GOOD statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
20 July 2022
People’s religious beliefs and practices are diverse and deeply personal. They are rooted in history, family, geographic location and culture, and defined in scholarly scripture. They should never be divisive.
Prior to developing technology that would enable humans to travel great distances relatively quickly, there was little blending of different streams of faith. Then technology shrunk the world into a global village, bringing them into closer proximity.
In many parts of the world today these different streams co-exist to create harmonious societies, bound together by an ancient thread found across most religions through the ages known as the Golden Rule: The principle that we treat other people as we’d like them to treat us.
Without tolerance and inclusivity, the blend of people that we have become would be doomed to an endless cycle of disagreement, prejudice, division – and the continued denial of the concept and promise of Ubuntu.
This is the lens through which the GOOD Party views the Muslim Judicial Council’s fatwa against homosexuality.
Theological questions about the Council’s interpretations of the ancient scriptures are for theologians to ponder. But we question the appropriateness of publishing the decree in multicultural Cape Town in 2022, just as we question the ongoing homophobic practices of the Christian Church and other faiths.
South Africa only recently emerged from 350 years of institutionalized discrimination capped by nearly 50 years of what was called Christian Nationalism. Apartheid created more than a racial hierarchy. It created a hierarchy that placed heterosexual, Christian, white males at the apex.
The GOOD Party is opposed to all expressions of discrimination, be they based on sexuality, religious belief, race or gender.
We call for the equal rights of all South Africans; for tolerance, compassion and inclusivity.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za