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| Britain | |
| A Battle for Global Values | |
| 2006-12-29 | |
 Tony BlairSummary: The war on terrorism is not just about security or military tactics. It is a battle of values, and one that can only be won by the triumph of tolerance and liberty. Afghanistan and Iraq have been the necessary starting points of this battle. Success there, however, must be coupled with a bolder, more consistent, and more thorough application of global values, with Washington leading the way. Tony Blair is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
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| Posted by:.com |
| #13 His attempt to be evenhanded is hamfisted. There are so many things to choke on in this. "To me, the most remarkable thing about the Koran is how progressive it is. I write with great humility as a member of another faith. As an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, much as reformers attempted to do with the Christian church centuries later. The Koran is inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It is practical and far ahead of its time in attitudes toward marriage, women, and governance." "Progressive." If "progressive" only means charity for the helpless and hungry, then ok. But Tony, you're a modern fellow; outside of the context of Islam, how would you define "progressive"? Equal treatment for the sexes? Not there. Equal rights before the law? Not there. Freedom from enslavement? Not there. Freedom from rape? Not there. Freedom from physical abuse and inhumane punishments by one's (religion-based) government? Not there. Freedom to convert from one's religion (Islam)? Both there and not there-a schizphrenic's delight indeed. I wonder if he realizes how his words insult Christians and Jews, as if Islam is the only thing that made them truly pious. The Koran may be inclusive, but that is rather understating the matter: the Koran is pathologically controlling of anyone in its reach. Superstition is rife in Islamic countries; gossip is the currency for it. The Koran may have been "ahead of its time" regarding women, but "its time" is not the standard for OUR time. Leave that ditty to the history books and let's focus on today, Tony; Islam is by far the worst of any religion in the treatment of women. Yes, there are degrees of rottenness in the faith and there are some decent, innocent people who are gullible or terrified enough to follow this death-cult faith. But Tony, for you to provide any cover for these clitoris-cutting, wife-beating, rape-victim-executing religionists is truly surprising. Shame on you. |
| Posted by: Jules 2006-12-29 18:02 |
| #12 A nice warm plate of horse dung. Has the Islamic Prince been visiting Blair ? |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-12-29 12:32 |
| #11 I heard that Gerald Ford died this week. Well, apparently Tony Blair died also. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-12-29 12:06 |
| #10 The real problem is that no one in GB is going to implement Blair's fine policies. They will continue to coddle the Islamists and allow the non-integration of the 'multicultural' 'moderates'. And the next Prime Minister will be weaker. |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-12-29 11:56 |
| #9 I retract every positive thing I have ever said or written about Tony Blair. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2006-12-29 11:52 |
| #8 And the question is, how may muzzies fit into that category. In Britain, 4%. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-12-29 11:32 |
| #7 Sand. Head. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-12-29 11:10 |
| #6 "We" are all those who believe in religious tolerance, in openness to others, in democracy, in liberty, and in human rights administered by secular courts. And the question is, how may muzzies fit into that category. I don't know. But I doubt many. The historic track record says few and contemporary evidence says few. Tony, and no other responsible politician wants to admit this because the implications are too horrifying. That is why they await an even more horrifying attack on us that will remove the domestic constraints that prevent the implementation of the subsequent horrifying solution. So Tony gives the mythical moderate Muslim the opportunity and encouragement to reform before they are removed. A Vanity Fair. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-12-29 11:05 |
| #5 Disagree. If you eliminate two paragraphs, I think most here would find the article interesting. So why those two paragraphs? Either he only read the first couple of chapters and thinks he's read the Koran, or he knows better and is throwing a bone to any possible moderates. In the late 1990s, the movement's strategy became clear. If it was merely fighting within Islam, it ran the risk that fellow Muslims -- being as decent and as fair-minded as anyone else -- would choose to reject its fanaticism. A battle about Islam was just Muslim versus Muslim. The extremists realized that they had to create a completely different battle: Muslims versus the West. That is what the September 11 attacks did. I am still amazed at how many people say, in effect, that there is terrorism today because of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. They seem to forget entirely that 9/11 predated both. The West did not attack this movement. It was attacked. THE NATURE OF THE STRUGGLE For this ideology, we are the enemy. But "we" are not the West. "We" are as much Muslim as Christian, Jew, or Hindu. "We" are all those who believe in religious tolerance, in openness to others, in democracy, in liberty, and in human rights administered by secular courts. This is not a clash between civilizations; it is a clash about civilization. It is the age-old battle between progress and reaction, between those who embrace the modern world and those who reject its existence -- between optimism and hope, on the one hand, and pessimism and fear, on the other. In any struggle, the first challenge is to accurately perceive the nature of what is being fought over, and here we have a long way to go. It is almost incredible to me that so much Western opinion appears to buy the idea that the emergence of this global terrorism is somehow our fault. For a start, the terror is truly global. It is directed not just at the United States and its allies but also at nations who could not conceivably be said to be partners of the West. |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-12-29 10:44 |
| #4 Jeebus, just reading the two clips above, I know I won't even click that linky. What a load of multi-culti, touchy-feely BS. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-12-29 10:06 |
| #3 "To me, the most remarkable thing about the Koran is how progressive it is. I write with great humility as a member of another faith. As an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, much as reformers attempted to do with the Christian church centuries later. The Koran is inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It is practical and far ahead of its time in attitudes toward marriage, women, and governance." I couldn't read any further. I just couldn't. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-12-29 09:02 |
| #2 Tony Blair is a jackass. A perfect example of an emasculated western appeaser. The entire first page of that article is complete bullshit. Islam leading the way in art, science, governance and the treatment of women?!?. Ha! that's a good one. Someone in the Old World better grow a set of balls and soon, this jerk off is fiddling while Rome burns. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2006-12-29 08:08 |
| #1 Yep -long but roughly/generally accurate. Commie Secularists = Radical Islam > GOD? DEMANDS REGRESSIONISM + MODERNITY >is PRIMITIVITY. GOD = WARLORD/BANDIT-SLAVER/MAFIOSI WANTS YOU TO BE PERM POOR + CONTROLLED. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-12-29 01:18 |