Iraq's choice to be Islamic state, says Straw
London, April 26, IRNA -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has
distanced himself from US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declaring
that an Iranian-style Islamic government in Iraq "is not going to
happen."
If a majority of Iraqis, which are Shia, wanted an Islamic state
"I wouldn't do anything about it personally - this is their choice,"
Straw said.
"There are other countries around the Islamic world which call
themselves Islamic states - there's one next door which is called
Iran, there are many others," the foreign secretary said.
"My question her is what's so frightening about a state which is
Islamic," he said during an interactive phone-in programme recorded
for World Service's Talking Point to be broadcast on Sunday.
Straw further referred to the example of Iran as an "emerging
democracy" with an overwhelming majority of Shia Muslims. "You have
free elections, President Khatami was elected and so were his
government and there is rumbustious politics taking place," he said.
"It's one that shows respect for Islam and for, as it were, the
Sunni denomination of Islam, just as democracies in Europe are very
powerfully influenced by our religion, by Christianity and by the
particular denomination," he said.
The Foreign Secretary said that even in Britain there was a state
religion. "One of the things we have to encourage across the world is
the intersection between people's religions and people's concepts of
democracy," he said.
Speaking as an amateur historian rather than a professional
politician, he suggested that he would by no means place the
responsibility for the Islamic Revolution in Iran as it were "in the
hands of the religious elements in the Shias."
"I think the West and the way the (deposed) shah operated were
much more culpable so far as Iran is concerned," Straw said.
/AR
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