Please dare not to assume the motives behind my actions. I do not agree with many of my fellow South Asians, although I understand why they think or believe what they do.
(For those said this was thought-provoking - your comments meant a lot to me.)
Perhaps I should clarify - the views I am attempting to air are those of the vast majority of South Asians (South Asia as being defined as comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, also known collectively as the South Asia subcontinent). These may not necessarily be the views of the higher classes, but they most certainly are of the lower classes, and as far as regional stability goes their views are more pertinent as the lower classes are more prone to violence and manipulation.
The people in higher classes are more prone to adjusting, questioning, and even abandoning traditional cultural values. The majority of a nation, however, adheres strongly to the values passed down for centuries beyond memory. It is their belief that it is their values that keep their society together, which if abandoned will lead to the destruction of society. And, indeed, this is what some religious leaders and politicians capitalize on - they seek to win the support of the masses by promoting patriotism, nationalism, and the elevation of one’s own culture (and its values) above and at the expense of other cultures or nations.
Now, I will admit that America is liked much better in India (and perhaps Sri Lanka) than in the Muslim areas, but India is becoming more radical as time goes by. That the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power - with Hindutva organizations, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena, supplying much support to it - is one undeniable sign of the growing power of nationalistic Hinduizing elements in India. These people hate America, viewing it as a cultural imperial power, and seek to vault India over America’s head. The periodic attacks on American establishments, especially restaurants, also points to popular uneasiness with an American presence in India.
Why should America care? Because what happens in one part of the world affects what happens in another.
The hatred of America that has infected the Pakistani populace - again, the majority of the people, generally of the lower classes - has infected those here. I can count on my fingers my relatives from Pakistan (whose ancestors came from India) who like America. Everyone else accuses America of imperialism, attempting to destroy Islam and Pakistan, evangelism, and pandering to the wishes of its supposed master, Israel. These same people, if they become more radical, can easily be recruited by various extremist and terrorist organizations. This is the ultimate dilemma - hating America so much they’d work to undermine it, but not being able to leave it. (I find it so sad how people are using America to attack America, and there is nothing America can do about it.)
Now, the matter of gay marriage does not involve only attitudes regarding homosexuality. From my knowledge and experience, homosexuality is an underground presence in much of South Asia. Adhering to traditional cultural values, the general population sees homosexuality as deviant, unnatural, and against God’s wishes (whether Allah or Bhagavan). It is easier to be homosexual in India, openly or otherwise, than in Muslim areas. But gay marriage is another issue all together. In Pakistan, marriages are by definition religious affairs. You must have the presence of a maulvi (or imam or mullah or whatever), and the standard documentation is the nikahnamah, which is used in Muslim marriages. Christians, I believe, have their own paperwork. In a region where the concept of homosexuality as accepted in West is entirely foreign, the concept of gay marriage would be taken as a sure sign that the end of times is near.
One note: Like most non-Western nations, South Asian men can be more physically intimate than in America. It is common to see men holding hands, arms around waists or shoulders, and the like. In Arab countries, one may see men kissing each other when they meet. However, homosexuality, meaning sexual acts between men, is another matter all together.
One reason why homosexuality is so condemned has to do with the perceived role of the male. The male must always dominate, and in homosexuality the role of at least one man is reversed, which is inexcusable or at the very least seen as unnatural.
Another issue has to do with families. Sons and daughters are expected to get married - it is a matter of some shame if a son or daughter cannot get married. Creating a family is seen as a duty, not a choice. One who refuses to get married is seen as shirking his duties to his family, society, and culture. Homosexuality interferes with this, destabilizing society (in the views of others).
A cousin of mine came to America a few years ago to study. There was a party at the house of his uncles, where four or five uncles lived. As is usual in South Asian parties or events, the men were dancing with each other. (Men dancing with women in many South Asian events are regulated by many rules. A woman who dances with a man not close to her, that is, not her husband, father, brother, or close cousin, would be seen as promiscuous and no doubt would be the subject of much gossip. I speak from experience.) One of the uncles quickly went and closed the blinds, explaining that if the neighbors saw them, they would think they were gay. They also informed him that the US government pays for special operations for gay people to become women - the treatment, they said, for being gay. This same cousin was taught in an American-style university in Pakistan (closed down now) that one can contract AIDS from eating pork, which is why AIDS is a such a problem in Western nations.
Why is America hated for its lose morals? Elders see America as having much potential, potential which it is squandering. They see their youth emulating America, which also raises their concern that their youth might abandon their culture and go after a foreign one. To these people, America means nothing but licentiousness, drunkeness, drug use, promiscuity, disease, bad music, bad clothing, etc. Nothing good, they believe, can come from America. Yet, because of its position in the world, there is little they can do. They detest America for leading their youth - and even some who are not youth - astray. America’s promotion of free thinking, open-mindedness, asking questions, thinking for oneself, and following one’s own path is seen as undermining one’s culture and its values.
The youth, for their part, have a hate-love relationship with America. They, like all youth the world over, want their freedom. They see America as the pinnacle of freedom, happiness, and enjoyment. America means fun to them. As much as they admire and emulate the culture, they have a strong opposition to American foreign policy. They do not like American heavyhandidness, they do not like what they perceive as America’s attempts to destroy Islam. They do not like America’s slavehood to Zionism. The list goes on and on. And when their illusions of America are shattered, they feel betrayed, and many go back to their culture with a vengeance - joining organizations advocating the overthrow of American imperialism, if not America itself.
Now, let me repeat that I do not agree with my people. They are misguided. I do not agree with their points of view - especially regarding American “imperialism” and its compliance with Zionist conspiracies. I am a Zionist, I am an American, and so I know what America and Zionism are really about (rather than what they are seen to be about).
An added note - again, the people I am referring to are the vast majority of the people, those whose views are not usually aired as they do not occupy the higher levels of society. I do not speak for all South Asians - of this I am quite aware. I, for myself, see homosexuality in a different light compared to those in my own family. I see the issue of gay marriage in a different way compared to others. But I understand the others, and I empathize with them. (I ended with something that sounded almost communist, so I deleted it. Oy. Scary this business can become.)
WRS - listening to the common people