Holiday island set to ban gays

The east African holiday island of Zanzibar is set to outlaw homosexuality and lesbianism, with tourism being blamed for a demise of traditional values in the mainly Muslim state.

The BBC reports that the semi-autonomous island’s parliament has passed a bill that will impose tough penalties of up to 25 years’ jail for those in same-sex relationships. The attorney-general is quoted as saying that he is determined to prevent Zanzibari culture from being “corrupted”, and that the president is expected to approve the law-change.

The South African website News24 quotes Adam Mwakanjuki, Zanzibar’s constitutional affairs minister, as saying: “We want to be very specific that this sort of thing is not acceptable in Zanzibar. People tend to think that now Zanzibar is predominantly a Muslim country and in Islam, homosexuality is strictly prohibited. People might think Zanzibar is all cosmopolitan, but as far as homosexuality goes, it is an offence.”

Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad