual right to free speech is still under attack from zealous religious fanatics and often misinterpreted even by the custodians of the rule of law. Unfortunately, their complaints have largely fallen on deaf ears, especially among those who have raised the totem of identity politics and communitarian claims above individual rights.Īnother issue that European countries are confronted with is the alleged duty to respect religions and associated “feelings”, even when those are openly homophobic. This deference, whether motivated by piety, political convenience or a misplaced sense of respect for minoritarian communities, is unacceptable as it condones abuses against human beings.įor instance, several Muslim gay or transgender individuals in European countries have denounced police and state institutions for leaving them alone at the mercy of their homophobic communities. Furthermore, even in the West, religions still enjoy pre-eminence in different contexts, as if they deserved a more sacred status and greater respect than any other manifestation of human expression. For example, there are radical Christian websites that openly call for the death penalty for homosexuality. However, even if they are far from committing monstrous acts of this scale in the name of religion, Western liberal democracies are not perfect either. Taliban are not alone: in many Muslim countries, gays and lesbians still face capital punishment. As we write, gruesome news is reaching us on the horrific treatment inflicted by the self-declared “inclusive” Taliban on homosexuals on whom they manage to put their hands. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of the world today. While the freedom to believe or not is a fundamental individual right, like any other liberty it is ultimately subject to the golden rule: “your freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.” No religious or lay ideology should be allowed to threaten others’ rights. Liberalism and secularism are the most powerful strongholds against any ideological prevarication, including religious ones. With a various degree of intensity, depending on the cultural context and the extent to which religious orthodoxy is rooted in the society, this hostile attitude is still present among the most widespread religious denominations. The right to live one’s sexuality and gender identity freely is a key example.įor millennia, religious arguments, either exploited by churches themselves or by states bound to their diktats, have been used to persecute LGBTI people and deprive them of their basic rights. This principle is especially important when it comes to liberties that constitute an acquis of liberal democracies but are still anathema to most religions. While the institutional approach to religions may vary from rigid separation between “churches” and “state” (the French laïcité) to degrees of cooperation and regulation, religious tenets should never form the basis of state law, let alone affect individual rights. Liberal democracy and secularism form an unbreakable bond.
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