Discussions of Western civilization are too often confined to works of high art that reflect a relatively narrow element of public taste and experience. Ibn Warraq More Quotes by Ibn Warraq More Quotes From Ibn Warraq A culture that gave the world the spiritual creations of the Classical Music of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and Schubert, the paintings of Michelangelo, and Raphael, Da Vinci and Rembrandt, does not need lessons from societies whose idea of spirituality is a heaven peopled with female virgins for the use of men, whose idea of heaven resembles a cosmic brothel. Ibn Warraq spiritualmenideas It is the West that has liberated women, racial minorities, religious minorities, and gays and lesbians, recognizing and defending their rights. The notions of freedom and human rights were present at the dawn of Western civilization, as ideals at least, but have gradually come to fruition through supreme acts of self-criticism. Ibn Warraq gayreligiouscivilization All religions are sick men's dreams, false - demonstrably false - and pernicious. Ibn Warraq sickdreammen Muslims have not ever been told to examine their faith in a critical way, so the shock is going to be even greater for them, as it is for any child who lives in an over-protected environment, who suddenly has to go out and earn a living and has to stand up on his own feet. Ibn Warraq feetchildrenway We cannot hope to win the ideological battle against Islam without criticism of Islam, it is essential that we continue to criticize Islam. Ibn Warraq islamcriticismwinning We are free, in the West, to choose; we have real choice to pursue our own desires; we are free to set the goals and contents of our own lives; the West is made up of individuals who are free to decide what meaning to give to their lives-in short the glory of the West is that life is an open book,[1] while under Islam, life is a closed book, everything has been decided for you: God and the Holy Law set limits on the possible agenda of your life. Ibn Warraq reallawbook The great ideas of the West - rationalism, self-criticism, the disinterested search for truth, the separation of church and state, the rule of law, equality before the law, freedom of conscience, thought, and expression, human rights, and liberal democracy- quite an achievement, surely, for any civilization- - remain the best, and perhaps the only, means for all people, no matter of what race or creed, to reach their full potential and live in freedom. Ibn Warraq raceselfmean The West has given the world the symphony, and the novel. Ibn Warraq symphonywestworld Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: this triptych succinctly defines the attractiveness and superiority of Western civilization. Ibn Warraq pursuit-of-happinesslibertycivilization Monotheism is in its turn doomed to subtract one more God and become atheism Ibn Warraq monotheismturnsatheism As Luxenberg's work has only recently been published we must await its scholarly assessment before we can pass any judgements. But if his analysis is correct then suicide bombers, or rather prospective martyrs, would do well to abandon their culture of death, and instead concentrate on getting laid 72 times in this world, unless of course they would really prefer chilled or white raisins, according to their taste, in the next. Ibn Warraq assessmentsuicidewhite While many Islamic countries pay lip service to the idea of freedom of religion, they don't put up with conversion from Islam to another religion. Ibn Warraq islamiccountryideas In Saudi Arabia, among other countries, Muslims are not free to convert to Christianity, and Christians are not free to practice their faith. The Koran is not a rights-respecting document. Ibn Warraq rightschristiancountry In the West we are free to think what we want, to read what we want, to practice our religion, to live as we choose. Liberty is codified in human rights, a magnificent Western creation but also, I believe, a universal good. Ibn Warraq rightsbelievethinking Because of its exceptional capacity for self-criticism, the West took the initiative in abolishing slavery; the calls for abolition did not resonate even in black Africa, where rival African tribes took black prisoners to be sold as slaves in the West. Ibn Warraq blackafrican-tribesself The origins of the modern West are often seen in the Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, but the roots of the Enlightenment can be found in habits of mind cultivated in Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem, and the institutions that grew from them. Ibn Warraq romerootsmind The greatest number of drug addicts are to be found in Teheran and in Karachi, not in the West. Not in New York believe it or not. It's the same with the roles of slavery, racism and imperialism in the world. These institutions were present in other cultures. However, it was Western civilization which did something about slavery, about racism and voluntarily dissolved its empires leaving behind a very positive legacy of institutions not to mention buildings and roadways. Ibn Warraq other-culturesnew-yorkbelieve The implausible, well-nigh-miraculous functioning anarchy that we know as New York is adorned with every excellence of Western art. It is a city of manifold suggestions, which ministers to every ambition, engenders a thousand talents, nurtures ingenuity and experimentation. Ibn Warraq ambitionnew-yorkart Each time you admire the façade of the New York Public Library, you are paying homage to Western civilization. Ibn Warraq librarynew-yorkcivilization I have always felt that many Christians, deeply sincere Christians, support the idea of separation of State and Church and the secularist in that sense as well. They believe that religion should be very much a private affair and should not be given special treatment. The State should not fund churches for example. Ibn Warraq christianbelieveideas
