Tony Blair continued his campaign against Islamic extremism on Tuesday, using a speech at the 9/11 Memorial in New York to warn that the ideology driving jihadists enjoys "significant" mainstream Muslim support.
The former British prime minister said the threat from extremists could not be defeated without rooting out the conspiracies and religious prejudices harboured within Muslim communities, while noting the radical views held by members of the Islamic State had support around the globe, even if only a minority takes up arms for the cause.
“The conspiracy theories which illuminate much of the jihadi writings have significant support even amongst parts of the mainstream population of some Muslim countries," Blair said, adding: "There are millions of school children every day in countries round the world -- not just in the Middle East -- who are taught a view of the world and of their religion which is narrow-minded, prejudicial and therefore in the context of a globalised world, dangerous." [The Huffington Post UK] Read more
