by 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos.
And the Pope sayeth:
"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul,"
I will continue adding to this post in the days ahead...
Pertinent Links:
1) Pope speaks out on jihad, urges talk (September 13, 2006)
2) PAKISTAN: POPE'S JIHADI COMMENTS SHOW HIS IGNORANCE OF ISLAM, OFFICIAL SAYS (September 14, 2006)
3) Moslems burning effigy of the Pope (September 15, 2006)
4) Islam row raises pope safety fears (September 15, 2006)
5) He bears no malice, but he is a worried man
6) Pope upset that Muslims offended
7) Pope 'sorry' for Islam comments
8) Grenade blast as Muslims protest Pope's 'insult'
9) Muslim leaders demand apology from Pope
10) "Mr. Pope be with in your limits" @ JIHADWATCH.ORG
Look at that sign. "Mr. Pope be with in your limits." What limits? Classic Islamic law stipulates that Christians may live in peace in Islamic societies as long as they accept second-class status as dhimmis, which involves living within certain limits: not holding authority over Muslims, paying the jizya tax, not building new churches or repairing old ones, and...not insulting Allah or Muhammad. If they believe that a Christian has insulted them in some way, even inadvertently, his contract of protection -- dhimma -- is voided.
So are these protestors warning the Pope to behave like a dhimmi, or else? I expect so. After all, so many Christians and post-Christians in the West in recent years have been willing, even eager, to accept such limits -- witness the chastened reaction to the Cartoon Rage riots, in which Church officials, government leaders, and others solemnly pontificated against "insults to religious figures." But it wasn't really a question of blasphemy then, and it isn't a question of insult now. It is a question of whether non-Muslims will submit to Muslim standards and restrictions on their speech, thought, and behavior.
And I hope that the Pope, for one, is not willing to do so.
11) Fears of violent Mideast backlash to Pope
12) Rioters' madness shames Muslim world
13) Tripe from NYT: The Pope’s Words
There is more than enough religious anger in the world. So it is particularly disturbing that Pope Benedict XVI has insulted Muslims, quoting a 14th-century description of Islam as “evil and inhuman.”
In the most provocative part of a speech this week on “faith and reason,” the pontiff recounted a conversation between an “erudite” Byzantine Christian emperor and a “learned” Muslim Persian circa 1391. The pope quoted the emperor saying, “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.”
Muslim leaders the world over have demanded apologies and threatened to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican, warning that the pope’s words dangerously reinforce a false and biased view of Islam. For many Muslims, holy war — jihad — is a spiritual struggle, and not a call to violence. And they denounce its perversion by extremists, who use jihad to justify murder and terrorism.
The Vatican issued a statement saying that Benedict meant no offense and in fact desired dialogue. But this is not the first time the pope has fomented discord between Christians and Muslims.
In 2004 when he was still the Vatican’s top theologian, he spoke out against Turkey’s joining the European Union, because Turkey, as a Muslim country was “in permanent contrast to Europe.”
A doctrinal conservative, his greatest fear appears to be the loss of a uniform Catholic identity, not exactly the best jumping-off point for tolerance or interfaith dialogue.
The world listens carefully to the words of any pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly. He needs to offer a deep and persuasive apology, demonstrating that words can also heal.
14) Pope statement not enough: Muslim Brotherhood
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