2006-09-20 00:03:57 · 19 answers · asked by arifsait 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
1. Is the pope really anti-Muslim?
After the 9/11 attacks five years ago, the Catholic leader then known as Cardinal Ratzinger told Vatican Radio that "it is important not to attribute simplistically what happened to Islam" -- but then he added that "the history of Islam also contains a tendency to violence."
2. Just before he became pope last year, Benedict declared that Turkey should not be allowed into the European Union because its Islamic culture is incompatible with Europe's "Christian" culture. But the real case for the prosecution rests on his invitation to Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci to visit him last September.
3. Fallaci (who died last week) was an atheist, and her fame as a war correspondent and interviewer was decades behind her. But she carved out a second career as the most extreme anti-Muslim writer in Europe, producing two bestselling books since 2002 that vilified Muslims as dirty subhumans who multiply "like rats," and portraying Islam as an irrational religion that breeds hatred.
4. Her next-to-last book, which presumably inspired the pope's invitation, was "The Force of Reason," which argued that the West is rational and reasonable, whereas Muslims aren't. And there was Benedict in Germany last week, saying exactly the same thing. What a coincidence!
5. So now we know that the new pope is a parochial and intolerant man -- but anybody who paid attention to Cardinal Ratzinger's previous career knew that already. Now he is in a position to do much more damage.
6.The pope very well knew what he was saying and why. He is not bothered as to who considers what about Jesus.
7. What was the purpose of a quote but to endorse that description? This is evident because he did not question it in any way. Till today he did not retract what he said or say he was sorry he uttered what proved to be explosive words
8. The statement issued later by the Vatican "was not an apology" but a "pretext that the pope was quoting somebody else as saying so and so."
9. "We need the pope to admit the big mistake he has committed and then agree on apologizing, because we will not accept others to apologize on his behalf”
10. His apology would perhaps carry the answer to your question as to "what made him to give comments against ISLAM."
11. Most Muslims are well aware that violence is an inappropriate way to protest accusations that Islam is a violent faith, but why do they even care what the pope says?
12. The real reason for the uproar is that so many Muslims feel under attack by the West.
13. Two Muslim countries have been invaded by the United States and its allies since 9/11, and another, Lebanon, has been bombed to ruins by Israel with full U.S. and British support.
14. At least 20 times as many Muslims have died in these brutal wars as the number of Americans who died in the 9/11 attacks, and almost none of them had anything to do with that terrorist atrocity.
15. So the suspicion grows among Muslims that all this is not really about 9/11 at all, and almost any minor insult to Islam from the West is enough to trigger outrage from Morocco to Indonesia.
2006-09-20 03:35:21 · answer #1 · answered by aboosait 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was wide open to consider this a misunderstanding. But when I read his speech I started to doubt this somehow.
Then as many others I asked myself: Can this be an accident? It fits too well into mainstream politics both in Europe but especially the US.
Let's just hope that something good can come out of this.
My German position: We do not need another scapegoat. Maybe he should study the problems German authorities had with the missing single highest authority in Jewish religion during the 19 century. And always keep in mind what happened over here later.
Would this have happened to the former Pope? I somehow doubt. As a German I was deeply disappointed. But my favorite proverb is: Every cloud has got a silver lining.
Since his speech is about reason, let's just hope there is light somewhere behind this cloud. And a real dialogue will start. A good start would be to use in one of his next lectures the answer by the “educated” Persian (the emperor is “erudite”), he did not let us know so far. If the Byzantine emperor did care to record it at all for the curious posterity.
I’ll study his text very carefully and try to follow the development. I am sure others will.
Maybe we should compare "Jihad" and the "Just War" that is the Catholic Church's own erudite tradition in this field the "Just War doctrine", that was discussed during the run up to the Iraq war in US Catholic media: He used "Jihad" instead of "Holy War" in his lecture in German. Would "Holy War" have come to close to the "Just War". That's what I ask myself now?
http://www.firstthings.com/
OK, I read it again. [see link below, the second time] And it is indeed the offer for a dialogue. And if you watch it via this perspective the much debated quote appears in a very different light.
It could be a rhetorical device telling the other side. Look maybe I will appear just as prejudiced in 700 years from now. But isn't that human?
This is how I see my tradition in a nutshell. What should I know about yours yours. Sorry dear Pope, yes I am more a skeptic than I am a Catholic.?
2006-09-20 00:54:43 · answer #2 · answered by LeaNder 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
IGNORANCE, if the Pope knew anything about Islam he wouldn't have said so. but i guess he needs to read more!
and it also shows how much hate within the Pope's heart against Muslims. So sad, i thought that the Pope -as a religious man- r from the ppl who r calling for peace and for loving each other. but unfortunately hes NOT one of them
2006-09-20 01:07:03 · answer #3 · answered by kuky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pay no attention to him. He is no John Paul II who knew how to communicate with people. This particular pope appears to be very "intellectual" (in religious philosophy and such) but he does not apparently know when to keep quiet and does not know how to talk about other faiths. Other Christians and Jews have picked up on certain things he has said about them already -- so this latest incident is not the first indication of how he communicates with people. Believe me, he was not my choice for pope. The men who chose the pope in the first place should have known this man was not fit for the job. He is too elderly, he has that German Army past, and does not have the communication skills of John Paul II. Please do not think that Christians (including other Catholics) believe in the way he addresses issues in a public forum.
2006-09-20 00:17:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pope did not make any comments on Islam he quoted the comments of the Byzantine emperor Emmanuel but for another reason, namely the relationship between faith and reason in Christianity and Islam.
And he did invite to dialog in mutual respect between the two faiths.
2006-09-20 00:14:39 · answer #5 · answered by theo j 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
But Christians don't consider Muhammad a prophet. Also, Christians believe that Jesus IS God.
Finally, actions speak louder than words. Why don't all Muslims rise up against the terrorists? Why do official governments want to wipe Israel off the face of the map?
2006-09-20 00:08:28 · answer #6 · answered by bobm709 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
the pope used a qoute he did not comment , i doubt that you have even heard the lecture , I speak german, he meant that the religions should be tolerant but every muslim even without knowing his true speech and its meaning is going crazy, infact even sistani(ayatollah of iraq) uses a far harsher languge than the pope If you are a muslims let me ask you have you read satanic verses and can you piont out which line in the whole damn actually refers to prophet mohammed (pbuh) if you understand my point you woudl get my message
2006-09-20 00:11:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Pope often quotes ancient writers. I believe in his speech he was making a point about religion incorrectly being an excuse for violence and intolerance. Those who are so upset about his comments that they're responding in violence are only proving him right.
2006-09-20 00:08:08 · answer #8 · answered by KDdid 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Politically, the Pope stuck his holy slippered foot in his mouth.
Ideologically, it would appear the Pope has little respect for non-catholics, probably including most christians and jews.
2006-09-20 00:07:09 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
he was not making vicious comments about Islam, he was merely quoting a 14th century emperor.
The point of his speech was too say that violence was not the way to spread faith. He did not intend to offend Muslims and he issued an apology, in which he stated that this was not his intention and that he respected Islam. I think it is wrong of people to abuse the pope because they misinterpreted his actions.
2006-09-20 00:15:46 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋