Iran's Ex President Defends Killing Gays in Harvard Talk

international | gender and sexuality | other press Wednesday September 13, 2006 19:33 by pat c

There are a few benighted souls who believe that the former president of Iran was a reforming liberal. Here he is exposed in all of his homophobic glory.

Full story at the link.

pat c

As Harvard students demonstrated against him, Mohammad Khatami, Iran's president from 1997 to 2005, spoke through a translator at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on September 10, 2006. His remarks on homosexuality in response to a question, which follow, were transcribed by journalist Duncan Osborne from C-SPAN's videotape of Khatami's presentation. The ellipses are where Khatami paused for translation.

"In many Islamic countries homosexual relationships as well as
non-consensual heterosexual relationships have been punishable...There are also others, there are others in the world that have similar views namely important sects of Christianity...So yes you are correct homosexual activity is a crime in Islam...And crimes are punishable...The fact that could crimes be punished by execution is debatable...And that we must differentiate between punishment and violence."