Terrifyingly, Rowan Williams is not alone
They aren’t just his views. They are views espoused by millions of people across Europe. Young and old, man and woman, - and every shade in between. There are people of every race, colour, and creed who believe in the all-accommodating views of Rowan Williams. These views plague not just the Archbishop of Canterbury, but people from all walks of life. Across this great old continent, the birthplace of Enlightenment liberalism, a wave of this philosophy is growing in popularity.
This philosophy purports to be a pluralistic, multicultural creation. One that allows all people to live as they wish, practice their religion as they choose, and adhere to their societal beliefs in any country. If you do not know what this actually means, it can sound appealing.
An example from Slate illustrating why we must not subscribe to this philosophy:
Picture the life of a young Urdu-speaking woman brought to Yorkshire from Pakistan to marry a man—quite possibly a close cousin—whom she has never met. He takes her dowry, beats her, and abuses the children he forces her to bear. She is not allowed to leave the house unless in the company of a male relative and unless she is submissively covered from head to toe.
When your culture allows this to happen, when your customs, rites, and traditions infringe on the rights of any other human being (including those who claim to be of your religion, race, or country) they should not be permitted, in a free and just society. Which is exactly what we live in, and exactly what Rowan Williams threatens.
Rowan Williams’ all-embracing, non-judgemental philosophy is so dangerous not because we should place our civilisation on a pedestal as Fukuyama does. We must see the value in other civilisations, because many countries, including some in President Bush’s Axis of Evil, have glorious histories and inspiring traditions. It is so dangerous because all civilisations have deep flaws, and to indiscriminately embrace everyones’ flaws is calamitous, cruel to the subjugated, and an abandonment of real liberalism.
