Hagira at Harvard

Our friend Tom Graffagnino e-mailed this observation to me the other day:


Last night, I watched Iran's 'moderate' mullah and godfather of Hezbollah, Sheik Khatami, speak to the Tolerant and the Enlightened at Harvard.

At the end of the evening during the Q & A session, a young man asked Iraq's Holy Man about the Islamic Law that calls for the death penalty for homosexuals. The young man wanted to know if Khatami approved of such a law. The Holy Man from Teheran artfully dodged, danced, pivoted and twirled around the issue, but in the final analysis said that every country has its laws and,... well,... in some cases putting the homosexual to death was indeed called for and quite appropriate in his culture.

There were no boos. There were no catcalls, no protests, no angry slurs...no rotten tomatoes, no signs, no cursing, no contorted red faces or shaking fists held high.....There was only polite and tolerant silence from the entranced crowd seated in the presence of Allah's calm, serene spokesman.

At the end of the evening as Khatami left the stage, there was grateful and appreciative applause...even some standing ovations. Teheran's Holy Man who just moments before had in effect condoned capital punishment for the homosexual was given a big symbolic hug from the tolerant, adoring and scholarly crowd.

***********************

Now, just for fun, let's pretend that...say...Jerry Falwell... had been invited to the Harvard campus to address The Tolerant and Enlightened of Cambridge.

(I know, I know...that would never happen, but...hey!... let's pretend!)

Let's pretend that while speaking at Harvard, Rev. Falwell claimed that the homosexual act is a sin in the eyes of God. Let us also pretend that Rev. Falwell explained that through faith, repentance, and God's Mercy and Grace the homosexual could receive God's forgiveness, spiritual healing and rich blessings in Christ....Eternal life from the God of Love.

Can you picture the reaction?


Tom, ever the poet, followed his thoughts up with this nice little rhyme:



There he was...Mr. Khatami!
Flowing robes of black and gray;
The serene and smiling Mullah...
Harvard's honored guest that day.

Here was someone they could talk with...
("Dialogue" is best,.... you know?)
Yes, The Mollifying Mullah
Might just help them all to grow!

There he told the Crimson Scholars
Bending over in the crowd,
That some gay extermination
Just perhaps might be allowed.

He addressed the academics
In a soft hypnotic way...
As he told the Tweed-Elite-als
Killing gays might be OK!

In Iran, it's not abnormal...
Gay removal's not so bad.
Then he smiled and bowed politely
At the crowd there being had.

'Twas a soothing presentation...
Highbrow Toleration-Chic!
Intel-left-ual persuasion...
Pluralism's Soft Mystique.

When the Holy Man had finished,
There were smiles and much applause...
Hey!....
Kudos for toleration!
( And respect for Mullah-Laws.)

****

Sacred Liberalism's reigning;
It's the Wisdom of the Age...
And that day in dear old Cambridge,
Hypocrites took center stage.

At "The Open-Minded Altar",
All the Crimson subjects sing;
See them bowing in the court there...
Of the reigning Crimson King.