Muslim world in outrage over Pope Benedict XVI's Speech on Islam

[Ninja Realist]

They're at it again. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/17/pope.islam/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) I'm not tryin g to belittle Islam by saying this, but I really don't understand why much of the Muslim World feels entitled to an apology. For one, the pope has the right to say what he wishes. In fact, I find alot of what the pope says to be not only offensive, but actually harmful (such as his condmenation of the usage of condoms/birth control and his fierce disdain for gay marriage), but I'm not killing nuns (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/09/17/somalia.nun.reut/index.html), burning effigies of the pope (http://bluewavecanada.blogspot.com/2006/09/indian-muslims-burn-effigy-of-pope.html), or firebombing churches (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600174.html). In fact it's ironic that these people responded to the pope's criticism of Islam as a violent religion by commiting acts of senseless violence. Why does the Islamic world feel like they can have their cake and eat it too?

[Pedro The Hutt]

It's not like the christian church never resorted to violence against the islam. >.>;;
And well, you're not doing those because the pope never directly insulted/offended you.

Of course, I don't approve that the more hot headed muslims do such things, but I can more or less understand them. But still, now they just proved the pope right. >.>;; They should've stayed nice and calm.. or well, at least not turn their anger towards christian targets.

[Zero]

John Paul II spent over 2 decades building bridges between faiths, bringing humility to the church, reconciling it for its past sins, and immersed himself into cultures around the world. It's rather unfortunate, at best, and foolish at worst, that this current Pope felt the need to make those remarks, however unintended the effects may have been. For all the scholarly knowledge that man possesses, you'd think he'd have half the brain to realize the enormous harm such statements would bring on himself and the entire church, especially the minority Christian populations within countries dominated by the Muslim faith.

I certainly find the reactionary behavior you mention equally reprehensible. The world continues to go to hell in a hand basket.

[Neo-Hunter]

[QUOTE=Zero;518558]John Paul II spent over 2 decades building bridges between faiths, bringing humility to the church, reconciling it for its past sins, and immersed himself into cultures around the world. QUOTE]

Yeah, and the new guy ruins it. but not to be a bad guy here I'm just saying that it was an example from a old text and he has since applogized so i say forgive and forget.

[Blue Audio]

Islam seems to be a religion of hypocrisy. When those comics that portrayed the prophet Mohammed in a violent and negative light, the muslims responded by burning down buildings and saying that the Holocaust never happened.

And now the pope says something similar, and they blow shit up, kick, and scream until he apologizes. Such faggotry.

[loner]

Islam seems to be a religion of hypocrisy. When those comics that portrayed the prophet Mohammed in a violent and negative light, the muslims responded by burning down buildings and saying that the Holocaust never happened.

And now the pope says something similar, and they blow shit up, kick, and scream until he apologizes. Such faggotry.

It's not Islam's problem, it's the problem of some of its followers. Some Muslims acted in foolish and despicable ways, but I'm also disgusted by people who put down the entire religion and all its followers just for the action of some idiots. There are a lot of Muslims who feel the same way I and other posters in this thread do about these criminal acts.

[The Geomancer]

Persoanlly, I think there are some like that in almost every religion, to varying extents. For example, the TV preachers (christianity), the door-to-door folk (Jehovah's witnesses), etc. People who give their collective religion a bad rep.

[Ritalin]

Islam seems to be a religion of hypocrisy. When those comics that portrayed the prophet Mohammed in a violent and negative light, the muslims responded by burning down buildings and saying that the Holocaust never happened.

And now the pope says something similar, and they blow shit up, kick, and scream until he apologizes. Such faggotry.

Christianity seems to be a religion of hypocrisy. When women want to get abortions, the Christians responded by burning down abortion clinics and saying we're all going to hell.

Replace Christianity with other religions, etc.

It's not religion that's the problem, it's fundamentalism that is.

As for this, I read about this a few days ago and a lot of news sources are taking it a bit out of context. The pope isn't trying to put down Islam, he's just really bad at public speaking. Everything he says is easy to take out of context, or looks horrible when separated from the rest of the speech.

[KiraraKim]

Quoted from CNN.com. This was said after the Pope controversy

"you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."

Anyways the Muslim world has to have the worst PR ever. I mean it's true extremists are bad in every religion but there just seems to be a few more extremists in the Islamic religion.

Of course what worries me is the more people attack the Islamic religion the more extremists they will create.

[soundchazer]

Quoted from CNN.com. This was said after the Pope controversy



Anyways the Muslim world has to have the worst PR ever. I mean it's true extremists are bad in every religion but there just seems to be a few more extremists in the Islamic religion.

Of course what worries me is the more people attack the Islamic religion the more extremists they will create.

Nah... extremists in almost every type of culture or religion tend to be LOUDER, but not necessarily LARGER in number.

Given the condition in which muslims are in these days, I do see the possibility of the radicalization of their societies though... a way to counterbalance what they consider to be a heavy handed and unfair condemnation of anything muslim by the western countries.

[loner]

I agree with SC. This kind of reminds me of a kid that gets humiliated and beat up by a group of bullies, then takes a knife and kills all of the bullies. The kid does something that must be condemned, but when you look back both parties are at fault to different degrees.

People really need to all step back and uh, be adults. Unfortunately, there just seem to be too many children that never grew up in the world these days, and they somehow all manage to procure loudspeakers to bicker and yell at each other. In the end, it's the peaceful, reasonable grown-ups who have nothing to do with whatever that is going on that end up getting hurt.

[Ender]

Ara ****in' ra,

You know, I have been overdue for a tirade with little-to-no point since I long forgot how to logon to IRC. I remained silent way back during that whole Muhammad cartoon fiasco, and I realize (after reading those responses) I shouldn't have been.

I think I'm going to lose all (three) of my readers after this, but crass be damned...

I am a Muslim...and I think the whole thing is bullshit.

I think that Muslims reacting in such a way is bullshit...

And I think that the Pope making a comment about another religion during this bullshitty time is bullshit.

That being said...

When I first heard about the Pope making such a remark, I didn't go OMG! TH3Y SHOLUD BURN T3H POPEZOR!!!11 my first reaction was This is what happens when people don't put money in good PR.

Now, I've been to a hundred so-on websites that claim that my religion is evil, that Muslims are crazy-ass mother ****ers, that we are the real enemy of America (and hence forth the free world).

But are we? Some of us, hell yeah. I'll come right out and say it, there are some evil, evil idjits running around with Qu'rans in their hand. And these people are arming other ignorant people and poisoning the thoughts of those who have so little to think about.

The Pope? He ain't such a bad guy. Sure, he said something that I would not have said if I were Pope, but I don't think he was trying to condemn such a large group of people.

I know I've probably not made any point with this post -- hell I'll probably just end up deleting it by the end of the week -- I'm not intelligent by any stretch of the imagination. Naive as hell, but intelligent? Nooooooo~o.

I guess I just wanted to show that their are some people out there who don't represent one side of any given majority. I was born in the states, but I was raised a Muslim to immigrant folks. I think I'm qualified enough to speak for both worlds here.

Maybe all that Islam lacks is good leadership. Maybe Muslims need a leader who doesn't misconstrue everything he reads in the Qu'ran. I think there are people like that.

God knows we could use 'em...

-Prof. Ender

[soundchazer]

Probably the best comment so far. Thank you Ender... I surely appreciate your honesty.

I have never understood why there is such a need to declare a religion as better than the other. It is so sad, specially when you consider that Judaism, Islam and Christianity have far more things in common than things that set them apart, and you will find intelligent people who wish nothing but the best to people in all three of them.

[Moe]

we take offense to what the pope said for one reason, dont blame everyone for what one group is doing. dont say the islam brings trouble to the world when its only 2 or 3 groups. is it my fault al qaida is blowing buildings with buses, fuk no, but there is also nothing i can do about it. i mean there are a couple events where i could say christains brings trouble to the world. but i dont. i mean if you can remember in the 90's... ethnic cleansing where almost all serbian musluims were wiped out... oh and also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_and_Shatila_Massacre (Sabra and Shatila Massacre) where thousands of muslims were killed by christains... i mean... i can say look at the trouble you cause to the world. but you dont see me saying that now do you. For someone with the pope stature he should not have said anything of the sort as he did say. its to influencial and its not even true.

[KiraraKim]

Probably the best comment so far. Thank you Ender... I surely appreciate your honesty.

I agree. Really Ender I wish it was people like you that spoke the loudest.

And this is what people should focus on not the Pope's comments.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060916/ap_on_sc/space_tourist

[PsychoSaiya-jin]

The problem is that the Islamic world lacks a single centalised dogma and center or authority. What is true for the moderates is not nessesarily what goes for the fundamentalists.. and then you also have the extremeists.

I almost feel sorry for the Pope as he is the one that seems to be held accountable for everything done in the name of Christianity whilst the few Immams that drum up violence and disorder do so away from the public eye.

[soundchazer]

The problem is that the Islamic world lacks a single centalised dogma and center or authority. What is true for the moderates is not nessesarily what goes for the fundamentalists.. and then you also have the extremeists.

I don't know PSJ... you could change the world Islamic for Christian and you would be saying the same thing.

How many different Christian denominations are out there? Dozens. The only difference is while their Islamic counterparts use terrorism, the Christian extremists take advantage of "approved" use of the military plus economic sanctions to get their message across these days.

[f1rst children]

The wide disparity in reactions across the Muslim world makes me think that the overreaction by the Arab Muslims is driven more by nationalism or regionalism than religion. You don't see the same reaction by Muslims in Albania or Malaysia, or even those in the US, that you do on the "Arab street" whenever Islam is perceived to be slighted - Pope's speech, Mohammed cartoon - by the West.

[NausicaaBoy]

the muslim world is so caught up in chaos that the people no longer know what they are mad about. they just need to focus their anger on something. Its a brainlesss borg - they move as one with no individual thought