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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Liberalism v Islamism |
| 2007-05-23 |
| Liberalism is here taken in its european (and original) sense, not as a synonym for "progressism". Good read, a bit on the long side. Presentation at Neo conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 11 May 2007 First of all, let me define my terms and say what I mean by Islamism and liberalism. Islamism is the politicised version of Islam which mandates jihad, or holy war against the infidel and conquest of the non-Islamic world for Islam. I’m well aware of the argument that there’s no difference between Islamism and Islam: that’s a theological argument for others to have. By liberalism I mean the commitment to a free society, founded above all on the separation of secular government from religious worship — from which follow the concepts of equal respect for all people, freedom of conscience, tolerance and the rule of law. These two concepts, Islamism and liberalism, are currently engaged in a fight to the death. My argument is that liberalism is in danger of losing this fight because it has so badly undermined itself and departed from its own core concepts that it is now paralysed by moral and intellectual muddle. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Delphi 2007-05-23 12:55 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter2970 2007-05-23 11:01 |