Blair - "God will be my judge"

Tony Blair has proclaimed that God will judge whether he was right to send British troops to Iraq, echoing statements from his ally George Bush. Explaining how he managed to live with the decision to go to war in Iraq, Mr Blair told Michael Parkinson, a British television chat-show host, "If you have faith about these things then you realise that judgement is made by other people. If you believe in God, it's made by God as well." His remarks, made in an interview to be shown on ITV's Parkinson show tonight, invite comparison with President Bush, a born-again Christian, who has made a virtue of bringing religion into politics. But they also carry the risk of inflaming opinion in the Arab world, where the term "crusader" is commonly used to condemn Christian leaders who meddle in the Middle East. Mr Bush once told Palestinian leaders: "God would tell me, 'George, go end the tyranny in Iraq' and I did." There have been persistent reports that Mr Blair joined the President in prayer for God's guidance at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2002, at the summit at which many people believe a secret decision was reached to invade Iraq. The claims have been made in a book by the Christian author Stephen Mansfield, who said he had heard it from White House officials. It was clarified by Time magazine correspondent, David Aikman. Blair’s statement echoed around the world creating much public debate on domestic radio stations as well as commentary in print media [BBC]. CNN covered the story but most of the sensationalist headlines were reserved for Britain’s ever voracious media. The rhetoric is nothing new. In statements made many times by al-Qaeda leaders such as Zawahiri and Bin Laden, there are often references to Allah [God], many asking for divine help; the phrase “god willing” often ending threats made against the west. Reg Keys, the father of one of six military policemen killed in June 2003, said the Prime Minister's words were "abhorrent". And even before the interview was broadcast on British television another al Qaeda tape surfaced. In a video broadcast on Saturday, Ayman al Zawahiri condemned cartoons said to insult the Prophet Mohammed. The cartoons were published throughout European newspapers and shown on TV reports. The al Qaeda deputy blamed freedom of speech for "the insult against the Prophet Mohammed," according to a CNN translation. In the tape he described the cartoons as a “crusader’s war on Islam”.
And in the War on Iraq the body pile continued to grow. In Baghdad, at least 3 were killed in a gun battle and 7 injured according to a report on Sky News. The attack targeted a Sunni mosque in further violence in Iraq on Sunday. Meanwhile in London, around 100 people called for the release of Norman Kember who has now been in captivity for 100 days. Kember was part of a group of peace activists who were kidnapped by insurgents in western Baghdad on Saturday 26th November last year. The others held are Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Virginia, USA, James Loney, 41, of Toronto, Canada, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 of Toronto, Canada. All were part of Chicago based Christian Peacemakers Team.
In the continuing War on Terror Iran is once again in the spotlight. The country has made clear once again that it will continue to pursue its nuclear policy and enrich Uranium. The ultimatum was made clear that enrichment would continue if the issue was referred to the UN Security Council by the IAEA [CNN]. Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is merely to augment a domestic demand for electricity. It would also free up its vast oil reserves for export. Iran is estimated to have the fourth largest in the world. Thousands have protested in Tehran to support the government in its stance. The BBC described the ‘proud defiance’ of the ruling party, led by Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, had gelled the people together in a show of patriotism.