Singapore is a tiny little island with a predominately Chinese population of 6 million surrounded by 150 million Muslims. Despite its dearth of natural resources, it has managed to cobble together one of the highest living standards in the world, and the highest rate of home ownership in the world. So when its founder and former prime minister speaks out on Islamist militancy, we would all do well to listen. Here’s an article from the Singapore newspaper I gleaned from Tim Blair:
THE Europeans have got it wrong in thinking the terrorist threat can be contained by taking a localised, kid-gloved approach.
What the world is grappling with now is a new, globalised menace, one that has to be fought jointly by developed countries and moderate Muslims, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew said in an interview with Newsweek.
‘The Europeans underestimate the problem of Al-Qaeda-style terrorism,’ he said. ‘They compare it to their own many experiences with terror – the IRA, the Red Brigade, the Baader-Meinhof, ETA. But they are wrong.’
He goes on to say that Bush is missing the point by going after the “worker bees” instead of the “queen bees”, and that ultimately it’s up to moderate Islamic leaders to win this war.