And yet the “progressive” left supports these guys.

(Afrol News) — Homosexuality is becoming an issue in the upcoming Egyptian elections, with the Muslim Brotherhood already being accused of spreading homophobia to win votes.

The Muslim Brotherhood is “using homophobia and xenophobia to attract people’s votes like they did before during the constitutional referendum and influenced people to vote ‘yes’,” according to Jennifer Josef from the international gay rights organisation ILGA.

At a recent rally attended by about 25,000 people in Tanta, north of Cairo, Mohammed Badie, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood was reported to state that “it is not permissible for democracy to allow what is forbidden (haram) or forbid what is allowed (halal) even if the entire nation agreed to it.”

Mr Badie stressed that “the West has allowed gay marriage under the pretext of democracy, which we will never allow in Egypt, and we will not allow under the pretext of national unity that a Muslim woman would get married to a Christian man which violates the Islamic law.”

Ms Josef also recalls that Essam Elarian — who recently was elected Vice-President of the brotherhood’s new political party called “The Freedom and Justice Party” — earlier had made homophobic statements.

In a recent interview to the ‘Guardian’, Mr Elarian had tried to give a modern and democratic image, praising the universal value of human rights. But Mr Elarian “specifically excluded gay rights” in the interview, Ms Joseph points out.