Intolerance is a growing crisis across the world, and believe it or not, even in the United States. We are seeing a dramatic increase in hate crimes against people from all walks of life — gay, Christian, Women, transgender, Jewish — the list goes on and on.
We are witnessing something very alarming and it should send a chill down our spine. It’s not just intolerance that is on the rise, it’s violent attacks on people, simply because they’re different from those perpetuating the hatred. And frighteningly, no one is spared, because victims can be any sexual orientation and from any racial, religious or political group.
A spate of of violent attacks on gay people in the Russian “state” of Chechnya are the latest savage hate crimes to make the headlines. The news is reporting that Chechen authorities are rounding up and killing gay men — which means it’s not just hate crime, but is in fact , government-sanctioned hate crime.
Time Magazine reports:
More than 100 men suspected of being gay have been detained by Chechen authorities in a campaign against homosexuality, according to a report in a Russian newspaper.
Novaya Gazeta reported on Saturday that three people have been killed in the roundup of men ranging ages 16 to 50; the paper reported that more men may have died in extrajudicial killings.
Two local television reporters and religious figures are among those detained “on account of their sexual orientation — or suspicion of such,” Novaya Gazeta reports. The paper also suggests that others may have been handed back to their families, where they risk being victims of honor killings, “a measure to wash away the shame of the family by killing the perpetrator of this shame.”
CNN also reports:
In recent weeks, activists say the problem has become much worse, with hundreds of gay men being detained and subjected to horrifying abuse.
“They started beating me with their fists and feet. They wanted to get names of my gay friends from me,” another Chechen man told CNN at a safe house where we arranged to meet.
“Then they tied wires to my hands and put metal clippers on my ears to electrocute me. They’ve got special equipment, which is very powerful. When they shock you, you jump high above the ground.”
The mainly Muslim republic is run by Ramzan Kadyrov, a Kremlin-backed strongman, whose security forces are accused by human rights groups of abductions, killings and other abuses. A Chechen government spokesman called the allegations of a gay crackdown in Chechnya “an absolute lie,” and denied gay men exist in the republic.
In one particularly heartbreaking incident, a Chechen teen was murdered by his own family, simply for being gay:
A gay teen was pushed off a 9th floor balcony by his uncle after he outed to his family in Chechnya. The 17-year-old boy, who we will call Alec, was killed to ‘wash the shame’ of having a gay relative.
Chechen police have told parents of gay men to ‘sort it out’ or the state will intervene.
Apparently, the Uncle was given the “honor” of murdering his own Nephew and it’s clear the state is telling Chechen’s with gay family members, “get rid of them, or we will.”
This horror is inexplicable. Any person who would resort to such sickening violence is obviously someone consumed with hatred and overflows with poisonous feelings — in fact, its safe to say they’re pure evil.
Our world seems to be spinning out of control. Intolerance is bad enough, but when that intolerance leads to torture and murder, something has gone terribly wrong in our world.
[tol-er-uh ns]
noun: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.
We may not understand or relate to other culture’s, political views, sexual orientation or religious beliefs, but we are all brothers and sisters — no matter how different we may seem to each other, we are all unequivocally one and the same.
People who attack, harass, torture or murder another person, simply because they’re different, are the real problem and threat in our world.
As a Christian, I ultimately love everyone. It is not my place to judge and condemn someone just because they may be different from me, or, I from them, obviously.
Hatred is a very toxic, extreme emotion and it wreaks havoc on our mental, physical and spiritual health. If the “haters” in our world don’t get their bigotry and violent behavior in check, they will never know one day of true happiness.
If someone should ever tell you that they’re a “good and loving person,” yet they spew intolerance and hatred toward anyone, then run — for they in fact, are not good people. To be a good and positive person, one must live in the light and have a heart that is filled with love and compassion.
Please help to heal our world by letting people know about these horrors of intolerance. The only way to stop the violence, is to shine a light on the crisis.
As Christian, I’d like to end with the words of Christ:
In Matthew 7:12 Jesus says:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Later in Matthew, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus responded, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”