George William Curtis Quotes
Progress begins with the minority. It is completed by persuading the majority, by showing the reason and the of the step forward, and that is accomplished by appealing to the intelligence of the majority.
Curtis, George William. "Fair Play for Women." Orations and Addresses of George William Curtis, edited by Charles Eliot Norton, vol. 1, Harper & Brothers, 1894.
This statement is referring to the custom of women covering their eyes whenever a man who they did not know passed them. Turks did not ever use Burkas the way some other Muslim countries do, but they wore headscarves and covered their eyes when a strange man appeared. This was a shocking statement in a sexist Islamic culture. Although the process of modernization and reform in Turkey was relatively bloodless, Ataturk was prepared to and did use force to defend it. This and many others made the role of women not only uniquely equal in the Islamic world, but women were suddenly elevated to the level of most Western nations and in voting rights were ahead of most. He used his own family to set an example. See {584503}.
1st Earl of Beaconsfield
Viscount Morley of Blackburn
Within 5 years, the process began as Shermer had predicted. Several states had legalized gay marriage, and Christian groups were on both sides of the controversy when in earlier years, there were very few Christian defenders of gay rights.
He was representing the Muslims of India. These are the descendants of the millions of Muslims who preferred to remain in majority Hindu India rather than join the new Islamic state of Pakistan. There are almost as many Muslims today in India as there are Muslims in Pakistan and more than there are in the Arab countries. However, unlike Pakistan, India is a democracy. However, the Indian Islamic leaders question whether or not they can turn the Islamic vision into a lasting Islamic culture without the force and power of the state. Only Turkey amongst the Islamic countries has been able to maintain an Islamic culture without using the political and legal force of the state to do it. But many Islamic orthodox thinkers believe that the Islamic culture in Turkey has been weakening over the years. Essentially, their concept of a permanent and stable Islamic culture requires the force of the state as that has been the historical experience. So there is constant pressure on the Indian government to pass laws that (for Muslims) enforce or require certain aspects of Islam, like parts of Sharia law while most Indian politicians are committed to maintaining a democracy with a separation of church and state.
George William Curtis was an American writer and public speaker, born in Providence, Rhode Island, of New Englander ancestry. A Republican, he spoke in favor of African-American equality and civil rights.
