| TONY ABBOTT: |
I think everyone who has grown up in a western country is profoundly shaped and formed by the New Testament, because this is the core document of our civilisation. Look, I've been influenced by many books. I guess the book over the years I've read the most was Lord Of The Rings, and I know it was a cult book back in the 1970s and I think I've read it five times, most recently about six years ago.
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| TONY JONES: |
Very briefly, you talk about the great religious texts. Have you ever read the Qur'an?
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| TONY ABBOTT: |
I have tried to and, Kamila, I'm afraid I got about 70 pages in and I couldn't go any further because, at the risk of sounding a little monocultural, it struck me as the old testament on steroids and I don't...
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| KAMILA SHAMSIE: |
There are some execrable translations out there.
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| TONY ABBOTT: |
I don't find the Old Testament that appealing too, once you get much past the first couple of books. |
