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Blair launches faith foundation Blair launches faith foundation
(about 6 hours later)
Former prime minister Tony Blair has launched a faith foundation to tackle global poverty, challenge conflict and unite the world's religions.Former prime minister Tony Blair has launched a faith foundation to tackle global poverty, challenge conflict and unite the world's religions.
Mr Blair, who is a Roman Catholic, unveiled the foundation in New York.Mr Blair, who is a Roman Catholic, unveiled the foundation in New York.
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has three aims: to promote faith as a force for good, improve awareness between religions and tackle poverty and war.The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has three aims: to promote faith as a force for good, improve awareness between religions and tackle poverty and war.
Mr Blair said there was "nothing more important" than creating understanding between different faiths and cultures.Mr Blair said there was "nothing more important" than creating understanding between different faiths and cultures.
Before the official launch at the headquarters of media group Time Warner, he said: "Religious faith will be of the same significance to the 21st Century as political ideology was to the 20th Century.
'Peaceful co-existence''Peaceful co-existence'
"In an era of globalisation, there is nothing more important than getting people of different faiths and cultures to understand each other better and live in peace and mutual respect; and to give faith itself its proper place in the future." At the launch in New York, he said: "The characteristic of today's world is change. The consequence is a world opening up and becoming inter-dependent.
At the launch in New York he said: "The characteristic of today's world is change. The consequence is a world opening up and becoming inter-dependent. "The conclusion is that we make sense of this inter-dependence through peaceful co-existence and working together to resolve common challenges.
"The conclusion is that we make sense of this inter-dependence through peaceful co-existence and working together to resolve common challenges." "We must be global citizens as well as citizens of our country," he told the audience of academics, media and business and religious leaders.
In another interview with Time magazine, Mr Blair, who is now a peace envoy to the Middle East, said the foundation was "how I want to spend the rest of my life". Though there is much focus, understandably, on extremism associated with the perversion of the proper faith of Islam, there are elements of extremism in every major faith Tony Blair, former UK prime minister
"Idealism becomes the new realism."
He went on to cite a poll which showed the percentage of people in most Muslim countries who said religion was an important part of their lives is in the high 80s and 90s, while in the United States it is about 70% and in Europe under 40%.
One of the goals of the foundation was to counter extremism in all six leading religions, he said.
"Though there is much focus, understandably, on extremism associated with the perversion of the proper faith of Islam, there are elements of extremism in every major faith," he said.
Tony Blair on his foundation's aims
Former US president Bill Clinton took time out of his wife's campaign to become the Democrat presidential candidate to attend the launch, at the headquarters of media group Time Warner.
He described Mr Blair as "a good man as well as a great leader", saying "his own religious faith is genuine, deep and shapes his life".
In an earlier interview with Time magazine, Mr Blair, who is now a peace envoy to the Middle East, said the foundation was "how I want to spend the rest of my life".
The vocation is something the former prime minister has been considering for some time.The vocation is something the former prime minister has been considering for some time.
But Mr Blair said while in office he feared being branded a "nutter" if he talked about his religious views.But Mr Blair said while in office he feared being branded a "nutter" if he talked about his religious views.