A few thoughts on James Loney

It has come to light that one of the Canadian hostages recently rescued from Baghdad, James Loney, is gay. This was kept a secret until he returned home for his safety. However, in reading the comments from the Christian Peacemakers, the organization which he is affiliated with, you'd think that he was at just as much risk here at home as he was at the hands of his radical Islamist captors. From the Globe and Mail:

"They [hostages] are already in a vulnerable condition and anything that would make them more vulnerable would be a real concern," said Doug Pritchard, a co-director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Toronto-based group for which Mr. Loney and three others were working when they were grabbed on a Baghdad street in November.

"Unfortunately in the world today, being gay or lesbian makes you more vulnerable," Mr. Pritchard said yesterday.

And from the Ottawa Citizen (print edition):

"There was concern for his safety in this violent world of gay-bashing," said administrative co-ordinator Rebecca Johnson.

Mr. Loney, who was rescued last week after 118 days in captivity, appeared at a Toronto press conference Sunday with his partner, Dan Hunt. It was the first time his sexual orientation was publicly mentioned since Mr. Loney was abducted Nov. 26.

It was in Mr. Loney's "best interest" to keep that part of his life under wraps because gay people are still targets of "antagonistic" attacks, Ms. Johnson said.

It looks like the Peacemakers are reluctant to make the distinction between the treatment of gays at the hands of radical Islamists vis-a-vis Western society. No wonder. From the Globe piece, detailing the history of Loney and his partner, Dan Hunt:

Since the early 1990s, the two men have been instrumental in building the Toronto chapter of the Catholic Worker movement, an organization that tilts toward socialism, and is gay-positive. Mr. Loney's family attends a Roman Catholic church in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Catholic Worker was founded in the 1930s by Dorothy Day, a journalist-turned-activist, who espoused pacifism and opened hospitality houses for the indigent in New York City.

"Unfortunately, most Catholics have never heard of Dorothy Day and that's a real shame because she is a real inspiration," a 27-year-old Mr. Hunt told the Toronto Star 14 years ago. At the time, he and his co-founders were described as young Christians in their 20s who had "seriously considered studying for the priesthood."

Mr. Loney was one of those co-founders and working at the time as a youth minister in Toronto. The Catholic Workers invited poor people to live in their own hospitality house, named after Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector in Jericho whom Jesus befriended.

Today the Catholic Workers run a network of six houses in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood, offering free dinners and up to 10 beds in each house. They make a particular point of being gay-friendly and offering sanctuary to military deserters from the United States.

The group has been involved in protests with far-left groups such as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and the Homes not Bombs campaign, and Mr. Loney's pacifist leanings have also firmly ensconced him in the Christian Peacemaker Teams. The CPT is also gay-friendly, aligning itself with other left-leaning Christian groups.

I have a newsflash to all one-worlders, peaceniks, and cultural relativists: RADICAL ISLAMISTS HATE YOU. They hate you even more if you are gay, Jewish, or a woman. It's time to stop pretending that they're just misunderstood, misguided or as noble as the West. They're not. This is why Jews, women and homosexuals in particular who enjoy the protections of Western society should be at the front of the line when it comes to condemning the actions of al-Qaeda and their allies. Terrorists want to kill all infidels, but you're at the top of the list.

It's time for the Christian Peacemakers teams and all of their Lennonite friends like "Homes Not Bombs" to call a spade a spade. It's clear that Loney's homosexuality was kept secret because it would certainly have led to his death at the hands of his radical Islamist captors, and it should be acknowledged as such. This would be much preferable to making empty statements about "this violent world of gay-bashing" because perhaps then do-gooders would think twice about going to Iraq and placing themselves in harm's way. More importantly, they would begin to realize the true nature of radical Islam and how little it has in common with the cherished freedoms we enjoy here in the West.