Rabbi: Gays Responsible For Bird Flu

[Isaac]

I found this on my Madonna message board & had to share:

March 21, 2006 - 1:00 pm ET

(Jerusalem) A prominent Kabbalah leader says that gays have brought a plague of bird flu on Israel.

Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, is practiced by thousands around the world - including stars such as Madonna and Sandra Bernhard and Roseanne - although it is not part of mainstream Judaism.

Rabbi David Basri, head of the Magen David Yeshiva in Jerusalem, on Tuesday lashed out at the left of center Meretz Party for running election ads supporting same-sex marriage.

Israelis elect a new government this month and Meretz is the only party supporting gay marriage. (story)

With at least two cases of deadly bird flu reported in Israel, Basri said the outbreak was God's punishment for the promotion of same-sex marriage.

"The Bible says that God punishes depravity first through plagues against animals and then in people," Basri said in a religious edict.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency Basri's son quoted the rabbi as saying the bird flu outbreak stemmed from the leftist pary "strengthening and encouraging homosexuality."

Both Basri and his son are already under investigation by Israeli police over remarks he made about the establishment of a bilingual school for Jewish and Arab students in Jerusalem.

"The nation of Israel is pure and the Arabs are a nation of donkeys. They are an evil disaster, an evil devil, and a nasty affliction," allegedly told followers.

Hate speech is illegal in Israel, although gays and lesbians are not included in the law.

Basri is no stranger to attacks on gays. In 2004 he lashed out at gays on the eve of pride celebrations in Jerusalem.

"This is not a disease or a deviation, but a straight-out abomination. Even animals don't behave this way... There is no place in the Holy City for such a phenomenon," he said.

©365Gay.com 2006