How Freedom is Won

“My own view, which I don’t expect everyone to share, is that the single most important insight is the idea, contained in the first chapter of the Bible, and shared by all three Abrahamic  monotheisms, that every human being, regardless of colour, culture, creed or class, is in the image of God. This means that one who is not in my image, whose faith or ethnicity are different from mine, is still in God’s image, and therefore possessed of inalienable rights.”

“Judaism, Christianity and Islam may not always have lived up to that ideal, but it remains our guiding light as we strive for justice, human dignity and the good society. Politics is about power and who wields it, but liberty is about the moral limits of power, about self-restraint in imposing our views on others. So while we pray for freedom for the people of Egypt, let’s remember that freedom isn’t won by protests or even democratic elections but by making space for the people not like us.”

Freedom is Won by Making Space for the People Not Like Us, BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day', 5th July 2013