Can soccer ease Muslim-gay tension?

A Dutch multicultural group is organizing a soccer tournament between gays and Muslims, hoping to counter what a study published Thursday said was a rising tide of fear among gays.

A nationwide survey by the Police Research Academy said most gays questioned feel unsafe and reported experiencing verbal attacks in the last year.

Of the 776 homosexuals who participated, 80 percent said they believed their safety was threatened at some time during the year, said academy director Frits Vlek.

Only 3 percent said they were physically assaulted, Vlek said, but about 40 percent claimed they had been insulted or verbally abused.

Youths from Moroccan and Turkish backgrounds often were blamed for the incidents, Vlek said, since homosexuality is not widely accepted in many Muslim cultures.

Muslim-gay tension is the theme of the soccer tournament organized by the Institute of Multicultural Development, to be held next week.

An organizer of the group, Suzanne Ijsselmuiden, said she hoped the games will “help ease these tensions so that people can openly talk about homosexuality.”

Gay Muslims can take their choice of teams, she said.

Read Another Article

FLDS enclaves feel the pressure
Psychics to try contacting John Lennon in TV seance

Related News Articles Topic(s): Netherlands Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Netherlands Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog