The blogosphere continues to debate the interview of the Archbishop of Canterbury with Emel, a Muslim lifestyle magazine published by The Times Online. Archbishop Rowan Williams remarks were covered in an earlier article by The Lead here.
Andrew Brown in The Guardian comments on how the Archbishop has managed to offend both liberals and conservatives in the U.S.
To say that the British Empire was a better model of imperialism than what the Americans have done in Iraq is absolutely guaranteed to offend almost everyone in the US, whether or not they oppose the war. It is a remark made more forgivable because it’s something that almost everyone in Britain has thought. In context, there is nothing to argue with about what he said: to smash the country up and then abandon it is “the worst of all possible worlds.” This was the conventional wisdom even among the liberal hawks before the war started. It is horrible bad luck on Rowan that the one time he says something that could command wide support, it is presented as a gaffe; but it is luck he has made for himself.
The Anglican Scotist blog offers 5 questions for those who would be a critic of the Archbishop. The hard hitting questions ask about Just War and participation in the Eucharist of those who commit violent acts.
Hopefully, all who comment on the Emel interview with Rowan Williams will read the actual article before writing. But perhaps bloggers would not want to be confused by the facts before putting forth an opinion.