It is hard to disagree with that, even if recent events make me question this wisdom.
Qatar is far from backward: Doha-based al-Jazeera's boldness in criticising its neighbours is testament to that, even accounting for recent WikiLeaks revelations.
To deny this is to ignore that, even in these recent and exceptional circumstances, Liberal politicians urged Tony Abbott that any refugee settlement include "no more Muslim men".
But Jinro has failed to do that, even turning down a recent offer from its competitor, Oriental Brewery, for Jinro Coors.
A recent statement by WikiLeaks claims that even these recent measures which are allegedly aimed at censoring Assange's freedom of speech and opinion—"have been widely condemned by the human rights community", the Independent reports.
He did not expect that even a recent plunge in the country's currency would present financial troubles.
New York tends to erase its own past, so that even relatively recent urban history quickly takes on a legendary cast.
"It is a tragedy," he said, "that even until recent times Iraq had the potential to lead the Arab world in terms of culture.
There were just four murders reported last week in a city that, even in recent years, has routinely averaged more than 10 homicides a week.
