I took part in the Iraq debate on Wednesday and spoke about the Sunni/Shia divide. Many older Muslims regard this new division as deeply regrettable but I do feel it has to be addressed as many younger Sunni and Shia do seem to be hardening their attitudes.
I also think we have to address the way democracy is often interpreted in a ‘winner takes all’ way. This is not unique to emerging democracies although it is much more dangerous in new or unstable states.
These two issues were part of my contribution here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/text/140625-0002.htm
It’s not a punt I would take. As it is a very long running difference, similar to Catholic and Protestant, or, as in Gulliver, the top and bottom enders. However, if you look deeper it is also tribal.
Therefore, it is imperative we stay out of the argument. This is a matter of ‘rites of passage’ and our interference will simply exacerbate the matter. Of course, from my point of view, that is.
http://middleeast.about.com/od/religionsectarianism/a/me070907sunnis.htm
That “we have to address the way democracy is often interpreted in a ‘winner takes all’ way”
surely needs us to rapidly bring up-to-date such ‘constitutionally-democratic-moving-of-goal-posts’
such as the inebriatedlY-racecourse-populist “First-Past-The-Post” ?
Not only is today’s Democracy little better than a corrupt and senselessly-chattering ‘Tower-of-Babel’, but so appear to be all other forms of Government and of Popular-Belief around the World.
I still can not understand why the Method III of Cooperative Problem Solving
is neither established as the first resort internationally for
Needs-&-Affordable-Hows Planning,
nor developed ‘friendlily’ at neighbourhood grass-roots levels.