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- Thirty young people sought as inter-religious ambassadors for the Millennium Development Goals
- This site was NOT impressed by Mr Blair’s words & thoughts. Perhaps they could have done better
- BREAKING: USA Financial Crisis – Blair says “people are bewildered“ This, prior to the rejection of the $700bn package. Who’s bewildered NOW?
- Blair said the crisis had highlighted the need for global cooperation.
“This financial crisis shows that today, more than ever, the challenges we face are global challenges that need a global response,” he said. “The era of low predictability produces a fragility in our economic and political systems, where confidence is critical.”
He urged Europe to play a greater role, with its mix of social welfare and capitalism. “Europe has a new role as a force of stability, of balance between society and the market.”
- Blair said the crisis had highlighted the need for global cooperation.
Comment at end
29th September, 2008
Yale (39 minutes) video of Tony Blair and Miroslav Volf: Preamble to First ‘Faith and Globalization’ Class
(Mr Blair begins to speak at around 16 minutes)
Miroslav Volf, Professor at Yale’s Divinity School, and Mr. Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister and Howland Distinguished Professor, make opening remarks to the class on Faith and Globalization.
SOME POINTS MADE BY TONY BLAIR
- “If globalisation pulls people together and if faith becomes something that pulls people apart, then religion can become a force that can be immensely destructive.”
- He wants to explore the possibility that faith can do good in this gobalised world.
- “Globalisation is a powerful force and does provide opportunity, but can be highly impersonal.”
- If globalization is value free it is competitive and is decided by power. So globalisation becomes a means of creating a fundamental divide between those who succeed and those who fail.
- Materialism that is value-free leads to feelings of injustice in people left behind, and in the future can lead to a competition for resources, particularly with China’s & India’s growth.
- Huge ignorances about faith. The “more I learn the more I am fascinated to learn.”
- There are many challenges facing the world. The environment & climate change will be others.
- Can faith develop the value system of globalisation?
- People should ask: “how I am going to define myself in distinction – open versus closed”.
- Interfaith sessions – “I go to interfaith sessions and there’s an immense amount of dialogue … a lot … a lot of dialogue”
- He wants to get ’some product out of the lot of dialogue‘.
- Re the Middle East: “I see the work being done by people of faith … historic divisions caused the death of people over the years.”
- “For me this is a very practical thing.”
- “Most of all I am motivated by wanting to make the 21st century WORK for people … because as we open up we offer opportunities for people … and … in getting and spending we do not lay waste our lives. In other words we have some spiritual core in the lives that we lead. And I think that is the only thing that makes life worth living.”
I hate to spoil the party, and I DO hope I’m wrong, but I feel that Mr Blair has taken on a huge challenge here.
We all KNOW this is about Islam and the problems that some aspects of it have brought upon the world since at least the 1950s. (And, no, fundamentalist terrorism did NOT appear as a result of Bush’s “war on terror”, so don’t swallow that nonsense. Several of these organisations were set up with the aim of taking over the world decades ago, even centuries ago. These groups were never dealt with by their own. Now the rest of us are stuck with them.)
Even if Mr Blair’s foundation makes some inroads into reaching towards future generations, it is going to take some time to shift the present fundamentalists. And meanwhile the world’s governments seem to be largely incapable of dealing with these extremist ideologues to any real extent.
And, as we know, Islam still can’t agree on what the Koran means in many places.
For example this site tries to explain that the translation of the word “friends” was really meant to be “allies”. So according to this writer, Muslims can be friends with Christians & Jews. Glad to hear it – or I’d be on the phone to a few friends (or former friends) today.
His semantic analysis, seeming to take us right back to where we started, ends with this:
Conclusion:
It is clear that Islam doesn’t prohibit personal friendships with Jews and Christians or any other people. Islam however clearly prohibits forming alliance with the Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims. The only alliance a Muslim is allowed to form is with Allah Almighty, our Prophet peace be upon him (when he lived 1400 years ago), and the Muslim Believers.
A bit limiting that conclusion, eh … for future alliances with friendly muslim states?
Perhaps Mr Blair can encourage the young to pressure their leaders to rewrite the Koran. We had a “New Testament”; and we had a “New Labour”. Mr Blair believes in both of them.
Perhaps one day there might even be a “New Koran”.
Sceptical? Me too.
Sadly.
Note: In many countries throughout the world westerners are damned for questioning anything or anyone connected with Islam, such as here, in a Canadian report.
This will NOT DO!
It will simply NOT DO.
A few more Muslims urging followers to emulate the virtues of Mohammed, such as suggested by this Nigerian member of parliament would … might … be worth hearing from. Once, that is, the world agrees whether the virtues of Mohammed outweigh the issues.
But if THAT requires questioning, it seems we’re back to square one.
Whatever you do – DON’T question anything – apart from the motives and integrity of western leaders.
Never forget it.
Here endeth today’s lesson, Mr Blair.
The panel at this event on 25th September, featured:
- Tony Blair, founder, Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and former British Prime Minister;
- Hamza Yusuf, a significant and influential Islamic scholar;
- Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, of Malaria No More and an activist for Muslim women and Islam in the West; and
- moderated by June Sarpong, broadcaster and founder of www.politicsandthecity.com
Hamza Yusuf’s participation in this event has been criticised by some inthe Muslim world. He has even been said to have been “set up”. A large fistful of salt might be useful here. Mr Yussuf HAS lowered himself to speak with such as Tony Blair before. But this kind of reaction from some who evidently believe Mr Blair is an untouchable, shows how far he has to travel along his path for religious understanding.
Tags: 1. Tony Blair, class on Faith and Globalization, former British Prime Minister, Howland Distinguished Professor, koran, millennium development goals, Miroslav Volf, Mr. Tony Blair, new koran, new labour, new testament, opening remarks, Professor Yale's Divinity School, Yale video, youtube
