Bangladesh’s main mosque and an Islamic group with links to the government have launched a campaign, in this deeply conservative Muslim country, against the Nobel laureate and micro-loan pioneer Muhammad Yunus, whom they say should be prosecuted for supporting homosexuals.

The sudden storm is surprising because the ‘offending comments’ date from April 2012, following prosecutions of LGBTs in Uganda.

The 73-year-old economist made the statement along with three other Nobel laureates.

The April 2012 statement read: ‘As a global community of individuals dedicated to a more peaceful and just world, we wish to express our grave concern as to how our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) brothers and sisters are being treated across the globe.’

Homosexuality is outlawed in Bangladesh and the country recently rejected UN recommendations from the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, to abolish its antiquated colonial era law.

None of that is new, but now Yunus’s comments have become an issue across Bangladesh.

Hundreds of imams, many of whom are on the government’s payroll, were expected to take part in the street protests on today, according to its organizers, who claimed rallies would be held in 600 towns across the country.

In reality Imams in Bangladesh held small protests today against Yunus in some towns around the country, however the rallies only attracted small numbers of supporters despite efforts by organizers to drum up support.

One imam, Maolana Mohammad Noman, who took part in a protest in the eastern town of Comilla said ‘Yunus has become an apostate for supporting homosexuality’.

Local police chief Mohiuddin Mahmud secretary of a committee that helps run the national mosque in Dhaka, and an organizer of the rally, told AFP ‘scores of imams joined the rally in Comilla and demanded Yunus’s execution’.

Maolana Moniruzzaman Rabbani, said protests ‘took place in each of the country’s 580 sub-district towns’ and organizers would distribute anti-Yunus leaflets in at least 100 mosques in the capital Dhaka during weekly prayers on Friday.

On Monday Rabbani had told APN: ‘Yunus must apologize for supporting homosexuality or he must be prosecuted for standing against the Koran and Islam.

‘We have asked all Muslims to be united against Yunus’s move to destroy our family and society.’

Rabbani, who is also secretary general of the Islamic Oikyajote political party, which claims to be allied with the government also stated organizers would distribute 600,000 leaflets outlining Yunus’s statement against violence and opposing discrimination against LGBTs.

The protests according to Rabbani were ‘solely an effort to protect Islam and family’, but an official states the government’s Islamic Foundation, which is responsible for religious affairs, was behind the campaign.

The official, who did not want to be named because he works for the Islamic Foundation, said it has ordered imams who are on government payrolls to join the protests.

He told AFP: ‘Its press has published the booklets and leaflets against Yunus.’

Islamic Foundation’s public relations officer Billala Bin Kashem backed this, saying: ‘I was in the office. From there it is sent.’

However Shamim Afzal, the head of the foundation, has denied they were behind the campaign or supported it.

A spokesperson for Yunus, who is currently not in Bangladesh, declined to comment because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Yunus had set up Grameen Bank in 1983 and made it a global success story in tackling poverty. His efforts to make collateral-free micro loans easily available for Bangladesh’s rural poor made him a national hero. But he has angered President Hasina after he called for elections under a caretaker government – a key demand of the opposition.

Notably Yunus did not lend his support towards the persecution of Bangladeshi LGBTs but in Uganda. So why is this is suddenly sparking outrage in Bangladesh?

It is a well documented fact the Ugandan bill and persecution of its LGBT citizens is backed and funded by American Right Wing Christians, which further makes me question Bangladeshi Islamic clerics motivations, for this new attack on Bangladesh’s LGBT’s.

Let us not forget Bangladesh is perceived to be one of the few Islamic states which exercises considerable tolerance towards the issue of homosexuality and criminal prosecutions under the gay sex ban law (Section 377) are rare. In practice the Sodomy Act is mainly used to create fear, which prohibits homosexuals from coming out or demanding legalization of same-sex relationships.

However the call for a rally illustrates that much of Bangladesh’s society is naturally homophobic, as it has the second largest Muslim population in the world.

Through indoctrinated teaching of Islam, the concept of homosexuality is completely incompatible with puritan Islamic morals and an obvious taboo for the country’s semi-literate society, who I fear are being blindly led again.

I have to wonder if all those Muslims marching even knew of this issue and statement by Yunus before a mosque leader clued them in and instructed them they were religiously bound to protest.

It is worth noting that Bengali Muslims pay a great deal of credit and importance to the Hadith which speak severely of homosexuality (‘liwat’) and are usually interpretations by some scholars to what is attributed to be sayings of the prophet Muhammad.

However, many liberal Muslims, including myself have serious doubts about their authenticity. As such Hadiths have been used in particular times and places, they do not necessarily apply to different contexts and times.

And as I have pointed out many times, during the times of the first Caliphs, no sahabi (companion) of Muhammad could quote a saying or decision of Muhammad relating to ‘liwat’.

Islam is a personal religion between the individual and Allah, and as it is a set of guidelines it is open to interpretation and I personally believe homosexuality is not haram [forbidden].

Considering that Bangladesh’s population in March 2013 was estimated at 150,039,000 by conservative estimates it would indicate that 9million, or 15million or more are LGBT and the religious leaders in their decision to rally are ignoring all those people’s existence.

The so-called benevolence of the Bangladesh government has lead the international community to believe the safety of the LGBT community is in fact protected in Bangladesh.

However a courser analysis can reveal the real stand of the authorities towards same-sex relationships and their recognition of LGBTs and their views as illustrated again today.

Unfortunately it is the gays and lesbians of Bangladeshi society who bear the brunt of this dubious double-edged governmental policy, forcing them to either be closeted or live a lie and in doing so denying them the opportunity to be themselves. By forcing them into sham marriages or unorthodox medications, conversion therapy or religious indoctrination.

Unfortunately the conditions lesbians face are much worse than their male counterparts. For in Bangladesh’s marriage oriented society, a marital life is considered to be the ultimate nirvana for women and any unmarried woman is looked upon suspiciously by the predominantly Muslim society, and attributed to being a burden or brining shame to the family name.

So most lesbian women succumb to parental pressures for getting married and living a lie, miserable.

This has been demonstrated when the hidden cost to this stance as demonstrated in the recent story of the lesbian couple threatened with life in jail for getting married.

And just today, GSN reported on another lesbian couple who now appear to be on remand after being arrested for their ‘marriage-like’ relationship.

Importantly, although Bangladesh is a predominately Muslim country, Sharia law is not in place.

So why does religion hold so much sway – particularly as religious ‘laws’ are not supposed to apply to non-Muslims, something some young hotheads seem to forget?

I personally perceive the Bangladeshi government holds only a loose control over Bangladesh and it is the radical Islamists who really run the nation.

In a way similar to the Shahs rule before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, they hope its just a matter of time when the democratic government will be overthrown by the radicals, Sharia law introduced and Bangladesh become another hell for gays similar to Iran.

Bangladesh’s LGBTs are forgotten by their western counterparts No mass demonstrations, protests or actions are made by western activists regarding their plight or the persecutions they face. No vodka is symbolically poured or products boycotted, and I can not but wonder why?

Do countless million fellow LGBTs’ sufferings not matter or is it solely as involvement would and does not grant them the same media limelight and coke not as fashionable to boycott?

To the religious leaders in Bangladesh I have just one simple thing to say: Have you become so obsessed with homosexuality you have lost the true meaning of Islam?

For those who condemn my sexuality should know better. Allah is the only one that can pass judgment – not Imams and Mullahs.