While in Germany at Regensburg University, Pope Benedict wanted to explore the historical and philosophical differences between Islam and Christianity, and the relationship between violence and faith. Although he meant well it didn’t go over so smooth. The problems started when he saw it fit to quote Emperor Manual II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire. I don’t know exactly who that is, but apparently it struck a chord with Muslims worldwide. It goes a little something like this…
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.
Now I’m no sure where that ranks on the Islamic Freak-Out-And-Riot Scale, but I’d imagine it’s up there. Maybe not to the level of the Danish cartoons, which sparked global chaos and a few hundred deaths, but up there. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood confirmed that the remarks "aroused the anger of the whole Islamic world".
Now there are two important aspects I’d like comments on. First, is their any truth to what the Pope said? Secondly, are Muslims too irrational and overly violent in their reactions? Actually I’ll add a third. Is the Pope just an evil Emperor?
Thanks again Itanshi for the tip on this one!
UPDATE: Houston, We Have Riots!!!
These were taken in India
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mohammed we live in a civiled life over in west. Obviously that backward mentality still existed to today in the east for the command and conquer attitude. but in this country its different and so is your watered down version of the quran.
If you believe extreme islam is evil then you are sticking up for love of mohammed and god. This is obviously how you see him, in any context. If your religon is good and I mean for the love for the humanity, the nature of the soul and the devine sprit you will denouce any evil doing in the quran which contradicts the prophet mohammed.
Mohammed was a peaceful man who loved humanity and dealt with its suffering, not by the sword but with the peace from god to forgive man for their actions.
The message from mohammed has been altered, because it contradicts itself. its a shame
This contradiction is based on the true prophets readings with an unholy inclusions, that are inhuman and justify itself with reasonings. This is like saying you can kill but for this reasons. You know there is no reason in this world to kill another human, especailly through sucide bombings.
What you must look at is what you can take from the good advice from the quran, and igore the overdub style of editing that has happened to the quran.
If you doubt this why is there different versions of the quran. the whole thing must make sense or there is something shifty going on.
If you compare the extreme with your version of quran your see the whole picture of what is the devils work and the belessed mohammed own writing. Its shocking to see that many things, that are in the extreme quran that are cleverly rewrited in a way that seems harmless in the moderate, but mean the same.
What you must realise is that there is a view to hate on non-believers, its not a reason to despise people because they have not had a contact with god. Its a reason to show the love and compasion to one another, so they can psychically see the difference god is working in them.
Don’t u see its wierd for people who don’t belive in god. To see people willing to kill for the beliefs (especially if its a relion of a peace) . even if you say its OK. Is this OK in the eyes of god, though I don’t think there is a right of appeal, like we are used to. Its morally wrong to kill, so to accept it over a piece of land, it looks dodgy yeah….
I still find it strange that muslims dispute things, but don’t dispute things that are evil in their own religon. wheres the voices gone, or are you OK with the whole extreme islam thing.
There is no versoins in the Quran, it’s one version. The only difference that people who read the Quran can misintrpret the Quran because he is igonrant about the background why god says that in that, and they try to justify what are they doing for them self, other than that the Quran is one version, it’s not the bible.
You nutter how come there are moderate and extreme islam if there are not many versions of the quran. Are you real have you not seen the hadith yet……. If you had any sense, your see the evil thats in there and say that no!!! the shit in there is pure evil what am I getting myself into. (try getting your head out of the sand)
What do you mean its not the bible, I promise you the bible is all about the peace and love. Its so obvious you know nothing of the bible, there are many types to relgions to christrianity yeah….its only the people and their own stamp on humanity that wants to region us to seperate groups. The message is all the same… Is there another bible no all the others read from the same book. (With the same translation because its not sending mixed messages)
mohammed you have been known to not answer simple questions, but listen you are fooled into thinking there is only one version of the quran. problerly you are told to say what you think. when you said about bin laden being a set up by the US, I laughed and thought yes its confirmed you belive in total cr*p. Only a fool would believe that because the truth of how evil islam is too much to bear. Think of how much money america lost in the insident and war on terror. Did they take any oil once iraq was conquered??????? no they totally believe in democracy and said the oil is for the iraqs to trade with. Proving the old b*llocks wrong that the orginal kuwait war was to take the oil.
There is no corrupt message in any religon in the world, they all spread peace apart from the quran. Ok you have a watered down version of the quran, might say thing you want to hear!!!! but the original message is still there, from the original quran. you still have not compared f*ck all. Its your love of religon that is contridictory to what everyone is seeing and reading. What is a kuffer?, I’m I one (unbeliever), is the word infidel mentioned in the quran??, is that a word that is not said in islam. Have you a brain to respond or are you waiting for a download from a shiekh.
There is no corupption in religion, the corupption in your seoul, you can use the F word as many time as you want, I’m not going to use it with you, because I’m better than you.
If you think that you are right why you scared and concerned about what Islam said, we are not scared of you, because we know we are right, we the fastes growing religion even after all of this attacks from the west and somebody like you.
You are not going to hurt Islam by your opinion, you seem to me so scared, only scared people that they know they are wrong, if you have the right you wouldn’t be scared.
mohammed you are a liar, and you side track everything that I mentioned in my comments with that typical arrogent muslim view that I’m scared. I’m not scared, yet but when extremism is on the door step then yeah I will be scared. If you are so confient that allah is peaceful, why should any person be scared of him or his worshipper, unless your talking about something thats in the quran that I should be scared off.
To say there is no corupption in islam is foolism, what is view on extremism, don’t you see it is like cancer for your version of the quran. You must be blind not to see the stark contract in what you believe in and the what is really happening out there in the east. Don’t you think you think the stuff in there is evil enough to corrupt men? It seems that your rather protest/burn down buildings from a cartoon, than protest on this evil version of the islam.
The fastest ever relgion is based on making woman into battery chickens to mass produce and the no freedom to choose what you are meant to believe. most countries in the east, christians are scared with their life to walk down the road with their bible. The reason why you think people who disagree with islam are scared is because most people are of your religon.
The usual tactic of many established religions involves the employment of fear to coerce followers. They may also attempt to convince detractors that they only disent out of fear of “the truth”. To me, these are psychological tactics, to not only detract from the disenter’s own views of his beliefs, but to paint the detractor in a light of cowardice.
The Truth is that many of us who are afraid of the state of religion are not afraid of some mythical day of reconing where your fairytales will shatter our wills and we will be left naked before the power of some omnipotent deity to bask not in glory but in the sting of our hubris, we are afraid of the possibility of a day when our freedom to believe what we know in our hearts to be true will be taken from us. In a country where [x-religion] is the law, it is only innevitable that it will be a crime to no follow it. Look at Rome and all the religions it forced on people), Colonial-era England and the Anglican Church, and the growing extremism of Christianity and Islam in America and the Middle East. We’ve already had an american leader call atheists anti-patriots, and in the middle-east they decry the Zionist war machine (to be fair Isreal isn’t much better).
The problem is that its not us who fear being wrong. Its all the people that have put their souls in the hands of books writen by men from societies hundreds of years ago that are afraid. You are afraid that you might be wrong and are afraid that you may one day have only yourself to have faith in and have to face the consequences of your own concience without a mass halucination to put all your worries on.
Of course Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, what other religion gives you the explicit right to have multiple wives, oppress and treat them like property, and kill someone for the heinous crime of saying something you dont like.
If the proceeding was sarcasm, it contains only the the thinnest vaneer of it.
God, religion sucks. (how about that statement for circular logic?)
[...] In a stunning display of stupidity, Australia’s most senior Muslim cleric has managed to trump the Pope’s previous words of wisdom. During a sermon this Ramadan, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali addressed 500 worshippers to share his wisdom on women and the hijab. [...]
hi everyone if you have any religious hatred pictures can you please send them to me it is for my art project i am looking at conflict between religions as i find it hard to come to terms with that religions that preach about peace can be so violent towards one and other. so if you have any pictures that have been taken from roits etc please email me them at what-are-u-up-two@hotmail.com. thanks,
jack!
@TO Richard: Dude, TALIBANS destroyed the statues, they are idiots, they are talibans, not muslims, and religion Islam didnt destroyed it.
That kind of people belive they are muslims but will never be accepted in GOD’s hands.
Senad who are you to tell whether the talibans are muslims or not?
The founder of your religion Muhammed destroyed with his own hands statues of other religions too.
Ulrik,
It’s BS, Muhammed lay the foundation for civilized world to exist, before Muhammed, all the world was empires and slaves, and after Muhammed and Muslims, they freed the world.
I got sick of this argument, every freaking person here watch Fox news or what ever source he wants to show Islam as a bad thing, and come here spitt it out.
Read both sides, the good and the bad, and then judge, don’t read what justify your situation.
Salaam/Hi, I think everyone is taking all of this out of proportion.
I am not sure if the Pope meant what he “quoted” or “stated” in a good way or bad way. But I do know as a Muslim, it is not what he said that is aggravating as much as him taking our Most beloved prophet Muhammad (may he rest in peace) name in that context.
Let me ask, what religion or culture will not retaliate violently if someone tries to harm or put down their status. Vice Versa.
Anyways, Islam just like any other religion is a religion of peace and love. Religions are to hold that peace against one another (irregardless of culture,race or religion). We are all humans and if religious or not we are God’s makings.
These feuds and grudges will go on unless we become mature and accept one another for who we are and what we believe in.
Lastly, (just because I AM Muslim), in retrospectives of all of you who equal Islam to Terrorism or “fact #2″ , it is just not right and you all should know better than that. If researched well, we might all be able to see East vs. West, they are all “terrorizing” against each other. Suicide bombers or such wouldn’t have to do what they do unless they are provoked to do so. Anyways, who is getting hurt in all of these??? Innocent civilians from both sides and all cultures and religions.
I know I know, I talk a lot, my husband says so too. Lol. Anyways, COME ON everyone forget all this crap and let us all accept one another and live our OWN lives happily and without a bother.
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE… RIGHT?
“Read both sides, the good and the bad, and then judge, don’t read what justify your situation.” I had to quote this person, wonderful thing to go by and live life the way its meant to be lived.
GOD BLESS US ALL
Mariam, what wise words. Sounds English (UK). Anyway, this talk of terrorism; may I quote the words a song of of comedian Richard Digence?
“What’s the use of anything, when you ain’t got anything, what’s the use of anything when you ain’t got nothing at all?” Sort of describes the the lot of a person living in the ME with no basic facilities and the fear of starvation / disease / military invasion by an arrogant Western power. Of course they’re mildly miffed. How would you feel if Iran took over the UK / US and insisted you had a government under Sharia law? That’s the exact equivalent of us walzing into Iraq and touting Democracy. We’ve bollocked it up good style. I was in the pub (The Thornton Arms, Blackpool UK, good atmos but avoid the Kronenburg 1664) the night our government decided to go into Iraq. We listened to conversations around us. Not one table supported the war. None of us do now. It’s an insult to Iraquis (spelling?) and a pain in my tax-paying arse. Balls to the war. The majority of ordinary UK citzens don’t hate Muslims (although we are by nature agnostic – the Church Of England for God’s sake?)but we do seriously oppose modern-day crusades. To get back to the thread, the Pope really isn’t helping this. The old fool.
How free would you be under Muslim rule? How tolerant would they be of relativistic thinking, of alternative lifestyles, and so on?
It’s time for the West to assert it’s culture. It’s time for the West to insist upon it’s right to a Judeo-Christian and Democratically based identity. And no, one need not believe in a god to agree with this exhortation. Are there any MEN left in the Western World? Stand up for your way of life, you fools!
Democracy began with Solon in Ancient Greece. The Magna Carta reaffirmed it. John Locke and the Enlightenment put it’s philosophy into words. The Americans proved it to be viable for a large group of people stretched over a large area. (Mohammed and Islam caused people to be free? How so?)
FUCK the muslums they all shuld die!!!!!!!!!!!! they will try to kill us all so we kill them first whip them from the face of the planit, kill all that folow there religion, terrism is real people. so just get rid of the problem. they nead to be made example of!!!!!!!!!
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these muslim fanatics really are Fucking idiots! they claim they are non violent & yet look at their reactions, such narrow minded assholes! Am glad that they are showing the whole world the fruits of their ideology & i say, it stinks like pig shit & i am glad i am not one of them! i know of many christians who react with love if they hear something derogatory about their faith but these muslim crocks of pig shit erupt in violent frenzy, making it all the more evident that their religion is really meant for PIGS! Allahu akbahr!
IKTAR! IKTAR!!! WE AFTER YOU
SALER GOBLOG
I wonder if fatwamin knows enough English to know that his or her name sounds like “fat woman”. Gonna think of fat woman every time I hear fatwa now.
I just entered a long and complete remark, and once I attempted to distribute it my FireFox freaked out.
You wouldn’t feel it but I’ve wasted all day digging for some posts about this. You will be a lifesaver, it was an great read and has helped me out to no end. Cheers!