Sen. Biden Tells Arabs to Adopt Democracy [View All]

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joseph Biden told Libyan parliamentarians during a visit to the North African nation that the Arab world should reject authoritarian rule and instead adopt democracy.

He called on Arab countries to take on the "incredibly difficult challenge" of "empowering women, spreading knowledge and expanding freedom."

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"Nothing about democracy is incompatible with Islam," Biden said, noting that decisions based on community discussions was a Muslim concept centuries ago.

"Please do not misunderstand me. I mean no disrespect. But the nations of the Arab world could be doing so much more to harness the enormous potential of their people," he said.

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"Why did you thrive then?" he asked. "It was not your armies alone. It was your ideas, your civilization, your culture, your openness. Why has this one small territory -- then called Al Andalus, now called Spain -- outpaced the rest of the Arab world combined today?"

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http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-biden-libya,0,3580803.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines