ISSUES....
Inside,
confidential, off the record
Misunderstood
The
controversial and misunderstood Pope Benedict XVI's message condemning
violence and holy war as against the natural order of things is
analyzed here by Stefan Nicola UPI Germany Correspondent. The
homily is available in English here.
Papal
Address at University of Regensburg, Germany
Analysis: Pope's remarks spark furor
By Stefan Nicola
UPI Germany Correspondent
Sep. 18, 2006 at 10:41AM
Berlin, Sep. 18 (UPI) — What critics say are Islamophobic
comments Pope Benedict XVI made on a visit to Germany have unleashed
furor in several Arab countries and further fueled the conflict
between the West and the Muslim world.
The latest angry message came from al-Qaida, which Monday vowed
to wage war on the Vatican because of the pope's remarks.
"We say to the servant of the cross (the pope): wait for
defeat... We say to infidels and tyrants: wait for what will afflict
you," the statement, posted on a website, said according
to news agencies. "We will smash the cross... (you will have
no choice but) Islam or death," al-Qaida added, citing a
citation of the Prophet Mohammed promising Muslims would "conquer
Rome... as they conquered Constantinople."
Al-Qaida's protest is only the latest of a series angry remarks
made by Muslim leaders in most countries of the Arab world, from
Turkey all the way to Pakistan, after Pope Benedict XVI had delivered
a speech at a university in his native country of Germany.
In a Sept. 12 lecture to a crowd at Regensburg University, in
Bavaria, the pope quoted a 14th century dialogue recounting the
differences between Christianity and Islam between Byzantine Christian
Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian intellectual: "Show
me just what Mohammed brought that was new," the pope cited
the emperor as saying, "and there you will find things only
evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the
faith he preached."
The remark was cited as part of a larger theological assertion
that "reason and faith go hand in hand, and that the concept
of a holy war is always unreasonable, and against the nature of
God -- Muslim or Christian." While the pope described the
emperor's comments as "unusually rough," he abstained
from criticism of Christianity's own history of bloodshed; observers
say mentioning the bloody crusades may have been enough to appease
the anger.
The pope in a Sunday mass said he was "deeply sorry"
that his remarks had been misunderstood, that the quotation did
not express his personal thought, and added that he in no way
wanted to spark tensions. He called for an "honest"
dialogue between Islam and Christianity.
"I hope that this helps to appease the hearts and to make
clear the real intention of my speech, which in its entirety was
and is an invitation for an open and honest dialogue with great
mutual respect," he said.
Muslim organizations all over the world, including in Germany,
where the pope was born as Josef Ratzinger roughly eight decades
ago, had called for a retraction or at least an apology for the
remarks.
While some Muslim organizations said the pope took a step in the
right direction, others claimed he issued an incomplete apology
because he did not say he regretted using the citation at all.
Observers say he should have been a bit more careful when comparing
both faiths.
"If you see the whole speech, then there is no way to conclude
that the pope feels hostile against Islam," Anja Middelbeck-Varwick,
a professor at Berlin's Free University who specializes on dialogue
between Christianity and Islam, Monday told United Press International.
"But the citation itself is awkwardly placed and insensitive.
The pope should have known that these comments may easily be misunderstood,
especially in times that are politically so explosive."
There is no doubt that Benedict XVI is laying a different emphasis
for his papacy than his predecessor, John Paul II, a proponent
of an intense dialogue that manifested itself in the Assisi meetings,
during which over 100 religious leaders from all faiths met for
joint prayers.
"That's not his style," Middelbeck-Varwick said, arguing
the pope's main intention was to revive Christianity in Europe,
where it is suffering from lower support than ever. The pope is
in no way Islamophobic, however, observers say.
He strongly condemned the cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed,
which led to violent protests all over the world, claiming "it
is necessary and urgent that religions and their symbols be respected."
The threats against the pope are still coming however, and even
his homeland my take some damage.
On Monday, German flags were burning during demonstrations in
several Muslim countries despite the pope's apologetic statements.
Germany is home to Europe's second-largest Muslim population and
in the past years has had significant trouble integrating its
foreign-born community. Another miniature cultural clash, as the
one sparked by the Prophet Mohammed cartoons, is the last thing
the country needs.
The German government has recently decided to hold the country's
first 'Islam Conference,' on Sept. 27, during which Berlin will
engage in direct dialogue with all the main Muslim groups in the
country.
The recent furor over the pope's comments, Interior Minister Wolfgang
Schaeuble told news magazine Der Spiegel, "underlines how
necessary this conference is."
Middelbeck-Varwick said the current state of the dialogue between
Christians and Muslims left "significant room for improval."
The Muslim side should show more "own initiatives" to
engage in dialogue, while the Catholic church should underline
more strongly "what both faiths have in common, rather than
what separates them."
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