Anti-LGBT hate group leader meets with Egyptian president criticized as a dictator
Tony Perkins, president of the anti-LGBT hate group聽Family Research Council聽(FRC), joined a group of evangelical leaders from the United States to meet with Egyptian president聽, who聽聽as a dictator responsible for Egypt鈥檚 harshest political repression in the country鈥檚 history.
The el-Sisi government for the murders of hundreds of protesters and the jailing of thousands of political opponents. And since 2013, it has also arrested hundreds of LGBT people 鈥� primarily gay men and trans women 鈥� as part of a larger crackdown on social freedoms.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening now is unprecedented,鈥� , executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which has been monitoring the crackdown.
On November 1, the evangelical group that included Perkins spoke with el-Sisi for nearly three hours at the presidential palace in Cairo, , where they discussed a series of issues, including the persecution of Egyptian Christians by Islamic extremists.
鈥淚 appreciate the opportunity to meet with President el-Sisi to discuss the concerns we have,鈥� Perkins was quoted in The Christian Post as saying, 鈥渁s American evangelicals, for the plight of religious minorities in Egypt, especially those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.鈥�
Other prominent evangelicals joined him, including Rev. Johnnie Moore, former U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and Egyptian-born author and pastor . In August, Bachmann was announced ations that was launched by through his Skyline Ministries. Moore once served as faith advisor to current Department of Housing director Ben Carson.
, the trip was organized by , an evangelical Christian who is known for his End Times writings. Perkins claimed that the delegation of evangelicals 鈥渕ade the trip to Cairo to try to repair the damage done by Barack Obama鈥檚 indifference to international religious freedom.鈥�
Perkins also said that the meeting went from one hour to three, as the delegation then met with Khalid Fawzi, chief of Egyptian intelligence, and Andrea Zaki, president of the council of Protestant Churches in Egypt.
The FRC post did not address el-Sisi鈥檚 dictatorial policies toward his own citizens or the draconian policies currently being enacted toward LGBT people and their supporters, including that dictates prison sentences for those who engage in homosexuality, those who support it, and media that 鈥減romotes鈥� or mentions it.
No surprise, really, since Perkins has appeared wishy-washy in the past for the proposed anti-LGBT Ugandan bill (2009), which called for the death penalty in some circumstances.
In 2010, a congressional resolution () was proposed to condemn the Uganda bill and FRC for lobbying against the resolution. A noted that FRC paid $25,000 to deal with 鈥淩es.1064Ugandan ResolutionPro-homosexual promotion鈥� (sic).
Perkins that FRC did not lobby against the resolution, but rather against language FRC wanted removed from the resoluton that dealt with 鈥渁ssertions that homosexual conduct is internationally recognized as a fundamental human right.鈥�
The resolution stated that 鈥渁ll people possess an intrinsic human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation, and share fundamental human rights.鈥�
FRC , stating that the organization has never supported a policy that imposes the death penalty on homosexuals. Rather,
What we do oppose is the suggestion that gay and lesbian acts are universal human rights. So when Congress introduced a resolution in 2010 denouncing Uganda鈥檚 punishment for homosexuality, FRC fought鈥攁t the request of some Members鈥攖o strike the pro-homosexual 鈥渉uman rights鈥� language from the final measure.
With such views on human rights and LGBT people, it鈥檚 no surprise that Perkins participated in a conversation with an authoritarian leader responsible for jailing and massacring hundreds of protestors and currently arresting LGBT people in his own country.
