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Religious Leaders Demand Israeli Government Block World Pride in Jerusalem

By Gudrun Schultz

JERUSALEM, June 29, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Evangelical Christian, Jewish and Moslem leaders in Jerusalem are calling on the Israeli government to intervene and block plans to hold a week long World Pride celebration in the holy city.

“We do so out of our great love and respect for Jerusalem, the only city in the world that the Bible decrees as holy,” said an open letter to the government issued by three evangelical Christian groups, Christian Friends of Israel, Bridges For Peace and the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

American Rabbi Yehuda Levin, with Jews for Morality, held a joint press conference with a Moslem cleric in Jerusalem last week, warning that there could be violence if the parade is allowed to continue and demonstrators clash with participants.

A group of women from Jerusalem and other Israeli cities have joined the efforts to stop World Pride by collecting signatures against the event, hoping to convince city police that demonstrators opposed to the event could pose a serious security risk, reported Arutz Sheva last week.

"I want to make it clear," one woman, Rebecca, told Arutz Sheva, "that this is not a homophobic issue; if the Mardi Gras, a heterosexual event, were to be held here, we would object with the same vociferousness. The reason is because Jerusalem is the spiritual dimension of the world; it is a spiritual jewel to the world, and we don't want it tarnished... We want to show that the majority of the people in this city do not want sexuality paraded around without modesty or dignity.”

“In addition, homosexuality in particular is not something that we want to see advocated in our holy city."

Tamar Yonah hosted leaders of the women’s group on her radio program on IsraelNationRadio.com last week.

“[World Pride participants] are not simply demanding equal rights," Tamar said, "which could be understandable. They're actually showing pride in their sexual choice, and based on photos from other parades, they dress very scantily and exhibit physical erotic contact on the streets. Is this what we want on the streets of Jerusalem?"

See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Court Orders Jerusalem to Fund Homosexual Activist Organization
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/may/06053001.html

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