Republicans join forces with Islamic governments against America

[Pirate Smile]

Republicans join forces with Islamic governments against America

Posted By Colum Lynch Thursday, July 15, 2010 - 5:03 PM

Congressional Republicans Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Trent Franks (R-Az) have rallied behind a coalition of Islamic governments urging foreign governments to oppose a U.S.-led effort to support a bid by an American gay and lesbian organization to gain full-fledged membership as a U.N. nongovernment organization.
The move comes as the Obama administration is planning to press for the 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to grant on Monday "consultative status" to an American group, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), so that it can participate in U.N. meetings along with thousands of other international non-government organizations.

In a letter to U.N. members, Smith and Franks expressed concern that the U.S. initiative would improperly bypass a U.N. committee, which is dominated by socially conservative Islamic governments, that normally accredits U.N. NGOs. That committee, which reports to ECOSOC, has prevented any action on the gay rights group's application for more than three years. In its history, ECOSOC has accredited a total of nine gay and lesbian organizations.

-snip-
In June, Egypt led efforts in the NGO committee to block a request by the U.S. to grant the group consultative status, which would provide the groups representatives with a U.N. grounds pass and to participate formally in U.N. meetings on human rights, health ,and other issues. Angola, Burundi, China, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and Sudan backed the Egyptian invocation of a "no motion" procedure that blocked action on the application. Turkey abstained.

-snip-
The Republican Party's social conservatives, along with Christian organizations, have long worked closely with some of the U.N.'s most conservative Islamic groups to prevent social liberals, including gays and women's rights group, from promoting their views within the United Nations.
In criticizing the current U.S. position, Smith and Franks drew upon arguments presented by Egypt and other conservative governments that allow little freedom of expression on their own soil. They cited something called the Yogyakarta Principles, which IGLHCR has endorsed, that appeals to states to "ensure that the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression does not violate the rights and freedoms of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities."


http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/15/republicans_join_forces_with_islamic_governments_against_america