naming names



Sympathy for and solidarity with our friends across the Atlantic. Props to Blair for the courage to risk challenging Western civilization's misguided religious tolerance by identifying the enemy correctly by name

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair:

"We know that these people act in the name of Islam."
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Update: It appears that I blew it, completely missing that this was only part of Blair's statement. I'd taken the quote from an Associated Press summary clip, and failed to see where that sentence led. Blair balanced his remark with carefully measured expressions of inclusiveness:
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"...but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims, here and abroad, are decent and law-abiding people who abhor this act of terrorism every bit as we do."
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To my disappointment, as the full quote suggests, Blair bowed respectfully to the typical politically-correct, apologetic, overly-tolerant script that any public speaker is obligated to adhere to when daring to utter such words.
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The problem is, Blair shouldn't have to make distinctions between good or bad Islam in the first place. Islam itself should be at the forefront of denouncing these acts, and unfortunately, it's not. It's not "tolerance" that we need more of. In this case, intolerance is what is required.
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Moderate Islamic leadership has yet to stand up and denounce these acts in a united voice, if for no other reason than to defend and preserve its own interests, as well as reclaim its virtues and principles more courageously against those who misuse its name. We should support Moderate Islam, and we should expect it to stand up and denounce these acts, to be completely intolerant of it, on a large scale. The failure to do this is problematic.
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Moderate Islam--if it even exists as a meaningful entity, and can be united and emboldened--is our best hope.

Posted: Thu - July 7, 2005 at 10:08 AM        

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