Azernews.Az

Moldova`s north-central city of Balti is emerging as a key hotspot in the latest controversy threatening to split the impoverished country in two.

The pro-Western ruling Alliance for European Integration (AIE) will again this month attempt to pass an antidiscrimination bill that has been praised by the European Union and the United States. But it does so against the objections of an unexpected alliance between the conservative Orthodox Church and the opposition Communist Party.

Both those forces are working hard to convince the conservative country that the new law -- together with the government`s 2011 registration of the country`s tiny Muslim minority as a state-recognized religion -- would mean the unfettered ``Islamization and homosexualization`` of Moldova.

And they are making a stand in Balti, where the City Council passed an ordinance banning the ``propagandizing`` of homosexuality.

``That`s just the way I was brought up -- those are my morals,`` says Alexandr Poneatovski, a Communist lawmaker in the council. ``I simply do not recognize these people as members of any sort of normal society.``

Balti is one of at least three Moldovan municipalities to pass such laws, which are primarily aimed at preventing Gay Pride parades and are strikingly similar to a law adopted by the Russian city of St. Petersburg last month and to legislation now pending in the Russian State Duma.

Moldovan lawmakers deny that they are following Russia`s lead on this issue, but Moldova`s Communist Party has close ties with Russia`s ruling United Russia party and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has written an open appeal to Moldova to reject the law.

Angela Frolov, head of the GenderDoc-M gay rights group in Chisinau, sees a clear connection between Russia and the present developments in her country.

``The [Moldovan] Communists have strong ties with the Russian Federation, and they follow its example...`` she said.`` They saw that such a measure worked [in St. Petersburg] so they decided to use the same tactics here.``

In recent weeks, Balti and other Moldovan cities have been blanketed with leaflets decrying the proposed equality legislation and warning of dire consequences if it is adopted.

``The law on nondiscrimination…acknowledges the dictatorship of homosexualism over normalcy and…gives them [pederasts] more rights than other people,`` one such leaflet proclaims.

``Any homosexual will be able to practice deviance in PUBLIC places, even in front of our children,`` the leaflet continues.

``Pederasts will have every right to teach in kindergartens, schools, and universities about how `fine and normal` it is to be homosexual.``

It also claims that because Moldova was once part of the Ottoman Empire, Muslims believe the country must be officially converted to Islam -- and that Christians will be considered ``pagans`` and beheaded.