Ion Vianu on the EU as a Christian club

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, has warned the EU against sealing itself off from other states as a "Christian club." Ion Vianu thinks he has touched on a delicate problem: "There is clear link between Christianity and democracy. But Islam is a religion that encompasses a believer's whole life. The Koran sets the terms for reality; it is law. In principle, this makes it impossible for an Islamic state to be democratic. … It is an illusion to see Europe as an ever-expandable supermarket. This illusion could turn out to be fatal. If Europe has no coherent ideology or history, it will cease to exist and will turn into something else. That could well happen, but actually, we European's don't like the idea."

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