Religious leaders oppose govt's stand on homosexuality

NEW DELHI: Religious leaders today came together to oppose the UPA government's decision to review the Supreme Court decision criminalising homosexuality and threatened to hold agitations if any move was made to dilute Section 377 of the IPC.

Leaders of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Jain religions said homosexuality is "a menace of Western countries" and it will destroy India's religious, moral, social, and cultural values, a press release said.

Presiding over the public convention held here, Jamaat- e-Islami Hind president Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari warned the government from enacting any bill which decriminalises homosexuality or depreciates section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

"We all religious leaders are campaigning against homosexuality and will approach the government and Parliamentarians to convince them not to make any move to decriminalise homosexuality.

"Otherwise, we will organise demonstrations across the country and in front of Parliament," Maulana Umari said.

Shankaracharya Omkarananda Saraswati of Prayag Peeth said homosexuality was "a disease" and suggested that homosexual persons should go in for medicines and consult spiritual gurus.

Besides Maulana Umari, various religious leaders, including Delhi minorities commission chairman Safdar H Khan, participated in the convention and passed a resolution against the government's move to decriminalise homosexuality.