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In a statement Scotland Yard said that it had "received
a report of comments made in a radio interview which the
complainant believed were homophobic in nature and asked us
to investigate".
In the interview
Sir Iqbal said he was guided by the teachings of the Muslim
faith, adding that other religions such as Christianity and
Judaism held the same stance.
When asked if he believed homosexuality was harmful to
society, he said: "Certainly it is a practice that in
terms of health, in terms of the moral issues that comes
along in a society - it is. It is not acceptable."
"Each of our faiths tells us that it is harmful and I
think, if you look into the scientific evidence that has
been available in terms of the forms of various other
illnesses and diseases that are there, surely it points out
that where homosexuality is practised there is a greater
concern in that area."
Openly gay Conservative MP, Alan Duncan, said “This is an
absurd medieval view. One should separate the religious from
the secular. Such general condemnation is no longer
acceptable in a civilised modern world."
Stephen Pound, the Labour MP for Ealing North, said: “It's
a cruel and vicious blow to strike against people who are
born the way they are. We are living in 21st-century
northern Europe, not 7th-century Arabia. It may come as a
shock to Mr Sacranie, but I know many gay Muslims who are
living perfectly normal, decent lives."
Liberal Democrat spokesman on human rights, Evan Harris,
said: "To imply that homosexuality itself was
unacceptable is a form of intolerance that's
deplorable."
Peter Tatchell, of gay rights group OutRage!, said: "It
is tragic for one minority to attack another minority.
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