Ugandan Prime Minister backs anti-gay church view

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • September 4, 2006 - 0:00

Apolo Nsibambi at the International Conference on Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020 in September 2001.

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Uganda's Prime Minister has backed the Anglican church's negative view of homosexuality claiming it is "inimical" to resist Western values being brought into Africa.

Speaking at the start of the 18th Provincial Assembly of the Church of the Province of Uganda , Apolo Nsibambi, expressed support for the church's stand against homosexuality.

He said: "There is a lot of international pressure for Uganda to back down from its position on marriage between one man and one woman.

"Importing values from the western world is inimical to our culture. I am glad to mention that the Church of Uganda, the Catholic Church and the Muslims joined hands to resist homosexuality in Africa."

He called for a closer relationship between the government and the church, The Monitor reports.

The Church of Uganda recently followed the Church of Nigeria in severing its ties with the Episcopal Church in America over its more liberal stance towards the appointment of gay clergy.

Gay groups in Uganda last week spoke out against a local tabloid which printed a list of alleged homosexuals in the country.

The list of names printed in the Red Pepper tabloid newspaper is likely to create problems in the East African country where gay sexual activity is illegal and subject to life imprisonment.

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) called for Ugandan citizens to stand up for human rights and protect minorities, a statement said: "Our brothers whose names were published in the Red Pepper tabloid are currently under-going discomforts and are living under unbelievable fear of being arrested, ostracized by their families or sacked from their jobs".

There are no anti discrimination laws protecting gay people in Uganda and Yoweri Museveni, the country's President, recently banned same sex marriage in the Constitution.

Amnesty, who campaign for human rights across the world recently said in a statement that the Ugandan government must show respect to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in accordance with international human rights law which states that people have "the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation." Uganda is subject to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

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