Kofi Annan fears religious war

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New York - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Tuesday for sensitivity towards religious beliefs and sacred symbols, warning that mistakes - intentional or not - could trigger a global war of religion.

He said the international migration movement, which brought millions of people of different creed and culture to live together, has not united them.

"The misconceptions and stereotypes underlying the idea of a clash of civilisation have come to be more and more widely shared.

"Insensitivity towards other people's beliefs or sacred symbols -intentional or otherwise - is seized on by those who seem eager to foment a new war of religion, this time on a global scale," Annan said in an address opening the political debate in the UN general assembly.

Pope

He made no specific reference to controversial remarks last week by Pope Benedict XVI, which sparked strong protests from Muslims.

The pope, during his visit to Germany, cited a medieval text that called Islam "evil and inhuman".

He has since expressed regret for the reaction his remarks caused, but stopped short of an apology.

Annan said the climate of fear and suspicion is constantly fuelled by violence in the Middle East, carrying a powerful and emotional symbol affecting even those people remote to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Annan also said the UN has failed to resolve some of the biggest challenges in the last 10 years: an unjust world economy, world disorder and contempt for human rights and rule of law.

"As a result, we face a world whose divisions threaten the very notion of an international community, upon which this institution stands," he said.

Last address

Annan said the address and an annual report he was presenting to the 192-nation assembly would be his last before stepping down on December 31.

The UN failure to resolve world challenges in the last 10 years fell on his watch, Annan said, citing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region and the protracted conflict in the Middle East.

"Yes, I remain convinced that the only answer to this divided world must be a truly United Nations," he said.

Annan said his recent visits to several Middle East governments showed that the UN remains the world's only organisation with "legitimacy and reach".

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2001070,00.html

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Reading with interest.

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Well, Al-Qaeda have already put a bounty on Kofi Annan's head.

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2004/i-kofi-bounty-p1.php?fromrelated=1

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Eorl wrote:

Well, Al-Qaeda have already put a bounty on Kofi Annan's head.

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2004/i-kofi-bounty-p1.php?fromrelated=1

That's quite a fine example of hair braiding. I'm sure Benedict has an even bigger one under that hat he wears.

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It won't be the first or the last. All wars are religious wars. LOL

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That's horseshit . . . in fact, even most wars which have been branded as religious have been or become political in the end. Politics trump religion every time. In the Thirty Years War, Catholic France supported Protestant Sweden against Catholic Austria for political reasons.

I have a great respect for Mr. Annan, but that doesn't mean that i take his every utterance for pearls of wisdom. I also think he does the world a disservice with remarks of this character. Certainly there are lunatic fringes of religious nuttes all over the world who want war on a religious basis. They won't have it. People in positions of power will always consider their political situation first, and after considering a great many other things, will consider religion last. It's the little guy who gets worked up over these things, and demagogues exploit that. Governments and capitalists are always concerned with the bottom line, and don't give a rat's ass who, if anyone, may or may not be going to heaven.

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Setanta wrote:

That's horseshit . . . in fact, even most wars which have been branded as religious have been or become political in the end. Politics trump religion every time. In the Thirty Years War, Catholic France supported Protestant Sweden against Catholic Austria for political reasons.

I have a great respect for Mr. Annan, but that doesn't mean that i take his every utterance for pearls of wisdom. I also think he does the world a disservice with remarks of this character. Certainly there are lunatic fringes of religious nuttes all over the world who want war on a religious basis. They won't have it. People in positions of power will always consider their political situation first, and after considering a great many other things, will consider religion last. It's the little guy who gets worked up over these things, and demagogues exploit that. Governments and capitalists are always concerned with the bottom line, and don't give a rat's ass who, if anyone, may or may not be going to heaven.

Politics is religion. We thought you new that by now LOL

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Mindonfire wrote:

Politics is religion. We thought you new that by now LOL

He may have you there, Set. If you don't think politics and it's related patriotism is a religion, try publicly burning your country's flag.

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There he goes with that "we" **** again.

No politics is not religion. Some people embrace ideology with religious fervor, but politicians exploit those jokers, too.

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Must an ism have a supernatural focus in order to qualify as a religion?

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neologist wrote:

Must an ism have a supernatural focus in order to qualify as a religion?

Yes.

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What about Ethical Culture ?

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No, and i'm not saying that, either. If you want to call political ideology a religion, you'll not get an argument from me. The mistake that Pantsonfire is making with his religious obsession is in a recognition of who calls the shots, and why. Hermann Goering said:

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

Politics has been described as the art of the possible, and that is a very apt description. Politicians are concerned with what they need to do to get in power and to stay in power. The means is immaterial, other than that it be effective and not potentially counter-productive. (To that extent, Hilter was just a small-time gutter politician who warped vision condemned him to failure.)

Politicians will as gleefully exploit religious sensibilities as they will ideology. Pantsonfire is simply obsessed to a truly sad extent, and thinks everything is religion. He is welcom to his delusion, but i don't intend to fall for it.

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Setanta wrote:

Hermann Goering said:

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

And I waited for you to edit. Ain't I a prince?

And, in the situation described by Herr Goering, it is well to mention the priests who toady to the politicians by delivering their young men as soldiers to the front.

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neologist wrote:

And I waited for you to edit. Ain't I a prince?

Yes, you are. I was so damned frustrated when the damned system wouldn't let me in and i had to log in again.

Quote:

And, in the situation described by Herr Goering, it is well to mention the priests who toady to the politicians by delivering their young men as soldiers to the front.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition . . .

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Setanta wrote:

There he goes with that "we" **** again.

No politics is not religion. Some people embrace ideology with religious fervor, but politicians exploit those jokers, too.

Oh Setanta you are more intelligent than this foolish comment suggests. So let us take a look at what it means to be religious.

Definitions Merriam Webster
Religious: (ad) 1 : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity *a religious person* *religious attitudes* 2 : of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances *joined a religious order* 3 a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b : FERVENT, ZEALOUS

From the definitions, you may see that a person who is religious, is one who is faithfully devoted to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity. This means that any individual who is devoted to what they have come to recognize as reality is religious. A person who faithfully believes, advocates, and adheres to any form of government or party is religious. Those who do not believe in God are religious. Vegans are religious. Therefore, whatever form of reality one holds on to, becomes and is their religion. The Muslims and the Christians are not the only ones that are religious. Everyone is religious. This is a fact which cannot be dismissed.

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dyslexia wrote:

neologist wrote:
Must an ism have a supernatural focus in order to qualify as a religion?
Yes.

No, try again.

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Apparently, however, you are insufficiently intelligent to get at least two points. The first is that politicians are actually unconcerned with ideology, and only use ideology, political or religious, cynically to their own ends.

The other is that a great many people in the world are unconcerned with religious or political ideology. Most people who do not believe in god do so precisely because they are not given to taking things on faith. This sort of healthy scepticism is noticable among many people who nevertheless espouse a religious or political belief. You can't understand that because you're obsessed.

Not everyone suffers from your monomaniacal obsession.

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Mindonfire wrote:

Everyone is religious. This is a fact which cannot be dismissed.

No, everyone is not. Not everyone suffers from your mental health disease. Not everyone is gripped by obsessions such as yours.

I can think of few things which can be more easily dismissed.

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Setanta wrote:

Mindonfire wrote:
Everyone is religious. This is a fact which cannot be dismissed.

No, everyone is not. Not everyone suffers from your mental health disease. Not everyone is gripped by obsessions such as yours.

I can think of few things which can be more easily dismissed.

The funny thing is that you are turning out to be no different than those Christians who stick to their false doctrines even in the face of evidence. LOL

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Kofi Annan fears religious war

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