The reasons behind Tony Blair's surprise decision are detailed below:
A quote from Tony Blair in Foreign Affairs, January/February 2007
To me, the most remarkable thing about the Koran is how progressive
it is. I write with great humility as a member of another faith. As an
outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return
Judaism and Christianity to their origins, much as reformers attempted
to do with the Christian church centuries later. The Koran is
inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It
is practical and far ahead of its time in attitudes toward marriage,
women, and governance.
Under its guidance, the spread of Islam and its dominance over
previously Christian or pagan lands were breathtaking. Over centuries,
Islam founded an empire and led the world in discovery, art, and
culture. The standard-bearers of tolerance in the early Middle Ages
were far more likely to be found in Muslim lands than in Christian
ones.