Pope calls a spade a spade (Muslim radicals cry)
- From: "It's Americans OR Democrats" <rander3127@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 15 Sep 2006 07:22:32 -0700
(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI came under a hail of criticism from the
Islamic world Friday for comments he made earlier in the week regarding
the Prophet Mohammed and the Muslim faith, in some cities provoking
street protests.
A growing chorus of Muslim leaders have called on the pope to apologize
for the remarks he made in a speech in Germany on Tuesday when he used
the terms "jihad" and "holy war."
Pakistan's National Assembly, parliament's lower house, unanimously
passed a resolution on Friday condemning the pope's comments.
Muslim protesters shouted slogans against the pontiff at a rally in
Jammu, India. And in Cairo, about 100 demonstrators gathered in an
anti-Vatican protest outside the capital's al-Azhar mosque.
Meanwhile a youth center run by the Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza
Strip was slightly damaged by a small explosion on Friday, witnesses
told Reuters.
It was unclear if the blast was connected to the pope's comments.
In his speech, Benedict quoted 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II
Paleologus who said, "Show me just what Mohammed 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."
Before quoting Paleologus during his address at the University of
Regensburg on Tuesday, the pontiff noted the "brusqueness," or
discourteous nature of the emperor's statement.
"God," the emperor, as the pope quoted, said, "is not pleased by blood
-- and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature." (Full story)
A transcript of the pope's remarks obtained by the Associated Press
television network reads: "In the seventh (sura, or chapter of the
Quran), the emperor comes to speak about jihad, holy war.
"The emperor certainly knew that Sura 2, 256, reads: 'No force in
matters of faith'. It is one of the early suras, from a time -- as
experts say -- in which Mohammed himself was still powerless and
threatened.
"However, the emperor of course also knew the requirements about the
holy war that were later formulated in the Quran. Without going into
details like the handling of the owners of the scriptures, or
non-believers, he (the emperor) turned to his interlocutors -- in a
surprisingly brusque way -- with the central question after the
relationship between religion and violence.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammed 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.'"
A Vatican statement said Benedict was not trying offend Muslims with
his remarks.
"It was certainly not the intention of the Holy Father to ... offend
the sensibilities of Muslim faithful," said Federico Lombardi, the
Vatican press officer.
But offense was taken as Islamic groups and governments from across the
globe weighed in.
"The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) regrets the
quotations cited by the pope on the Life of the Honorable Prophet
Mohammed, and what he referred to as 'spreading' Islam 'by the sword,'"
a statement released by the OIC on Thursday said.
"The attribution of the spread of Islam around the world to the
shedding of blood and violence, which is 'incompatible with the nature
of God' is a complete distortion of the facts, which shows deep
ignorance of Islam and Islamic history."
Muslim Brotherhood Chairman Mohammed Mahdi Akef also expressed anger
over the pope's academic speech.
"The pope's statements come to add fuel to fire and trigger anger
within the Muslim world and show that the West with its politicians and
clerics are hostile to Islam."
Condemnation also came from Turkey where Benedict is scheduled to visit
in November.
"His words are extremely regrettable, worrying and unfortunate in terms
of the Christian world and common peace of humanity," the Anatolian
state news agency quoted Ali Bardakoglu, the head of Ankara's
Directorate General for Religious Affairs, as saying.
"I do not see any use in somebody visiting the Islamic world who thinks
in this way about the holy prophet of Islam."
In Pakistan, the National Assembly and Senate on Friday passed
unanimous resolutions against Benedict's controversial remarks.
The Pakistan Foreign Office also called into question the pope's
comments, calling them highly controversial, regrettable and against
Islam.
In Syria, the grand mufti, the country's top Sunni Muslim religious
authority, sent a letter to the pope saying he feared the pontiff's
comments on Islam would worsen interfaith relations, AP reported.
In Gaza City, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya issued a
condemnation, saying Benedict's remarks "are not true and defamed the
essence of this holy religion and it defamed the history of the Islam."
"We say to the pope to re-examine these comments and to stop defaming
the Islam religion that more than 1 and half billion Muslims believe
in," said Haniya, who made the remarks after Friday prayers.
But the Vatican statement said Benedict's discussion on Tuesday was
quite to the contrary.
"The Holy Father's desire (is) to cultivate an attitude of respect and
dialogue towards other religions and cultures, including, of course,
Islam."
According to Lombardi, Benedict's speech was "a warning, addressed to
Western culture, to avoid 'the contempt for God and the cynicism that
considers mockery of the sacred to be an exercise of freedom.'"
CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi contributed to this report
.
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