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 More Quotes by Ibn Warraq More Quotes From Ibn Warraq Surprisingly one of the forces for secularisation was Christianity itself. As soon as it accepted the idea of a contrary opinion, the moment that European opinion decided for toleration, it decided for eventual free marketing opinion. Ibn Warraq marketing opinion ideas Of course slavery and the Muslims were deeply implicated in the slave trade, Islam was an Imperialist religion which destroyed Christianity in the Near East, yet nobody mentions those facts. Ibn Warraq slavery east islam The West has given us the liberal miracle of individual rights, individual responsibility, merit, and human satisfaction. Ibn Warraq miracle responsibility rights I wish more people would belabor the obvious, and more often. Ibn Warraq obvious wish people I always have tendency to form very strong local attachments, so I was very keen to find out about the school I was going to, its history, and the countryside. I was acquiring a kind of English character if you like, Englishness about things and my attitudes. Ibn Warraq strong attitude school Not only is the West so successful economically, but it leads the world scientifically, and culturally. Ibn Warraq west successful world By working and living in New York, you are breathing Western civilization, continuously reminded of its benefits and its values. Ibn Warraq breathing new-york civilization The rich countries are rich because of their practices at home, and because of their readiness to adopt and adapt new things, such as Chinese inventions or New World crops. Ibn Warraq rich-countries home country I maintain that Western popular culture at its best is worthy of respect and should be cherished as much as the operas of Wagner. Ibn Warraq opera should culture 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 taste civilization art Abolitionism did not find positive response in Africa as it did in Western societies and cultures. Ibn Warraq response western culture I think forgiveness plays a very important part in Western society and it comes from the Judeo Christian heritage. Ibn Warraq christian play thinking Slavery had very little to do with the economic success of the West. Just look at the facts and figures and how much slavery actually contributed to development. Ibn Warraq slavery development looks You can't grow up without taking a few knocks on the way. All parents know that, but children when they're growing up, they take some knocks, and nasty knocks sometimes if they've been too protected. Ibn Warraq growing-up parent children Being from a minority culture, I realised the importance of looking at non-Western cultures in a positive way. Ibn Warraq western-culture minorities way The idea that the West was economically successful because of slavery, it's just nonsense. Ibn Warraq slavery successful ideas Western society is a society of ever richer, more varied, more productive, more self-defined, and more satisfying lives; it is a society of boundless private charity; it is a society that broke, on behalf of merit, the seemingly eternal chains of station by birth. Ibn Warraq merit charity self