THE AUSTRALIAN: THERE is only one view of the murder of the British soldier Lee Rigby on a south London street three weeks ago: horrific.
But there are two views of its significance. One is that it was an act by crazy people, motivated in this case by a perverted notion of Islam, but of no broader significance. Crazy people do crazy things, so don't overreact. The other view is that the ideology that inspired the murder of Rigby is profoundly dangerous.
I am of the latter view. Of course, we shouldn't overreact. But we are deluding ourselves if we believe that we can protect ourselves simply by what we do at home. The ideology is out there. It is not diminishing.
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But there is a problem within Islam, and we have to put it on the table and be honest about it. There are, of course, Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu ones. But I am afraid that the problematic strain within Islam is not the province of a few extremists. It has at its heart a view of religion - and of the relationship between religion and politics - that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies. At the extreme end of the spectrum are terrorists, but the world view goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit. So, by and large, we don't admit it.
This has two effects. First, those who hold extreme views believe that we are weak, and that gives them strength. Second, those Muslims - and the good news is that there are many - who know the problem exists and want to do something about it, lose heart.
Throughout the Middle East and beyond, a struggle is playing out. On one side, there are Islamists and their exclusivist and reactionary world view. They comprise a significant minority, loud and well organised. On the other side are the modern-minded, those who hated the old oppression by corrupt dictators and despise the new oppression by religious fanatics. They are potentially the majority; unfortunately, they are badly organised.
The seeds of future fanaticism and terror - possibly even major conflict - are being sown. Our task is to help sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace. But clearing the ground for peace is not always peaceful.
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Read the whole article here » | Tony Blair | The Australian | Wednesday, June 12, 2013
