Berlusconi Comments Cause Stir -- (A MUST READ)

ROME -- Breaking ranks with allies reaching out to the Muslim world, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday said Western civilization is superior to Islam. He also said he hopes the West conquers Islamic civilization.

The conservative billionaire's remarks were instantly disavowed by more moderate politicians in Italy, who called them both ill-timed and offensive.

Berlusconi made the remarks, which were broadcast on Italian television, after talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the crisis sparked by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

He told a news conference, "We must be aware of the superiority of our civilization, a system that has guaranteed well-being, respect for human rights and -- in contrast with Islamic countries _ respect for religious and political rights, a system that has as its values understandings of diversity and tolerance."

He also claimed Western civilization is superior because it "has at its core, as its greatest value, freedom, which is not the heritage of Islamic culture."

Berlusconi went on to say that he trusts "the West will continue to conquer peoples, like it conquered Communism," even if it means a confrontation with "another civilization, the Islamic one, stuck where it was 1,400 years ago."

His comments came as many Western leaders were taking pains to avoid antagonizing the Muslim world and forge a worldwide coalition against terrorism. President Bush, for example, met Wednesday with American Sikhs and Muslims at the White House and issued yet another appeal for religious tolerance.

The reaction in Italy to Berlusconi's comments was swift and sharp. They were denounced by a number of Italian politicians as irresponsible and inflammatory.

Piero Fassino, a prominent member of the center-left opposition, called the comment "mistaken and, above all, inopportune."

"We're in a very delicate phase in the life of the planet. We need to unite the world against terrorism. And one of the conditions is to unite religions, to have civilizations and cultures cooperate," said Fassino.

An outspoken businessman, Berlusconi has only limited foreign policy experience, despite a brief, previous turn as prime minister in 1994. The allies in his conservative coalition include the often xenophobic Northern League and the once neo-fascist National Alliance.

Italy is home to at least 500,000 Muslims, many of them immigrants from North Africa.

The prime minister plans to visit Washington soon for talks with Bush on the terrorism crisis. A member of NATO, Italy has pledged its full cooperation.

To: Clemenza, MadIvan, Torie,

It breaks my heart to see two of my favorite peoples fighting so.

As far as I'm concerned, you're both fantastico.

61 posted on 09/26/2001 3:04:34 PM PDT by cicero's_son

no, he's right, and he said it perfectly. you're the idiot.

62 posted on 09/26/2001 3:04:40 PM PDT by Anonymous2

"...Western civilization is superior to Islam."

Does Islam legalize the killing of unborn babies?

63 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:07 PM PDT by Renatus

ITALY HAD CIVILIZATION WHEN YOU BRITS WERE LIVING IN CAVES AND EATING EACH OTHER!!!
Italy also has prettier cities too. Britain is the has been of Europe.

Knock it off. Britain is behaving with the utmost honor and dignity as it’s leaders work overtime on our fight. To insult them at a time like this is beyond juvenile. Insult the one you’re arguing with if you must pout, but leave the country out of it.

patent +AMDG

64 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:16 PM PDT by patent

To: Blunderfromdownunder

Listen CHUNDERfromdownunder, my dog could build stonehenge. Let's also not forget that the modern day Italians ARE descendents of the Greeks and Romans (to say nothing of the Lombards, Saracens and Normans).

By the way, the best Australians are OF ITALIAN EXTRACTION.

65 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:16 PM PDT by Clemenza

To: BurkeanCyclist

god sense

Whoops. Freudian typo.

66 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:20 PM PDT by BurkeanCyclist

coming from a mcloser, this carries no *gravitas*. isn't that your mantra?

67 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:52 PM PDT by Anonymous2

To: BurkeanCyclist

68 posted on 09/26/2001 3:05:52 PM PDT by cicero's_son

Just having a little fun :-)

69 posted on 09/26/2001 3:06:04 PM PDT by Clemenza

Absolutely, we have bailed you guys out, so you should kiss our yankee as-es. :-)

Funny, you were an Italian, though more boastful and obnoxious than genuine Italians would find tasteful, about five minutes ago. Make up your mind.

Ivan

70 posted on 09/26/2001 3:06:06 PM PDT by MadIvan

Brits could never win a conflict on their own.

Your knowledge of British history is rather thin apparently, and in all events suffers from "recency." The Brits kicking the Argies butt in the Falklands really doesn't count for much.

71 posted on 09/26/2001 3:06:49 PM PDT by Torie

Radical Islam is truely the greatest single threat faced by Western (democratic) civilization in the world today...this guy was stupid enough to voice it out loud.

Radical Islam is merely the most visible enemy. The reality though, is that they can’t beat us unless we let them. My personal opinion would be that our very own radical secularization is a far greater danger.

patent +AMDG

72 posted on 09/26/2001 3:07:06 PM PDT by patent

To: cicero's_son

Bravo, Bravo Sr. Berlusconi!!!

73 posted on 09/26/2001 3:07:16 PM PDT by ventana

Sounds somewhat like something I read earlier today.

74 posted on 09/26/2001 3:07:30 PM PDT by vrwc54

This makes me want to learn to speak Italian and go to Italy with a fistful of dollars for my next vacation.

75 posted on 09/26/2001 3:07:45 PM PDT by JeepInMazar

He's from Milan, and he used to be a singer on cruise ships,and his popularity probably went up 10 pts in Italy today.

76 posted on 09/26/2001 3:08:48 PM PDT by habs4ever

To: cicero's_son, all

Berlusconi has apparently overlooked the fact that the invasion of Europe by the Moors was one of the most important events in the history of Western civilization. When the Arabs were eventually pushed back, they left something that would become a very critical element in Western science and technology -- the Arabic numbering system.

Until the Moors arrived, Western science was limited by a very cumbersome Roman numbering system that was fine for counting and designating individual things, but could not be used for anything more advanced. The Arabic system introduced the concept of the number "0," negative numbers, and the operations of multiplication and division.

I may be a little off in the name, but one of the most important people in the development of Western science was an Arab mathematician named Mohammed Jabar al-Qoritham, who developed the branch of mathematics known as algebra that would become the basis for all theoretical science. Western science was pretty much at a dead end until empirical observations could be described in abstract mathematical formulas, or algorithms (based on the name "al-Qoritham").

77 posted on 09/26/2001 3:09:02 PM PDT by Alberta's Child

To: Alberta's Child

Do you have any material from the period after 1400?

78 posted on 09/26/2001 3:10:14 PM PDT by cicero's_son

Come on Clemenza, knock it off. Take it out on some other country besides England for now.

After the Italians kick Radical Islam @ss in theis War then you can come back and gloat and we'll all have an Italian lovefest. The PM's statement today is a good first step.

79 posted on 09/26/2001 3:10:14 PM PDT by RobFromGa

Just having a little fun :-)

I don't find it amusing when I have friends and family who are either in the Gulf or indeed may be in Afghanistan, being belittled. If you want to have your fun, I suggest you try it on some nation that doesn't have people who are willing to shoot back.

Ivan

80 posted on 09/26/2001 3:10:15 PM PDT by MadIvan

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