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SINGAPORE (AP) — Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is standing by his comments suggesting that Western culture is superior to that of Islam.
In a Sydney Daily Telegraph opinion piece published Wednesday, Abbott, who is Roman Catholic, wrote of a need to "modernize" Islam, saying it propagates a culture that is inferior to that of the West.
Later Wednesday in Singapore, Abbott said, "I am more than ready to assert the superiority of a culture that is decent and humane, and welcoming, over a culture that thinks its right to kill in the name of God."
Abbott spent two years in office before being ousted in September by current leader Malcolm Turnbull in a Liberal Party coup, but is still involved in politics.
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APPHOTO XJN101: Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott responds during a question and answer session after delivering a lecture at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 (AP Photo/Joseph Nair) (9 Dec 2015)
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