Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Future, according to the UK government

From the UK's government, a prospectus RE future trends:

The Middle East

The massive population growth will mean the Middle East, and to a lesser extent north Africa, will remain highly unstable, says the report. It singles out Saudi Arabia, the most lucrative market for British arms, with unemployment levels of 20% and a "youth bulge" in a state whose population has risen from 7 million to 27 million since 1980. "The expectations of growing numbers of young people [in the whole region] many of whom will be confronted by the prospect of endemic unemployment ... are unlikely to be met," says the report.

Islamic militancy

Resentment among young people in the face of unrepresentative regimes "will find outlets in political militancy, including radical political Islam whose concept of Umma, the global Islamic community, and resistance to capitalism may lie uneasily in an international system based on nation-states and global market forces", the report warns. The effects of such resentment will be expressed through the migration of youth populations and global communications, encouraging contacts between diaspora communities and their countries of origin.

Tension between the Islamic world and the west will remain, and may increasingly be targeted at China "whose new-found materialism, economic vibrancy, and institutionalised atheism, will be an anathema to orthodox Islam".

Read it all here.

3 comments:

SocietyVs said...

I have a friend who is a Muslim (in Canada where I am) and we converse quite a bit - I think the idea that Christians are 'bad' here is not something all too believable (and then again maybe it is).

I am also reading the Quran he gave me - I am about 1/2 way through and not too much to report - same old same old type thing.

I really like the blog - I hope there is much I can learn from you.

Abu Daoud said...

I am so glad to hear this blog has been helpful. If there are any questions you would like for me to address please let me know, just post a comment on the most recent post you find.

May I ask about your religious background?

Also glad to hear you are reading the Quran. I am assuming you have read the Bible already, no?

SocietyVs said...

Hi Abu, I am a Christian person who is a friend with a Muslim. I am reading the Quran as a type of understanding his perspective - which I am working towards.

I have read the whole bible but I focus on the NT and in particluar, the gospels (and even more particular Matthew). I have a sound belief in Jesus as the Christ - and this continually expands all the time. I think I befriend other religious people mainly for a better perspective on other world religions (of which I think human to human interaction is best).

I like the site and I will continue to visit - since I have a lot to learn.