One of the things we're studying in my Critical Race Theory class is something called "interest convergence." It is an argument that suggests that things in the larger culture change only when the interests of the controlling groups and the dominated groups converge. Sometimes those interests are hidden and sometimes they are obvious. And, of course, it's a theory that cuts both ways. There is no pre-set way that it must change.
This article is all about interest convergence. In this case, it seems to me that it may also be labeled as uniting against a common enemy. To protect the Holy City against the evils of homosexuality three disparate religions are joining together in an attempt to block a gay pride festival planned for Jerusalem.
Now major leaders of the three faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - are making a rare show of unity to try to stop the festival. They say the event would desecrate the city and convey the erroneous impression that homosexuality is acceptable.
"They are creating a deep and terrible sorrow that is unbearable," Shlomo Amar, Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi, said yesterday at a news conference in Jerusalem attended by Israel's two chief rabbis, the patriarchs of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches, and three senior Muslim prayer leaders. "It hurts all of the religions. We are all against it."
Abdel Aziz Bukhari, a Sufi sheik, added: "We can't permit anybody to come and make the Holy City dirty. This is very ugly and very nasty to have these people come to Jerusalem."
We are powerful, we gays. We have the ability to unite what others could not. Maybe this is what the world needs -- a common enemy to band against. I'm glad we could help. I heart religion.
