Hamza Ali Abbasi take on homosexuality

[Devil Soul]

Hamza Ali Abbasi, social activist or moral crusader?
By Sajja Shah
Published: June 28, 2015

KARACHI: The recent legalisation of gay marriages all across the US has caused quite a stir on social media. Opinions of all kinds are flowing in; some strongly disapproving the notion, others advocating it.

But Pakistani actor/director Hamza Ali Abbasi, known to occasionally give his two-cents, has a very interesting stance on it. The celebrity, in the past, has expressed his opinion on various issues and having a following of about 2.1 million on his official Facebook page, we infer that his word matters. But what we don’t understand are the analogies he drew in his latest post.

Firstly, the post that was edited four times within five hours.

Hamza is obviously disappointed at people who are ‘celebrating’ a behavior that is, according to him, “taboo even in animals”.

But how can he generalise animals on the basis of human psychology? What we mean to say here is that researchers have proved a display of homosexual behavior in about 1,500 species and not just in terms of sexual activity but courtship, affection, pair bonding, and parenting too. Just to make it clear, the animal kingdom practices it with much greater sexual diversity than the scientific community and society at large have previously been willing to accept – including homosexual, bisexual and non-reproductive sex. Categorically, his statement falls in speciesism.

The actor says he isn’t hateful towards people who are gay but at the same time is against the idea of justifying “homosexuality under the banner of universal love”.

 

[Devil Soul]

According to his Facebook post, the legalisation of gay marriages is an attempt to “make normal and natural what is abnormal and un-natural”.

The original post was then edited to add that “Gay marriage does not mean ‘human equality’. Stop mutilating the concepts of human equality and justice.”

Though Hamza did not explain his concept of human equality and justice, any lay person with even some very basic common sense would know that equality is about having the freedom to go about one’s own choices without being considered an outcast. On the contatry, Hamza mutilated the concept of human equality and justice with his strong biases in his own post.

The post was again edited to add another line: “Tolerance means tolerating something…not celebrating it.”

The definition of tolerance and celebration remain very subjective. Tolerance means tolerating with or without necessarily having to accept something and celebrating shows certain acceptance. He is right considering the denotations of the two words but why dictate people what to tolerate and what to celebrate, for that too is very subjective.

The post was re-re-re-edited to add that Hamza’s heart sank at the innocent question of his nephew inquiring about the meaning of gay.

Let us just hope that we all have the intellectual neutrality to explain things to the younger generation without strongly attaching our opinions that may, in some way, divert their course of thought. Let us let them learn things and decide what’s right or not. Let us treat their intellect with equality and give them freedom to make their own choices in making a distinction between right and wrong.

The post was edited again to add that legalisation of gay marriages equate to legalising and celebrating incest.

We’ll just wait for the post to be edited again for the umpteenth time to see if Hamza explains the correlation between incest and homosexuality or we shall leave it to your better judgment.

 

[ghoul]

USA bashing comes second only to religion for a lot of people here.

My whole facebook is filled with gay related statuses. People try too hard these days. Like everyone tries to be so trendy and intellectual on that website.

I don't get what the big deal is. New Zealand legalized gay marriage last year. Where were all these people then?

 

[VCheng]

My whole facebook is filled with gay related statuses. People try too hard these days. Like everyone tries to be so trendy and intellectual on that website.

I don't get what the big deal is. New Zealand legalized gay marriage last year. Where were all these people then?

Not just New Zealand:

 

[ziaulislam]

Not just New Zealand:

because USA is one of largest countries by population more than adding all of the above

because USA has alot of say in world affairs, now it can act on rights abuses in other countries on this matter too

and lastly, because for some reason people follow USA alot, its world most diverse country with largest immigrant population and largest toursit population

i thought every body got this..

their is obviously no co relation ship between homosexuality and incest . I think what he really wanted to imply is that ultimately the west will have no prohibition on this too..as it can be defended easily too by saying consent was involved and its practice in animals. in many countries and states no law exist on this matter anyway anymore

 

[VCheng]

because USA is one of largest countries by population more than adding all of the above

because USA has alot of say in world affairs, now it can act on rights abuses in other countries on this matter too

and lastly, because for some reason people follow USA alot, its world most diverse country with largest immigrant population and largest toursit population

i thought every body got this..

Of course USA is a superpower and has influence, but it is up to everybody else to follow whatever they wish to follow. If for some reason people follow USA, then so be it. No nation is perfect and some things USA may do people will not like, surely. There is much more to USA than just this decision.

 

[gau8av]

I am not supporter of homosexual marriage but in India you could get arrested for being homosexual is absurd.
I wish Government of India should allow homosexual marriage but barred them from adopting children.

perfectly said, I too have no problem with what people do in their own privacy but bringing up kids is where I draw the line on this issue.

 

[rockstar08]

None of our Concern ...

 

[Imran Khan]

humans must be free as much as we can . let homos enjoy their life its very short

 

[JonAsad]

Every country decides for itself, but then every country also interacts with other countries according to its own ideals and aspirations, tempered by realpolitik. Therefore, if USA says or does anything that Pakistanis feel threatens their way of life, they are perfectly within their rights to respond as best as they can.

Given that basic tenet, kisi ko koi takleef nahi honee chahiye, from either side.

uncle amrika usually invades other country for what it believes is right- so the excuse was WMD- democracy- terrorists- oil and in future it will be rainbow all in the name of supposedly oppressed people-
so all the rainbow-less countries should not worry at all- hena?
what about future sanctions on some country because its not rainbow enough according to amrikan standards ?-

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

Not just New Zealand:

Bhi Jaan your USA is moral police of the world and their leadership mostly invade others country to teach them american principles and moral values

 

[VCheng]

Bhi Jaan your USA is moral police of the world and their leadership mostly invade others country to teach them american principles and moral values

So what? The world should look up to China. USA is dead, hence no problem.

 

[ziaulislam]

So what? The world should look up to China. USA is dead, hence no problem.

really china..? where there is no democracy in the first place!

 

[VCheng]

really china..? where there is no democracy in the first place!

But the biggest and rising economic power does not need democracy to reign over the world. It will of course treat other countries with lots of compassion and understanding, much better than the evil USA.

 

[FaujHistorian]

What is legal or illegal in the US has no bearing or jurisdiction on the rest of the world. US laws are for USA and its citizens only. What's next will be determined by US citizens according to their own legal process, whatever it might be. Why should anybody else fret about that since it does not apply to them at all?

Yes, purely in legal terms this is correct.

However we are living in US driven civilization (similar to Greek or Roman ones), and thus we are impacted by fashion, research, technology, politics, medicine, etc. etc. etc. that mostly originates from USA and the close allies of USA.

This in turn makes us walk, talk, dress, eat, and yes live as close as possible to the American way.

But the biggest and rising economic power does not need democracy to reign over the world. It will of course treat other countries with lots of compassion and understanding, much better than the evil USA.

you are being sarcastic. Right?