BRITAIN: Muslim And Sikh Leaders Oppose Cameron's Same-Sex Marriage Plan

Unsurprisingly, it's not just the Catholic Church and the Church of England who are battling against British Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to legalize same-sex marriage.

Farooq Murad, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “Whilst we remain opposed to all forms of discrimination, including homophobia, redefining the meaning of marriage is in our opinion unnecessary and unhelpful. “With the advent of civil partnerships, both homosexual and heterosexual couples now have equal rights in the eyes of the law. “Therefore, in our view the case to change the definition of marriage, as accepted throughout time and across cultures, is strikingly weak. In common with other Abrahamic faiths, marriage in Islam is defined as “a union between a man and a woman”, he said. “So while the state has accommodated for gay couples, such unions will not be blessed as marriage by the Islamic institutions.” Lord Singh, head of the Network of Sikh Organisations, said the proposed reforms represented “a sideways assault on religion”. “It is an attempt by a vocal, secular minority to attack religion,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Sikhs believed in marriage as the union of a man and a woman and that changing the definition was an attack on the English language, he said. “We have total respect for gays and lesbians and we are delighted that there is a Civil Partnership Act. We believe that this gives gays and lesbians everything they need.”

Last week the British government launched a 12-week period of public comments on Cameron's plan.