December 17, 2008
The leader of a Senegalese Islamic non-governmental organization has charged that the recent 15th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa was "insidiously exploited by obscure homosexual lobbies." The meeting in Dakar marked the first time the conference had allowed participation by African sexual minorities. "Their presence, inappropriate at this scientific gathering, was no more than a pretext for an umpteenth attempt to promote conduct that runs against nature," said Imam Massamba Diop, executive president of Jamra. Same-sex relationships are outlawed and punishable by five years in prison in Senegal, which is 95 percent Muslim.