Some links on alternative views of the contributions of Islam to the Western intellectual tradition.
The town of Az Zubayr is unique in Iraq in that its 60,000 Sunni residents live in harmony with the 460,000 Shias. People from the two Islamic branches live next door to each other, a state of affairs unthinkable in Baghdad. “The decision to withdraw is wrong and the British have the responsibility to protect us,� said Sheik Abdul Kareem Al Dusari. “The situation in Az Zubayr is good now because the rogue militias are asleep but if the British leave they will awaken.�…
“I request the British people and commanders to keep British forces working in Az Zubayr until the Iraqi security forces have the authority to run affairs,� he said. “If I inform the Sunni people of Az Zubayr that the British are leaving they will leave too.�…
The sheik’s pleas were even echoed by the rival Shia-backed Tharallah party. Salan Maki Mohana, the party leader in Az Zubayr, said it would be “very dangerous� for the British to leave.
“Lots of people will take advantage of the bad security,� he said…
“If the British leave this area there is no security because security depends absolutely on them,� said Moslem Hussayn, the local council leader.
“I am the democratically elected chairman of the town council and I call on the British government to keep her forces working in Az Zubayr. We need them here until the Iraqi security forces are fully qualified for at least two years.�
Maybe what the Anglosphere should do is stay where asked, and leave elsewhere. The difference in results might be enough to inform the locals where their true interests lie. Or we would at least discover that they have a very different set of priorities.