Religions unite against referendum
The Irish Council of Imams, Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, and individual members of the Reformed Presbyterian and Quaker churches made the call in a petition sent to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald in recent days.
The document states that the religious bodies disagree strongly with the proposed “aggressive secularism” constitutional changes. It was written after a number of recent controversial cases of businesses refusing gay couples as customers.
While noting the referendum has been framed as being about freedom of expression, the petition says, if passed under its current wording, the changes would discriminate against people opposed to gay marriage for religious reasons who will “risk prosecution” if they hold firm to their beliefs “in employment, worship or social interaction”.
“We the under-signed, for reasons of faith, consider the state of marriage the exclusive province of a man and a woman. This is the understanding of all revealed religions,” a petition reads.
The petition, at www.citizengo.org, has been signed almost 200 times since it began on April 4 by groups including the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, the Irish Council of Imams, the Galway branch of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Mr Kimball and individual Catholic clergy.
It continues: “The current wording of the 34th amendment of the Constitution on Marriage Equality and Implementation Bill not only allows for same-sex marriage, but obliges all citizens and residents of Ireland to endorse same-sex marriage or potentially face prosecution.
“The proposed amendment states marriage may be contracted in accordance of the law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.
“We therefore respectfully request that Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald provide for and safeguard the right of people on grounds of ‘conscience’ to abstain from endorsing same-sex marriages while in employment, worship or through social interaction.”
However, it is understood Ms Fitzgerald is unlikely to back calls for the clause to be introduced as the referendum debate is already underway.
Petition author and clerk of the Galway preparative meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, Richard Kimball said he drew up the document due to genuine concerns about how the referendum could impact on individual’s religious beliefs.
Mr Kimball said the petition — which has yet to be backed or rejected by his church — does not infringe on gay people’s rights to be served by businesses or treated the same as others, but “draws the line” at asking religious people to “legitimatise” specific gay marriage requests.The Quaker said if the clause was included it would convince a large number of no voters to support the referendum as their rights will be protected from what he claimed is “aggressive secularism”.Citing concerns over recent incidents involving a Northern Irish bakery and a printers in Dublin which were criticised for refusing gay couples, he said there are examples of an “orchestrated campaign” by gay groups to force people to hide their views.
Dr Ali Selim, of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland in Clonskeagh, Dublin — one of the foremost Muslim groups in this country — said what the petition is seeking is “freedom of choice not to have views imposed on our religious beliefs”.When asked if he was speaking on behalf of people in his community who may support the proposed constitutional changes, Dr Selim said “I don’t think any Muslim will vote yes” in the referendum.
