homophobia, the great uniter

This picture was above the fold in the New York Times today. In my not-yet-had-my-morning-caffeine state, I got excited. Look, leaders of the Abrahamic faiths standing next to each other, sharing bottled water. This must be good.

Well, not so much. Leaders of Muslims, Christians, & Jews met up not to speak out against war, typhoid, child abuse, or a host of other ills. They held a joint press conference to rally against an upcoming gay pride festival in Jerusalem. An American Evangelical leader associated with the press conference was quoted as saying, "this is the Holy Land, not homo land."

What brings these leaders together is not the realization that they need to work together to bring their region out of an apparently never ending cycle of dehumanization and violence, but shared hatred of the gays.

Just want I wanted to think about over my morning toast and tea. . .