
Carey (left) with O’Connor: the jihadis are coming from that-a-way (BBC)
A refreshing bit of courage and backbone from a source where there hasn’t been much of either in evidence lately. English Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor has supported the controversial remarks on Islam made recently by Anglican Archbishop George Carey. From The Guardian, with thanks to Susan:
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has joined criticism of Muslims for not doing enough to denounce terrorism.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey sparked anger when he said not enough moderates condemned the radical activists who carried out attacks “in the name of Allah”.
And Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor said he sympathised with Dr Carey’s remarks.
“He had highlighted something that needed to be highlighted,” he said.
The Cardinal said Lord Carey was “very bravely” criticising Muslim leaders for not saying more to combat those who might be attracted to terrorism.
He said the former Archbishop had contributed a lot of his life to building bridges between Christians and Muslims. “I think what he said was fundamentally true.”
Lord Carey caused outrage with his lecture in Rome last month. He said people looked to Muslims to condemn suicide bombers and terrorists who used Islam as a weapon to destroy innocent lives. But apart from a few courageous examples very few Muslim leaders clearly condemned the evil of suicide bombers.
Lord Carey also accused Islamic societies of being authoritarian and committed to power and privilege – often led by people who rose to power “at the point of a gun”.
He also criticised the Islamic faith, saying Muslim theological scholarship had declined over the last 500 years, “leading to strong resistance to modernity”.
The cardinal used the interview to call on the west to tackle the gross poverty and inequality which was the root cause of terrorism.
Well, nothing is perfect, I suppose. About that last point, I might ask the Cardinal: why is it that many peoples throughout history have suffered from gross poverty and inequality, but few have turned to terrorism? Might that not point to another cause for terrorism? That whole jihad business might be worth another look, eh wot?