Match of the day: gay v Muslim

What would you do if your fellow citizens are homophobic? Well for starters, you could embark upon a publicity campaign to generate awareness and acceptance. You could also organize events to promote tolerance.

Or you could organize a game of football. That’s precisely what a Dutch gay campaign group did (pic). It organized a football game between a gay side and a team of Muslims. Why Muslims?

You see, in Netherlands, there is a rising case of homophobia amongst its migrants, most of whom are Muslims.

Frank Van Dalen, chairman of a collection of Dutch gay groups said:

“There is tension between the gay and Muslim communities and a lot of this tension comes from ignorance.”

Though the Dutch are proud of their liberal attitude on issues such as gay marriage, the murder of Pim Fortuyn, an openly gay and anti-immigration public figure, in 2002 brought homophobia firmly into the public debate.

According to media reports, a survey published last week showed that 40% of gay people polled feared that aggression towards them was on the rise. Homophobic attitudes have been blamed on the growing Dutch immigrant community, in particular on Muslims who make up 6% of the country’s population.

Dutch politicians are also saying that many Muslim youths in Netherlands are homophobic and unwilling to have a gay friend.

Coming back to the main event, how did the game end? The Muslims thrashed the gay team by 4-0.

No one knows the potential long term outcome of this game. Also it is too early to say if it will help smoothen the relationship between these two communities.

And on a lighter note, media reports however did not say if any of the gay players were taunted during the game!

And I do wonder what next? Perhaps a joint poetry session? For me the answer lies in an education system that instils religious tolerance in everyone.