CAIRO: The head of Iran's High Council for Human Rights says gay marriage is “immoral” and that homosexuality in general is a “disease.” Mohamed Javad Larijani's comments have sparked outrage among local and international rights groups, who demand a retraction. “The West says that the marriage of homosexuals should be allowed under the human rights charter, however, we think it is sexual immorality and a disease,” Larijani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency. “Why should we see a disease as a way of life, instead of maintaining our views on homosexuality and act accordingly?,” Larijani said during a meeting with German lawmaker Tom Koenigs, who chairs the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the parliament in Berlin. The statements are not new for Iran. The country's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that there “are no homosexuals” in the country, despite films that look into the topic. In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death, which has strict Islamic laws. “These kind of statements are absolutely ridiculous and do nothing but make Iran the laughing stock of the world,” gay Iranian Hassan Kamal, who lives in the UK, told Bikyamasr.com. Kamal, who has campaigned for greater rights for the LGBT community inside Iran, argued that these statements are made to shock. “The leaders in Iran, know very well that gay people exist in their country, but they want to give the impression of fear to its citizens and reassuring them that gay people are not there and if they are, they will kill them,” he added. International human rights organizations have long called on Tehran to open society to enhancing rights for its population, but Iranian officials have largely remained obstinate to outsider demands. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/vBWIp Tags: Gay, Lesbian, LGBT Section: Culture, Iran, Latest News
