The Pope, Islam and Muslim Response - UPDATED

Doesn't it strike folks strange that Muslims are upset at the Pope's comments about Islam being a violent religion, then they turn around and threaten to hang him and commit jihad across the globe? I guess they don't see the irony in their actions and words.

Morocco recalls their ambassador to the Vatican.   Pakistan's parliment passes a unanimous resolution condemning the pope's words.    Two churches in the West Bank were hit by firebombs.  Egypt's foreign ministry summoned the Vatican's envoy to Cairo today to express Egypt's "extreme regret" and request the pope to "move quickly to contain the situation".

The oldest church in Gaza City was attacked by gunfire by a group calling itself the Islamic Organization of the Swords of Righteousness. A grenade also went off outside the church. In the West Bank town of Nablus, gunmen threw Molotov cocktails at four churches of different denominations. Also gunmen opened fire inside an empty Catholic church after the building's entrance door was burnt down. source

The Vatican is trying some damage control. 'The new Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said Benedict's position on Islam is in line with Vatican teaching that the church "regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God."' But Muslims are not accepting this, they want to hear directly from the Pope. "We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels ... and ask him (Benedict) to offer a personal apology — not through his officials," Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's most senior Shiite cleric, told worshippers Friday in Beirut. source

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is demanding a personal apology from the Pope, or ... jihad??? The 57 nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the world's largest Muslim body, said quotations used by the Pope represented a "character assassination of the Prophet Mohammad" and a "smear campaign". The OIC hopes that this campaign is not the prelude of a new Vatican policy towards Islam. source

There are a few voices of reason:  'Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia, said the remarks could hurt "harmonious" relations between Muslims and Catholics and urged Muslims against reacting excessively. "Whether the Pope apologises or not, the Islamic community should show that Islam is a religion of compassion," he told Reuters.' source

Fauzan Al-Anshori, spokesman for the radical Indonesian Mujahideen Council, said the Pope misunderstood Islam and jihad and challenged him to a dialogue. "Muslims can't eliminate jihad from the Islamic discourse, the same way Christians can't do away with the doctrine of Trinity," he said.  source

The strongest denunciations came from Turkey — a moderate democracy seeking European Union membership where Benedict is scheduled to visit in November as his first trip as pope to a Muslim country. source

Germany, where the Pope delivered his controversial speech, is 'reconsidering religion'.  Germans themselves are modeling a growing acceptance of religion's role in shaping society, even though 'This is the continent where some leading thinkers are talking about a "post-Christian Europe." And this is the country of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who infamously quipped, "God is dead."' source

Anger flared across the Islamic world yesterday over comments by Pope Benedict XVI, with Muslims from London to Jakarta assailing the pontiff for implicitly linking Islam with religious violence in a speech earlier this week. ...

Pakistan's parliament passed a unanimous resolution condemning the pope's words. A prominent Turkish politician accused the German-born spiritual leader of Roman Catholicism of resurrecting the spirit of the Crusades, the medieval wars launched by European kingdoms -- usually with papal blessings -- against Islamic strongholds in lands sacred to Christians, Muslims, and Jews. ...

he pope set off the controversy Tuesday during an academic lecture on reason and religion at the University of Regensburg. He quoted a 14th-century Byzantine Christian emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, as having said: ``Show me 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."

Benedict seemed to be criticizing the concept of ``jihad," or holy war -- an idea that Islamic radicals exploit to justify terrorist attacks, but also a notion that peaceful Muslims use to describe the mystical struggle between good and evil. Historically, jihad was often invoked by Islamic rulers as giving spiritual license to wage wars of conquest and conversion against nonbelievers. source

And so it goes.  Could this be another Mohammed cartoon fiasco?

Cross posted at In The Bullpen 

UPDATE:  VIA lgf, hat tip 186k Per Second:

A HARDLINE cleric linked to Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement has called for Muslims to “hunt down” and kill Pope Benedict XVI for his controversial comments about Islam.

Sheikh Abubukar Hassan Malin urged Muslims to find the pontiff and punish him for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Allah in a speech that he said was as offensive as author Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses.

“We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion,” he said in Friday evening prayers.

“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim,” Malin, a prominent cleric in the Somali capital, told worshippers at a mosque in southern Mogadishu.

“We call on all Islamic Communities across the world to take revenge on the baseless critic called the pope,” he said. (source)

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Comments

[what da]

Debbie, I "lashed out" after reading this comment on your forum by "Joe":

"I say this - the christian religion needs to commit jihad on all Muslims of the world. They need to be exterminated from the planet once and for all. Their heads need to be stuck to the end of a pike. The holy crusades need to be started again to purge the world of this filthy disease called Islam."

Did you read this? I bet you did. and Yet you replied to Joe not once speaking out against such hatefilled words. To me Christians such as yourself are hypocrites. You get all angry and all emotional, raging into fits of anger, when you see Muslim radicals making similar bigoted threats - conviniently ignoring that the vast majority of Muslims, who are humans like us, do not make/support such statements - and yet you guys then issue fatwas to exterminate an entire community!

From your reply to Joe, it is obvious that you really didn't have any "problem" with the above quoted holocaust call. In case you forgot, below is your entire reply:

"Joe, thanks for the comment. Yes the Pop did apologize and I was upset about it, but he is not backing down. Priests are coming out saying "no, the Pope did not ask for forgiveness for what he said, he simploy apologized for the reaction of the Muslims to what he said". He has opened a dialogue, well sort of, and shown to the world the true nature of Islam/Jihad/Mohammed. It's a good thing, and this is not going to be over soon.

Posted by: Debbie | September 19, 2006 at 12:47 AM"

[Debbie]

what.da, I was talking to Muslim. I did not respond to Joe. I let everybody say whatever they want here, including you.

You obviously are very upset, but lashing out like that doesn't serve for a dialogue. To quote you:

"To engage in a dialogue, you need to approach people with respect and treat them as human beings."

Yet you call me a 'hitler' and picture me with 'horns on my head'. If you want to engage in dialogue here, take your own advice and approach people with respect.

[what da..]

While you morons are desperately waiting for a "fatwa" by the Muslims in order to spew more hate, here is your Chritsian fatwa:

"I say this - the christian religion needs to commit jihad on all Muslims of the world. They need to be exterminated from the planet once and for all. Their heads need to be stuck to the end of a pike. The holy crusades need to be started again to purge the world of this filthy disease called Islam."

Does this show the "true" nature of Christians/Paul/Jesus/Bible?

Have you ever read the Quran ever, like once? Unlikely. And yet you are willing to write off all of the Muslim religion because some among them react violently at times, ignoring the masses of peaceful Muslims!

It was interesting to see Debbie, the peace loving meek little Christian with a halo (satanic horns?) over her head, not once speak against these ugly statements calling for the killing and extermination of an entire community. Deep within she is a hitler no doubt. And you dare make noise over the behavior of some Muslims?!

To correct you racists, SOME, and I repeat SOME, Muslims engaged in violent acts. The vast majority of their protests were peaceful.

May be you cannot understand this, but when you insult others, specially directing insult towards things people hold dear, others would get upset. To engage in a dialogue, you need to approach people with respect and treat them as human beings. With politeness and respect, you can even criticise and disagree with their beliefs. But to start off by name calling and throwing around insults accomplishes nothing.

[jack]

What would the reaction be if the Pope made this statement?

I will be gladly apologize to the whole of the muslim world when Islamic countries allow religious tolerance of all religions ... until then stuff it!

[Alan]

Fatwa, Jihad, read shite what do you expect from a group that very name says it all. Hopefully the western world will start laughing and show the idiots just how stupid they realy are.

[Debbie]

Joe, thanks for the comment. Yes the Pop did apologize and I was upset about it, but he is not backing down. Priests are coming out saying "no, the Pope did not ask for forgiveness for what he said, he simploy apologized for the reaction of the Muslims to what he said". He has opened a dialogue, well sort of, and shown to the world the true nature of Islam/Jihad/Mohammed. It's a good thing, and this is not going to be over soon.

[Joe]

God bless the Pope for his comments. We need more christian leaders like the pope. Not leaders on their knees kissing the ass of Islamic a-holes. I only regret that he apologized. That was his only mistake. He should have made even stronger statements after these idiots reacted the way they did - commenting on how his first statement was correct and therefore justified!

I say this - the christian religion needs to commit jihad on all Muslims of the world. They need to be exterminated from the planet once and for all. Their heads need to be stuck to the end of a pike. The holy crusades need to be started again to purge the world of this filthy disease called Islam.

I'm sick of the nation's religious and political leaders kissing the Islamic leadership's ass.

They can take their stinky birkas, headscarves, suicide bombers, mosques, dirty filthy beards, and shove them all into the depths of hell.

What a joke when people say "peace loving muslims" I want to vomit when I hear that tripe-propaganda BS!!!

[Assorted Babble by Suzie]

I linked your excellent post...but it would not trackback.

It is outragous...The Pope speaking the TRUTH!!! I think these idiots look for any reason to riot and get media attn.

[Debbie]

No Angel, TypePad is doing maintenance and has incoming trackbacks turned off. Arrrgggghh! I hope they get their act together soon.

Thanks and good post at Woman Honor Thyself.

[Angel]

Hiya Debbie..great read..hope u are receiving my trackbacks now! :)

[Thomas Hamilton]

AHHHHHHHHH! That peaceful religion of Islam! AHHHHHHHHH!

[Debbie]

No official fatwas issued yet, but they can't be far away. The Muslim Brotherhood said unless they get an apology they would have to resore to .... you guessed it ... JIHAD

[shlemazl]

Here we go again. This is getting unbelievably stupid even for the f-kheads we are dealing with.

Are they going to riot, burn and kill every 6 months? Will it spread into the west again? Is this what they call "endless cycle of violence"? Where do we go from here?

I give up.

[Butch]

Debbie,

Has any islamicfascists issued a fatwa yet?