Muslim Fury at Pope Jihad Comments

ICC Note:

The Muslim reaction to the Pope’s comments referencing Islam is completely ridiculous, and misses the point of his speech entirely. Instead, the belligerent response from the Muslim world almost proves his point: “not acting reasonably is contrary to God’s nature…Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats…” The chorus of Muslim leaders who have responded so unreasonably only disgrace their own religion.

CNN (09/15/06) – 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.”

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…[Go To Full Story]