JÄGER: Iran, Egypt scorn Pride  —  will progressives finally take note?

When Egypt and Iran found out their World Cup game in Seattle on June 26 would be “Pride Night,” they predictably threw a tantrum.

Both countries’ football associations sent letters to FIFA begging officials to ensure SeattleFWC26 organizers did not subject players, staff, and fans to any displays or promotion of non-heterosexual love.

The two nations argued that Pride-related activities “directly contradict the cultural, religious, and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic communities.”

“With FIFA’s commitment to ensuring a respectful environment that welcomes all fans, and in order to maintain the spirit of unity and peace,” the Egyptian Football Association added, “it is necessary to avoid including activities that might provoke cultural and religious sensitivities among the fans present from both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially since these activities culturally and religiously contradict the two countries.”

I’m sorry, what? That’s asinine.

To the fans whose feelings might be hurt by two dudes kissing, remember, you’re not in “the region,” you’re in the United States  —  a secular country where freedom to swing your arm ends at another person’s face. In other words, live as you please according to your religion in private, but don’t you dare tell others they ought to conform to your belief system.

Don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that this principle is not adhered to by everyone in the US. The difference is that there, like elsewhere in the west, the shrinking minority opposed to basic human rights are seen by a growing majority as backwards, while elsewhere around the globe exclusion is simply the norm.

The situation for LGBTQ folks is most dire in the Islamic world, where current laws punishing their mere existence make long-since abolished legislation in the west seem tame in comparison.

In Egypt, while there is no outright ban on homosexuality, authorities have utilized "debauchery" laws to target gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals — as well as their allies. Simply holding a rainbow flag is enough to get arrested.

Over in Iran, things are even worse, as the Islamic penal code explicitly prohibits same-sex relations. The charges are sometimes explicitly religious, such as "waging war against God." Those found guilty are often sentenced to lashing, though a number are executed.

Adherents to the principle of cultural relativism have been quick to argue that we in the west have no right to judge others based on our standards of freedom and morality.

More often than not, however, the reverse is not expected, and any insistence it should be is dismissed.

Given how progressive the Pacific Northwest is, I'll admit that when Egypt and Iran first filed their complaints, I was genuinely unsure which direction SeattleFWC26 organizers would go — defend the LGBTQ community or bend the knee to avoid offending the Islamists.

Thankfully, they chose the former, putting human rights ahead of stone-age grumblings.

Will progressives learn anything from this? I doubt it.

I fully expect that before long we'll once again see rainbow-flag carrying activists marching alongside Islamists calling for the destruction of the only state in "the region" that not only allows same-sex relations, but celebrates Pride annually.

Regardless of your feelings about Pride itself, we can all get behind what it represents: the ability to live freely and openly as you are without state intervention. That's something a lot of us take for granted.

The theory undergirding this unlikely union of LGBTQ folks and Islamists posits that all oppressed people over the world have the same oppressors: western governments, colonialism, and capitalism. While it's undeniable that this triad has wreaked havoc in many areas of the globe, as it stands right now western nations are by far the safest for marginalized groups.

To say otherwise is simply dishonest, as is suggesting that a free Palestine would all of a sudden welcome sexual minorities with open arms. A government led by Islamists would undoubtedly create laws more in line with Iran and Egypt than the United States.

Wanting to liberate all oppressed people is a noble goal, and I genuinely hope one day we get there, but it won't be achieved by acting as though "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Sometimes, you're focused on the wrong enemy.

Before I continue I must stress that I am absolutely in no way trying to paint all Muslims as anti-LGBTQ. There are many both in western and Islamic countries putting themselves at great risk as allies, and they should be commended for their bravery. I'm talking about Islamists — those who seek to inject Islam into politics and spread it across the world.

Islamists and their ideology are a far greater threat to the LGBTQ community than western governments, capitalism, or colonialism have ever been, or will ever be, but for some reason, they're given a pass by progressives because they claim to share the same enemy.

Christian nationalists are rightly called out for religious objections to Pride; it's about time Islamists are given the same treatment. If they aren't, an inch will quickly turn into a mile.

Good on FIFA and SeattleFWC26 organizers for telling Egypt and Iran to bugger off, but let this be a lesson to all supporters of the LGBTQ community who the real threat to human rights are.