| International |
| Row over Berlusconi Islam jibe |
| 2001-09-26 |
| BBC Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has caused a domestic political storm with comments about the superiority of Western civilisation. During a visit to Germany Mr Berlusconi said the West guaranteed respect for human rights and religion - something he said did not exist in the Islamic world. "We must be aware of the superiority of our civilisation, a system that has guaranteed - in contrast with Islamic countries - respect for religious and political rights." One prominent member of Italy's centre-left opposition, Giovanni Berlinguer, accused Mr Berlusconi of launching into eccentric and dangerous calls for conflict between civilisations. But Mr Berlusconi's spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, said his critics were taking his words out of context. |
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