David Bahati and “The Family” in Uganda

In an NPR interview with Terry Gross, Jeff Sharlet reveals a link between David Bahati, the Ugandan MP responsible for the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently under consideration, and the The Family, the discreet “elite” US-based Christian organisation which enjoys considerable political patronage in a number of countries:

David Bahati, is a member of The Family. He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Uganda National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda… Working with some research colleagues we discovered that David Bahati, the man behind this legislation, is really deeply, deeply involved in The Family’s work in Uganda, that the ethics minister of Uganda, Museveni’s kind of right hand man, a guy named Nsaba Buturo, is also helping to organize The Family’s National Prayer Breakfast. And here’s a guy who has been the main force for this Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda’s executive office and has been very vocal about what he’s doing, and in a rather extreme and hateful way. But these guys are not so much under the influence of The Family. They are, in Uganda, The Family.

…Looking at the, The Family’s 990s, where they’re moving their money to – into this African leadership academy called Cornerstone, which runs two programs: Youth Corps, which has described its in the past as an international quote, “invisible family binding together world leaders,” and also, an alumni organization designed to place Cornerstone grads – graduates of this sort of very elite educational program and politics and NGO’s through something called the African Youth Leadership Forum, which is run by -according to Ugandan media – which is run by David Bahati, this same legislator who introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

And as for President Museveni:

… The Family identified [him] back in 1986 as a key man for Africa.

They wanted to steer him away from neutrality or leftist sympathies and bring him into conservative American alliances, and they were able to do so. They’ve since promoted Uganda as this bright spot – as I say, as this bright spot for African democracy, despite the fact that under their tutelage, Museveni has slowly shifted away from any even veneer of democracy: imprisoning journalists, tampering with elections, supporting – strongly supporting this Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009.

He’s come out just this – just last week and said that this bill is necessary because Europeans are recruiting homosexuals in Uganda, that Europeans are coming in and trying to make Ugandans gay. And he’s been rewarded for this because this is sort of where these sort of social issues and foreign affairs issues and free market fundamentalist issues all come together.

I blogged an anti-gay speech made by Museveni here.

Jeff wrote a book on The Family, entitled The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, which was published last year by HarperCollins. It’s a remarkable work, shining a light on a political back-channel which before now was only semi-visible to those with eyes to see, with passing references in news reports and Christian paperbacks. My full review can be seen here.

A few weeks ago I noted Bahati’s role in a  “servant leadership team” directed by a US-based “College of Prayer International”. Warren Throckmorton has more about this, here. I’ve also blogged previously on Nsaba Buturo, and I noted Museveni’s links to American evangelists here. Links between the US Christian Right and Africa are also the subject of a report which was published by Political Research Associates last week.

(Hat tip: Talk to Action)

16 Responses

  1. Looks like gays are going to be persecuted and hunted down just like women who were thought to be witches were in the MIddle Ages.

    Stupidity isn’t free, it has a price, a terrible price.

    Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. The country has largely untapped reserves of both crude oil and natural gas.

    LARGE deposits of oil and NG? Look for those ‘al-CIA-duh’ types to start blowing stuff up in Uganda and the WH and Pentagon offer to help save Uganda!

    According to the census of 2002, Christians made up about 84% of Uganda’s population.

    In October 2009, a bill was tabled in the Parliament of Uganda entitled “The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009” calling for harsher penalties for homosexuals, up to and including the death penalty. This law also requires that any citizen who suspects another person of being homosexual, is required to report the homosexual to police, or they too may receive a fine or time in prison. The proposed bill goes so far as to forbid landlords from renting to a known homosexual, and would ban any public discussion of homosexuality.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda#Economy

    Death for homosexuality? That’s a bit over the top, isn’t it?

    What the hell is this world coming to and how much further will we devolve before we completely self-destruct?

    You should report anyone you think or suspect of being a homo? Christ, sounds like a good way to get rid of a business rival or enemy.

    Anyway, it’s a day to give thanks and I thank Mr. Bartholomew for his insightful, thought provoking blog.

  2. […] orders the death penalty for HIV infected homosexuals is brought to you by none other than The Family. I don’t believe that I have seen an organization so motivated by hatred until I came across […]

  3. This is a christian holocaust against gays and lesbians.

    The Family is a terrorist organization. They have set their financials and power to create a genocie of gays and lesbians

    THIS CALLS FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION AND REMOVAL OF THEIR NON PROFIT STATUS.

  4. . Hello from Washington, D. C. The specialist against homosexuals since nineteen sixty eight, the spiritual doctor, that heal people from the spiritual blindness of homosexuality, homosexuals use their tail to think not their head, heterosexuals should use their head to think, they know what is natural, procreative human being, marriage, which is only between the male and female, world wide, for human being not inhuman behavior. The homosexual behavior which is the abomination of desolation again this planet is annihilation to humanity. People, on June 10,2009 the Board of Elections and Ethics held a hearing here in Washington, D.C. I testify against same sex marriages, you can watch it on YOU TUBE. NAME MINISTER LEROY SWAILES OR GOOGLE OR BING or you can listen to my interview with SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE a homosexual, and AMBER Lies http://WWW.BING.COM. On Tuesday December 15th I was at THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL MEETING when eleven out of thirteen voted for same sex marriage here in the NATION CAPITAL. They sold their soul to Satan The Devil, that is spiritual suicide, blasphemy against nature. When the eleven voted, yes, they voted to indoctrination of children to marry the same sex, brainwashing the most precious resources on this planet earth, children. The eleven extraterrestrial beings with their sneaky, kinky, stinky thinking corrupting the mind of children in the world. Homosexuals are satanic lovers, they act so clean, but think so dirty, there is a element in homosexuals that betrays nature. They don’t respect natures order or God advice, liars the act of stealing from the truth. Homosexuals, same sex marriage, makes no sense, its like voting for a cancerous mental disease strange deviating from the normal mental acts, they defy the law of the human spirit, human nature, turning the city, the world into the twenty first century SODOM AND GOMORRAH. People please help me to stop the cruelty to our LOVE ONES, CHILDREN, stop the demonizing of children. The spirit world is not a myth I can prove it, test the spirit, the truth. Homosexuals are compulsive, pathetic contemptuous liars their mythology is to deceive children of the world, with their perversion of sex, it’s a myth they are perverts, no comprehensiveness when it come to intelligent design, the way the system naturally was design to work. I will combat fight against this political bureaucratic military system, for children, what about you I need help, its spiritual warfare. The cure is the LOVE OF THE TRUTH something that the homosexuals and the homosexuals lovers don’t have. I have two website against them first http://WWW.TEARSFORCHILDREN.ORG in nineteen fifty nine the third sex was a lesbian pulp novel a third sex, homosexuality, my second website http://WWW.THIRDGENDER666.COM Why because the homosexuals will cause all, both small and great, rich and poor, to receive their homosexual mark in their right hand, or in their forehead and that no man might buy or sell unless mankind have the homosexual mark. Here is wisdom it’s the homosexuals lie that we are on different roads but going to the same heaven. The homosexuals have vowed to poison natures greatest creation mankind, children, homosexuals are masters of manipulation. The spirit of the homosexuals will not tolerate the spirit of nature or JESUS CHRIST. The pedophiliac people are raping the minds of children, when they lie to children and say that same sex marriage is equal to traditional marriage, equality, no, same sex marriage can reproduce or duplicate, conceive or multiply. MONEY MAKES MONEY. I need a public gathering structure an arena, coliseum, stadium, were I can address this homosexual problem in the world. Its against the law in this country to tell the truth about homosexuals, their exceedingly wicked attraction, danger to society, but I will, I will be a guest speaker any where in the world, speaking the LOVE of the truth.
    HELP FOR CHILDERN ITS TIME FOR A MARCH AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY SO CHILDREN CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HETEROSEXUALITY AND HOMOSEXUALITY. THERE IS A COMMON SENSE SOLUTION FOR CHILDREN, TELLING THE TRUTH.

    • Leroy Swailes,

      You’re no better than a NAZI or a Klansman. If there is a Hell, you deserve to burn there for eternity for this kind of libel that leads to the lynching of gays.

      • PROTECTING THE PLANET AND CHILDREN FROM HOMOSEXUALS EXTRATERRESTRIAL BEINGS,
        IT’S THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH, NOT HATE,I AM FROM PLANET EARTH. THE MESSENGER I AM, A SPIRITUAL COURIER THE WORD OF GOD PLANET EARTH ADAM AND EVE. BLASPHEMY YOU SAID GOD IS A NAZI OR A KLANSMAN,WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM, WHAT ABOUT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH.

  5. DEALING WITH THE SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN: THE TECHNOLOGICAL ENTERPRISES IN NEUROLOGY THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BRAIN THE ENGINEERING THE INTELLIGENT DESIGN BY NATURE, MENTALLY QUICK CAPABLE OF MAKING BRILLIANT DECISION, EVERY ACTION A PERSON MAKES IS BASED ON THE FIRING OF NEURONS IN OUR BRAIN. HOMOSEXUALS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR OWN NEUROLOGY MULTIPLE PERSONALITY SPLIT PERSONALITY, MALE AND FEMALE CONFRONTATION IN THE MIND, WHICH,THE DOMINANT HALF TAKE OVER, THEIR BOTH PATHOLOGICALLY JEALOUS OF EACH OTHER CHARACTERIZED BY GREED,A DESIRE FOR WEALTH HAVING A CRAVING FOR COVETING OF POWER. WHEN THE MIND HOUSES TWO PERSONALITIES THERE ALWAYS IS A BATTLE, CONFLICT, COMPETITION GOOD VERSUS EVIL INTERESTS. THE DOMINANT PERSONALITY ALWAYS TAKE OVER IT TAKES RESIDENCE, THE DOMINANT BEHAVIOR. TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE BEWTEEN GOOD AND EVIL, A NATURAL PERSON AND AN EXCEEDINGLY WICKED PERSON, HOMOSEXALS. HETEROSEXUALITY IS NORMAL BY NATURE IN A CIVILIZED SOCIETY TO CULTIVATE THE WORLD. THE HOMOSEXUAL MIND HOUSES TWO PERSONALITIES OR MORE, THE BATTLE IS IN THE MIND NOT GENETICS THE DIFFERENTIAL GAP BEWTEEN THE X CHROMOSOME AND THE Y CHROMOSOME WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SEX CHROMOSOME, BUT THE REAL BATTLE IS BEWTEEN THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT THAT CREATE THE SOUL, GOOD AND EVIL LIGHT AND DARKNESS AND NATURAL AND UNNATURAL A PERSON OWN IDEOLOGY OUTLOOK ON LIFE OR THEIR METHODOLOGY TO DESTROY THE CONSTITUTIVE CULTURAL SYSTEM OF A SOCIETY CIVILIZATION, ANTISOCIAL ENGINEERING THEIR INTENTIONALITY BRAINLESS NO BRAINPOWER LACKING INTELLECTUAL ABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANISM, SEX. THE MIND, THE THOUGHT PROCESS A COMPLEX ELEMENT, IN AN INDIVIDUAL THAT FEELS, PERCEIVES,THINKS. THE CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS EXISTING IN THE MIND, BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE TO CONSCIOUSNESS,A PSYCHONEUROTIC PERSON A LOST CONTACT WITH REALITY A FANTASY WORLD: THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SODOM AND GOMORRAH: ITS NONSENSE ANTIMATTER. WHEN YOU TAKE THE FILTHINESS, MORAL CORRUPTION OF THE MIND, SNEAKY, KINKY, STINKY, THINKING. THE ART TO POISON THEIR MORALS THEIR SUPERFICIAL WAYS, RAPING THE MIND OF CHILDREN TO FORCE THEIR PERVERION AND DECEPTION DECEIVING CHILDREN OF THE WORLD ITS SPIRITUAL TERRORISM, NO SPIRITUAL PURITY, THEIR DEMANDS AND REQUEST FORCEFULLY AN ATTACK ON NATURE, BLASPHEMY. THE HOMOSEXUALS ARE CLOUDS WITH OUT RAIN, WELLS WITH OUT WATER, TREE WITH OUT FRUIT DETERIORATION IN THE FUNCTIONING IN EVERY DAY LIFE. THE HOMOSEXUAL SHORT CIRCUIT THE SYSTEM THEIR TERRORISM, THEIR TIME ABOMINATION STRONGLY NEGATIVE FEELINGS THROWING LIES EXTRATERRESTRIAL BEINGS, WHEN THEY START LYING DELIBERATELY UNTRUTHFUL QUALITY MISREPRESENTATION A FALSE STATEMENT, INTENDED TO DECEIVE: MATTHEW TWENTY FOUR: FOUR: HOMOSEXUAL ALIEN: ELLEN DEGENERES: QUEEN LATIFAH: WANDA SYKES: ELTON JOHN: BARNEY FRANK: MANY MORE PEOPLE NEED TO ASK A QUESTION ARE WE ON DIFFERENT ROADS, BUT GOING TO THE SAME HEAVEN, IS MY LAST BREATH HERE GOING BE MY FIRST BREATH IN HEAVEN, IS THEIR SECRET KNOWLEDGE IN THIS MESSAGE TO SAVE YOUR SOUL DIVINE REVELATION:YES: HELP FOR CHILDREN ITS TIME FOR A MARCH FOR CHILDREN AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY SO THEY CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE BEWTEEN HETEROSEXUALITY AND HOMOSEXUALITY. http://WWW.TEARSFORCHILDREN.ORG http://WWW.THIRDGENDER.COM
    WHY IS MARRIAGE NOT SACRED, HOLY IN THIS COUNTRY SCIENCE AFFIRM IT, BUT NOT HOMOSEXUALITY THEY TURN THE LIGHT IN TO DARKNESS WHEAT IN TO TARES BELIEVERS TO UNBELIEVERS. THERE IS A COMMON SENSE SOLUTION FOR CHILDREN, TELLING THE TRUTH.

    • Alien homosexuals?! Swailes you are indeed insane and should probably be locked up to protect our children. I was born in 1968 and was a child once. A child who was never ‘recruited’ or indoctrinated. A child of loving parents with 2 wonderful sisters. I am gay. I live, quietly with my partner Phil and our two cats. Phil used to be married and has 2 grown up children who love him very much and are very supportive of me. This is a life of which you know nothing and can see nothing because you are blinded by ignorance and hate, using the cloak of religion to put forth your callous, stupid, faithless crap.

      But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.

  6. Leroy Swailes, you’re criminally insane.

    • INSANE CAUSE OF TELL THE TRUTH, MENTALLY DISORDERED, ME PSYCHOSIS, OUT TEACH WITH REALITY. THAT WHEN YOU LIE WITH ADDICTION YOUR DEPENDENCY OF EXISTENCE IS TO BE A LIAR. JOHN EIGHT: FORTY THREE TO FORTY SEVEN.

  7. HOMOSEXUAL’S EXTRAORDINARY POWER FORCES WILL CAST A SPELL ON YOU, THE WORLD, YOUR CHILDERN, THEIR UNNATURAL FORCES, UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR PSYCHIATRIC BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS, THEY GIVE A GOOD TORMENTED PERFORMANCE. EQUALITY NO THEY WANT POWER,ALL POWER, DOMINION SUPREME AUTHORITY, NOT ON MY WATCH. THE HOMOSEXUALS ARE NOT CHANGING THE PHYSIOLOGY OF MY THINKING THEIR PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT WORKING ON ME OR THE MIND OF GOD: NATURE: THE TRUTH SHOULD PREVAIL ABOVE DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS TO BE VICTORIOUS. HAVE YOU BEEN BITTEN BY THE BEAST, DEADLY LIES ONE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SIN’S PRIDE DAY, THE HOMOSEXUALS DAY THE NATURE OF THE BEAST PURE EVIL SAME SEX MARRIAGE THEY ARE AT WAR WITH NATURE: GOD. PANDORA’S BOX IS OPEN, SAME SEX MARRIAGE, OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHAT BOX, OUR SKULL IS LIKE A BOX, YOU PLANT A SEED IN IT, IT WILL GROW, LIE’S AND MORE LIE’S. THAN YOU GET OUT OF CONTROL, YOU BEGAIN TO BELIEVE YOUR OWN LIE’S, IS THE MIND LIKE DIRT, YOU PLANT A SEED IN IT, IT GROW’S, DO YOU HAVE A DIRTY MIND, INVESTIGATE YOUR INVULNERABILITY, EXAMINE, QUESTION YOUR SELF, DO YOU ACT SO CLEAN, BUT THINK SO DIRTY, ARE YOU THE ANTICHIRST, DID SATAN THE DEVIL ASK YOU TO TURN STONE IN TO BREAD OR HETEROSEXUALITY TO HOMOSEXUALITY. THERE IS NO PEACE FOR THE EXCEEDINGLY WICKED THEY CAST UP MIRE AND DIRT, WHO VOICE ARE YOU FOLLOWING, OR WHO ’S REGULATIONS ARE YOU OBEYING NOT GOD. DYSFUNCTIONAL OUT OF CONTROL AN ABUSE OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY,ADULT ARE POSSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN BEHAVIOR AN CONDUCT NEVERTHELESS THEY ARE PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAGLE WHEN IT COME TO TRUTHFULNESS. THE NICENESS OF THE TRUTH, HAVING A REASONABLE QUALITY CONTROL NATURE, CAUSE OF THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH FOR CHILDREN IS NOT A HATE CRIME. PEOPLE THAT HATE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICALLY GENITALIA: BIOLOGY: NATURE: GOD: JESUS CHRIST: AND HISTORY. THE INSANE ASYLUM: HATING ME, CAUSE I’AM A CHRISTIAN HOMOPHOBIC MINISTER THAT IS A HATE CRIME IS GOD A HOMOPHOBIC YES?
    DEFINITION-CHAPTER-VERSE
    1. ANTICHRIST-ONE WHO DENIES OR OPPOSES JESUS CHRIST: MATTHEW NINETEEN VERSE FOUR-SIX: REVELATION THIRTEEN VERSE SIXTEEN-EIGHTEEN: THE WHOLE BIBLE, THE ANTICHRIST COMES AT THE END TEACHING AGAINST GOD NATURE, HIS WAYS AND UNOBSTRUCTED PERFECT PLAIN, ASSIST GOD DON’T RESIST GOD.
    2.BESTIALITY-A FORM OF BESTIALITY A BEAST A FOUR, FOOTED MAMMAL A CONTEMPTIBLE PERSON MAY IMPLY ANY QUALITY PROVOKING SCORN OR A LOW STANDING IN ANY SCALE OF VALUES; DRAG, CLOTHING TYPICAL OF ONE SEX WORN BY A PERSON OF THE OPPOSITE SEX. THE OPPOSITE OF GOD IS THE DRAGON, WAR IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. REVELATION TWELVE-FOUR; TO DEVOUR HER CHILD; THE SATANIC TRINITY; THE DEVIL; THE BEAST; THE FALSE PROPHET; REV,TWENTY VERSE TEN.
    3. PEDOPHILIA- SEXUAL PERVERSION IN WHICH CHILDREN ARE THE PREFERRED SEXUAL OBJECT. HOMOSEXUALS AND HETEROSEXUALS THAT SEDUCE CHILDREN MIND, TO LEAD THEM INTO TEMPTATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IS RAPING THE MIND OF THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE IS PAINFUL, SADISTIC PLEASURE, THATS THE NATURE OF THE BEAST, PEDOPHILES: OFFEND ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES TO CAUSE PAIN TO HURT THEM; THE MORAL DIVINE LAW; MATTHEW EIGHTEEN WHOLE CHAPTER- LUKE SEVEN: ONE AND TWO, LYING TO CHILDREN LACKING HONEST A FALSE STATEMENT, INTENDED TO DECEIVE. BUT EVIL MEN AND SEDUCERS SHALL WAX WORSE AND WORSE, DECEIVING AND BEING DECEIVED. SECOND TIMOTHY THREE THE WHOLE CHAPTER;
    4. SADIST- SADISM PHYSICAL OR MENTAL PAIN ON OTHERS AS ON A LOVE OBJECT, DELIGHT IN CRUELTY AND EXCESSIVE CRUELTY; IN SCHOOL GIRLS RAPING GIRLS; BOYS RAPING BOYS; IN PRISON SAME GENDER RAPING EACH OTHER,GANG RAPING. GENESIS NINETEEN WHOLE CHAPTER; VERSE FIVE BRING THEM OUT UNTO US, THAT WE MAY KNOW THEM, SO THE SODOMITES BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, ALL THE PEOPLE FROM EVERY QUARTER CAN GANG RAPE TWO ANGELS, LOT SAID I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS. JUDGES NINETEEN VERSE TWENTY TWO; BUT UNTO THIS MAN DO NOT SO VILE A THING; VILE
    AFFECTIONS; CHAPTER TWENTY VERSE FOURTEEN; WITH OUT NATURAL AFFECTION.
    5.SATANIST-SATANISM INNATE WICKEDNESS; GENESIS THIRTEEN, THIRTEEN; EIGHTEEN
    TWENTY VERY GRIEVOUS AGAINST GOD CHARACTER, REV: ELEVEN- EIGHT.
    6. SIX, SIX ,SIX HATE THE BOOK DON’T HATE ME, I LOVE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH CAUSE I LOVE YOU. THEIR BLOOD SHALL BE UPON THEM: GEN: TWENTY THIRTEEN: THE VOICE OF THY BROTHER’S BLOOD CRIETH UNTO ME FROM THE GROUND. GEN: FOUR TEN:
    7. SYMBOL-SYMBOLISM: SIGN FOR CHRISTIAN: EXODUS THIRTEEN-NINE: DEUT-SIX:ONE TO EIGHT: ELEVEN-EIGHTEEN: THE BEGINNING THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE END REV:

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  9. […] The Family supports draconian anti-homosexual laws in Uganda; US and Iran in naval faceoff near Yemen; Blackwater’s secret war in Pakistan; the […]

  10. […] based on a literal interpretation of the scripture is to condemn and kill all homosexuals! (see David Bahati and The Family in Uganda and David Bahati Interview by Rachel Maddow). An extreme example? Not when the man is a member of […]

  11. […] Clinton. However, this moderate and bi-partisan impression came under critical scrutiny when Jeff drew attention to links between the organisation and David Bahati, the author of Uganda’s notorious anti-gay […]

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