ARE ANGLICANS JUST NOTICING THIS?:

Islamic world is violent, says Carey (Sam Jones, March 26, 2004, The Guardian)

The Islamic world is a violent, authoritarian and undemocratic place, according to Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

In a speech in Rome yesterday, Dr Carey denounced moderate Muslims for refusing to condemn the "evil" of suicide bombers, urged Islamic theologians to take a more critical approach to the Koran, and lamented that "no great invention has come for many hundred years from Muslim countries".

"Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, we find authoritarian regimes with deeply entrenched leadership, some of which rose to power at the point of a gun and are retained in power by massive security forces," he said.

Turning his attention to suicide bombers, he said: "Sadly, apart from a few courageous examples, very few Muslim leaders condemn clearly and unconditionally the evil of the suicide bombers ... We need to hear outright condemnation of theologies that state that suicide bombers are martyrs and enter a martyr's reward."

Dr Carey's words, reported in the Daily Telegraph, come as the present Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, leads a seminar of Muslim and Christian scholars in New York today.

His call for Islamic theologians to be as rigorous in their studies as their Jewish and Christian counterparts is unlikely to please his successor.

Is the Reverend Williams not aware of this?

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 26, 2004 4:29 PM