Georgia: Islamophobia Debate
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Lord Lea of Crondall
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Georgia: Islamophobia
Lord Lea of Crondall Excerpts(10 years, 3 months ago)
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Lord Lea of Crondall (Lab)
My Lords, when the right reverend Prelate asked his original Question, he referred to a conversation in Batumi and mentioned nationalism in the same breath as Orthodox Christianity versus Islam. How far does the Minister think that we are talking about an aspect of nationalism in one respect? These three Transcaucasian ex-Soviet republics have been independent only since 1989-90. Might this not be looked at as much in terms of nationalism as religion?
Baroness Warsi
Yes, my Lords. Unfortunately, Georgia is being presented by many politicians as a Christian country, and the identity and nationality that flow from that are causing some of this underlying tension.