In the West we are free to think what we want, to read what we want, to practice our religion, to live as we choose. Liberty is codified in human rights, a magnificent Western creation but also, I believe, a universal good.
Ibn WarraqWhile many Islamic countries pay lip service to the idea of freedom of religion, they don't put up with conversion from Islam to another religion.
Ibn WarraqHuman rights transcend local or ethnocentric values, conferring equal dignity and value on all humanity regardless of sex, ethnicity, sexual preference, or religion. It is in the West that human rights are most respected.
Ibn WarraqAbolitionism did not find positive response in Africa as it did in Western societies and cultures.
Ibn WarraqI maintain that Western popular culture at its best is worthy of respect and should be cherished as much as the operas of Wagner.
Ibn WarraqIt is the West that has liberated women, racial minorities, religious minorities, and gays and lesbians, recognizing and defending their rights. The notions of freedom and human rights were present at the dawn of Western civilization, as ideals at least, but have gradually come to fruition through supreme acts of self-criticism.
Ibn Warraq