Quote:
Originally posted by Memnoch:
The reason I posted this was because I was curious as to how some of us might react to this perspective. Mr Berlusconi's comments are in the same vein as that of Pope Urban V1 (?) who called for a Great Crusade to free the Holy City of Jerusalem from the grip of the Muslims at the close of the first millenium. They are certainly politically incorrect. But let's take a good long look at the darkest corner of our souls and ask ourselves if there's even a tiny little part of us that agrees with him.
As long as that spark of Bhaal essence is in our soul  we will never have true peace on earth, IMHO.
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I think i know what your getting at Memnoch...but for me that would be just to...un-optimistic??? Deep down within do i think that the central asia is populated by a bunch of barbarians??? No. I acknowledge that we in the west are afforded luxuries of life not seen everywhere else...I refuse to believe that this makes us superior or more intelligent or more virtuos.
This quote from the article:
He had earlier told Italian journalists: "We should be conscious of the superiority of our civilisation, which consists of a value system that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion." As if to rub salt in the wound, he added: "This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic countries."
This is called stereotyping. It is an uneducated and grossly indecent comment to make IMHO. The Taliban or the terrorists are not the rule of Islam. They are the exception. Just like the Spanish Inquisition and Jerry Falwell are not the rule of all christianity.
For this...situation...to be labelled a Crusade plays into the oppositions hands. That would make this encounter Western idealism vs. Islam. That is not what this encounter is.
Note: I tried to use ambiguous words like encounter and opposition and situation on purpose.