Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged governments to “be honest” and address radical Islamization in a column he posted to the Daily Mail on Sunday.
“There is not a problem with Muslims in general. Most in Britain will be horrified at Lee Rigby’s murder,” he wrote. “But there is a problem within Islam — from the adherents of an ideology which is a strain within Islam.”
“We have to put it on the table and be honest about it. Of course there are Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu ones. But I am afraid this strain is not the province of a few extremists. It has at its heart a view about religion and about the interaction between religion and politics that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies.”
Mr. Blair’s comments come as Prime Minister David Cameron prepares to make a statement about the Woolwich murder Monday afternoon, the Daily Mail reports.
“At the extreme end of the spectrum are terrorists, but the world view goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit. So by and large we don’t admit it,” Mr. Blair continued. “The seeds of future fanaticism and terror, possibly even major conflict, are being sown. We have to help sow seeds of reconciliation and peace.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.