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Shas MK Shlomo Benizri. (BauBau Archives)
Last update - 19:29 20/02/2008
Shas MK blames gays for recent earthquakes in the region
By Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Shas, Israel, gays 

Shas MK Shlomo Benizri blamed gays Wednesday for the earthquakes that have shaken the region in recent months, telling a Knesset plenum debate on local authorities' earthquake preparedness that government action on homosexuality would do much to prevent the tremors.

Benizri said the government should not make do with reinforcing buildings, but should instead pass less legislation that encourages homosexuality and other "perversions like adoptions by lesbian couples."

The ultra-Orthodox party MK invoked passages from the Talmud and the Gemarrah to support his claims.
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"Why do earthquakes happen?" said Benizri. "One of the reasons is the things to which the Knesset gives legitimacy, to sodomy."

"A cost-effective way of averting earthquake damage," he added, "would be to stop passing legislation on how to encourage homosexual activity in the State of Israel, which anyways causes earthquakes."

Mike Hammel, who chairs Israel's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association said in response that "religious MKs are apparently competing to see who can disparage [the gay] community more."

"This is a sad competition that shows how dark Shas MKs are," he said.

"On one had, it is said that a religious MK doesn't believe that earthquakes are caused by God," he added. "On the other hand, it is flattering that he attributes supernatural powers to us."

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      1.   life is rough...blame the gays 18:07  |  21st century guy 20/02/08
      2.   Earthquake in Indonesia 18:08  |  Avrum 20/02/08
      3.   Religious Scum 18:12  |  Albert 20/02/08
      4.   Embarrassing 18:14  |  Ilan 20/02/08
      5.   We don`t hate these people... 18:14  |  Dave 20/02/08
      6.   seems reasonable, right? 18:14  |  kavu 20/02/08
      7.   Gays Blamed for Earthquakes 18:18  |  Maurice Zaslawsky 20/02/08
      8.   Dave #5 18:22  |  alan 20/02/08
      9.   Get The Rabbis Out Of Office 18:23  |  Yosemite 20/02/08
      10.   Oh the stupidity-can we stop it already? 18:24  |  jewish gal 20/02/08
      11.   Well he has a point... 18:25  |  SMART JEW 20/02/08
      12.   this is actually kind of funny 18:28  |  elan 20/02/08
      13.   As I said 18:28  |  Paul Wood 20/02/08
      14.   #4 Ilan 18:31  |  Paul Wood 20/02/08
      15.   to ilan from rehovot 18:33  |  amihai 20/02/08
      16.   We have our Ahmadinejads 18:34  |  Joe 20/02/08
      17.   Earthquakes cased by Gays ?? 18:35  |  JS 20/02/08
      18.   poor benizri 18:38  |  nenkita 20/02/08
      19.   To SMART JEW (#11) 18:44  |  Machiavelli Spinoza 20/02/08
      20.   4 Ilan. Same embarassing feeling here. Shas is too busy... 18:44  |  bat yam 20/02/08
      21.   don`t need medicine either 18:47  |  Paul Freedman 20/02/08
      22.   That`s ignorant 18:49  |  Gili 20/02/08
      23.   Prosecute 18:53  |  Alex 20/02/08
      24.   some history 18:54  |  a jew 20/02/08
      25.   and we this kind of leaders? 18:55  |  ilan 20/02/08
      26.   the problem is that you think ur smart , smart jew.# 11 18:56  |  Gabriel 20/02/08
      27.   SMART JEW: Where was God`s hands during the holocaust? 18:58  |  secular Jew 20/02/08
      28.   For someone who claims to see G-d`s hand... 18:58  |  Chaim 20/02/08
      29.   pillow 18:59  |  hans 20/02/08
      30.   dinosaurs are in extincts ...this is why? BENIZRI. 18:59  |  Gabriel 20/02/08
      31.   Homosexuality 19:00  |  Joe 20/02/08
      32.   Shas MK blames gays for recent earthquakes in the region 19:02  |  Michael 20/02/08
      33.   Should we call them Shastan 19:04  |  Joe 20/02/08
      34.   And I thought it was because of corruption in government 19:04  |  allan 20/02/08
      35.   # 14 There is a very good reason why Iceland is called 19:07  |  Kris 20/02/08
      36.   Shas-wake up and read the Torah 19:11  |  allan 20/02/08
      37.   Back to the Bronze Age. 19:13  |  Michael 20/02/08
      38.   Politics and Religion 19:13  |  Sam 20/02/08
      39.   You let guys like this in the Knesset???? 19:17  |  Michael 20/02/08
      40.   Our leadership 19:20  |  embarrassed jew 20/02/08
      41.   About Gays 19:21  |  Eli Goldberg 20/02/08
      42.   Duh the Rabbis Right! 19:23  |  Marvin S. 20/02/08
      43.   Gays not only rock the bed, they rock the earth 19:25  |  Sam 20/02/08
      44.   As a Gay I`m Am Not So Super About What He Said. 19:28  |  Tooty 20/02/08
      45.   Shas: Hard Working Believers 19:29  |  Yechiel 20/02/08
      46.   He is quoting the Gemara, why not check? 19:30  |  S. Judah 20/02/08
      47.   Shas MK blames gays for recent earthquakes in the region 19:32  |  Paul 20/02/08
      48.   Heichal Hashem 19:35  |  Benzion and Shmulik 20/02/08
      49.   Religion is the real cancer of Israel 19:36  |  Stas 20/02/08
      50.   Benizri may have forgotten his gay days... 19:39  |  TEA 20/02/08
      51.   No quakes in Iran 19:40  |  tomi 20/02/08
      52.   Teaching Equations / Maths to Shas students 19:44  |  Dangalil 20/02/08
      53.   hahahahahahaha 19:51  |  JB 20/02/08
      54.   hahahahahahaha 19:51  |  JB 20/02/08
      55.   Earthquakes caused by Shas 19:54  |  Jon 20/02/08
      56.   Mormons to blame for tsunamis 19:56  |  Truethat 20/02/08
      57.   SHAS THE PARTY OF SHMUXS 20:03  |  Iskander 20/02/08
      58.   gays are encouraged 20:07  |  jorge luis 20/02/08
      59.   Actually 20:08  |  B. 20/02/08
      60.   He`s my brother? 20:09  |  Simon 20/02/08
      61.   THE JEWS & THE GAYS 20:16  |  Ernest Greafenberg 20/02/08
      62.   only in israel 20:20  |  michael 20/02/08
      63.   (#11), According to Plato, the best army is an army of lovers. 20:23  |  christoph 20/02/08
      64.   such nonsense 20:25  |  gawain 20/02/08
      65.   Natural disasters 20:27  |  Shloimele 20/02/08
      66.   earthquake in morocco 20:29  |  shimon 20/02/08
      67.   Permitting stupidity on a State level 20:36  |  K-Y for the morose 20/02/08
      68.   Mishkav Zakhar 20:42  |  JoeyJoeJoe 20/02/08
      69.   looooooooooooool 20:48  |  tom 20/02/08
      70.   Jerusalem 20:48  |  Motic 20/02/08
      71.   God is Clear on Homosexuality 20:52  |  Yechiel 20/02/08
      72.   HOW TO KEEP ISRAEL SAFE 20:53  |  whizbang 20/02/08