From the UK Telegraph.
Excerpt:
First, it is a mistake to assume that you compromise your identity the more you try to understand others. The stronger your understanding of your neighbour, the stronger your own religious identity becomes. For many years, I have been saying that the stronger we are as a Christian nation, the more understanding we will be of other faiths. That is why, a year ago, I went to a bishops’ conference and said that this Government would “do God”. It is why the Pope’s visit was so important for our country. And it is why I am proud that this year, for the first time, the Prime Minister held an Easter reception in Downing Street.
We need to create a country in which people can be unashamedly proud of their faith – where they don’t feel that they have to leave religion at the door. That means being proud of Christianity, not downgrading it. It means encouraging people to say that their faith inspires what they do. It means supporting religious charities in delivering public services in schools, hospices and rehabilitation.
[…]We also need to take the lead internationally. That means pressing other governments to safeguard religious minorities – be it the Copts in Egypt or Christians and other minorities in Pakistan. It means raising problems of persecution at the highest level, as the Archbishop of Canterbury recently did in Zimbabwe. Above all, it means all of us – as communities and individuals, believers and non-believers – taking inspiration from Shahbaz and Paul Bhatti, and giving all minorities in every country the courage and freedom to believe and worship in peace.
And here’s another Conservative MP.
Here’s an article from IB Times about Hindu Conservative MP, Priti Patel.
Excerpt:
Priti Patel is one of the most fascinating (and controversial) politicians in contemporary Britain. The 39-year-old Conservative MP is not only blessed with stunning good looks, but she is also of Asian Indian descent – somewhat of a rarity among Tory lawmakers.
Moreover, Patel (whose Indian Gujarati parents fled Idi Amin’s Uganda for Britain in the early 1970s) has hewed to a hard-right line on many political issues, including the death penalty, illegal immigration, labor unions and the UK’s integration with Europe.
Regarding the death penalty, Patel recently told a television news affairs program: “I would actually support the re-introduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrent. I have no issue on having a debate — I think far too many politicians do run away from debating issues like this.”
She is frequently described in the British press as a “rising star” in the Conservative Party and some believe she might one day become the first Asian Prime Minister of the U.K.
Indeed, Patel might even be considered a “British” version of Nikki Haley, the very telegenic young governor of South Carolina in the U.S., who is not only of Indian Sikh descent, but also a darling of the right-wing Tea Party and hailed as a potential future Vice President or even Presidential candidate.
I like to beat up on the UK, but they do have some MPs who take bold conservative positions on certain issues. I like Iain Duncan-Smith the best, for example.
In other news, I noticed that the Indian-American governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal recently won re-election with 66% of the vote. He has a 63% approval rating. He is a Republican, of course – just like the Indian-American governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley.
WINTERY KNIGHT 