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Pope's speech stirs Muslim anger


Thursday, 14 September 2006, 15:50 GMT 16:50 UK


Muslim religious leaders have accused Pope Benedict XVI of quoting anti-Islamic remarks during a speech at a German university this week.

Questioning the concept of holy war, he quoted a 14th-Century Christian emperor who said Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things.

A senior Pakistani Islamic scholar, Javed Ahmed Gamdi, said jihad was not about spreading Islam with the sword.

Turkey's top religious official asked for an apology for the "hostile" words.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, police seized copies of newspapers which reported the Pope's comments to prevent any tension.

A Vatican spokesman, Father Frederico Lombardi, said he did not believe the Pope's comments were meant as a harsh criticism of Islam.

'Abhorrent'

In his speech at Regensburg University, the German-born pontiff explored the historical and philosophical differences between Islam and Christianity and the relationship between violence and faith.

Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manual II Paleologos of Byzantine, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The emperors words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Benedict said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul".

The Pope is due to visit Turkey in November and the Turkish response was swift and strong, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports from Istanbul.

Religious leader Ali Badda Kolu said the Pope's comments represented what he called an "abhorrent, hostile and prejudiced point of view".

Whilst Muslims might express their criticism of Islam and of Christianity, he argued, they would never defame the Holy Bible or Jesus Christ.

He said he hoped the Pope's speech did not reflect "hatred in his heart" against Islam.

Many Turks see Benedict as a Turkophobe and commentators call his words just before the holy month of Ramadan "ill-timed and ill-conceived", our correspondent adds.




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The Pope should summarize his comments to the islamonutbags with, "Bite me."

   

The truth hurts.

   

For once I'm glad there is a papacy. No head of state would dare say so blunt a criticism and it's good that someone could be so bold. Of course, I wouldn't care to bet on how long before there will be an assassination attempt.

   

If a muslim assassinated a Pope then the muslims would get to see what a holy war really looks like.

It wouldn't be pretty.

   

Funny, I was just commenting on this in another thread...

The Pope had to quote a non-Catholic on the subject, because to a Byzantine, all offensive war was a mortal sin. The papacy had also given the command, many times, to spread faith by the sword. Off the top of my head, I can think of dozens of examples from the 8th century to at least the 17th.

So I have to give the Vatican an "A" for the day in the hypocrisy department.

   

OOO, That is scary just thinking about it...

   

I agree. Catholics across the world would be inconsolably enraged.

Frankly, that one thing the IRA would probably swing into action on - and those boyos know a little about blowing things up.

Man, imagine terror groups going after each other.

I hope the muslims aren't stupid/arrogant enough to start something they won't be able to stop.

   

Get a grip.

   

[quote=s aren't stupid/arrogant enough to start something they won't be able to stop.[/quote]

Herein likes the danger. Lacking a hierarchical equivalent to a papacy or acknowledged "head" for their faith, any one of millions can take it onto himself to avenge this "insult" and gain a few more virgins in paradise.


(Ever notice how Islam deplores our loose society while their paradise sounds like a brothel?

   

They used to have one, the Caliph was, at least in theory, the head of Islam from 632 to 1924. And they want to have one again.

If I could be sure that he wouldn't be a nutjob, I'd be thinking that wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. As you suggest, at least we'd have someone to negotiate with, someone capable of imposing a little order.

Too bad there are never any guarantees in the "nutjob" department.



When was the last time you were acquainted with 72 virgins? Grammar school?

   

Wouldn't that be like making the Pope the top guy for all Christians? Sounds like that would cause more problems.

   

SSssh, Hardy... he thinks he is.

   

Oddly, yes, the Pope is still a spiritual leader for many Christians who are not Catholics.

They don't take marching orders from him, but they still have respect for him in many cases and since he does speak for several hundred million Catholics he also tends to have our attention when he speaks - much the same as any other world leader.

   

It might finally get Europe off its ass, which would be an admirable achievement.


If tensions don't cool off by Spring I'd start wondering about long-term Euro-denominated investments.


Just for the record, his Popeyness made it very clear that he wasn't endorsing the position, but was just illustrating what kind of animosities there have been.

This is like the Jyllands-Posten cartoons. Say one thing that simply refers to "sensitive issues", and they misinterpret in the worst light, and then bring out the torches and Molotovs. Maybe they'll decapitate a few priests in the process.

Fork 'em. Fork 'em even if they CAN take a joke.

   

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