The government in conjunction with related NGOs is training volunteers to reach out to and educate Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transexuals (LGBT) on how they have ‘deviated’ from the norm.

“The real achievement is to give them understanding (of the real issue),” said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mashitah Ibrahim, adding that this is one of the ways they are trying to prevent recurrence of the social behaviour she believed was not the norm.

“We stand by the Cairo Declaration, on human rights according to Islam, that clearly rejects the LGBT lifestyle. We also stand by the fatwa on the same issue.

NONE“No religion condones same-sex relationships, same-sex marriages and casual sex,” she added in answer to a question from Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN-Parit) on government measures to curb the LGBT lifestyle.

Other preventive measures, related Mashitah (left), included forums, brochures and outreach programmes that included activities on social websites.

She elaborated further that the government’s carrot of preventive measures was matched by their stick of enforcement, utilising laws that prosecute those who practice the alternative lifestyle.

“There is the Federal Territory Syariah Criminal Offenses Act 1997, which can only be used against Muslims.”

Sections that can be enforced in this matter, she detailed, are section 21 for prostitution, section 22 for pimping, section 25 for sodomy, section 29 for improper conduct and section 28 against cross-dressing.

This, she said, is in conjunction with state religious authorities in the various states which also had similar legislation that they use to control and restrict LGBT behaviour.

Mashitah said that the LGBT lifestyle must be addressed as it is the flashpoint of social ills like prostitution and drug abuse.

The government crackdown on LGBTs came to the fore after its move to deny the permit for the pro-LGBT Seksualiti Merdeka event that aimed to support the community.

Since then various pro-establishment politicians, demagogues and religious NGOs have started to campaign against LGBTs.