So….the Pope has spoken.
And many are angry what he has said.
I can understand the anger, but I cannot justify it.
The content of the speech is actually good. The Pope spoke about his experience in university, the relationship between religion and science, the concept of “holy war”, and a few other things.
Yes, when he touched on the issue of holy war, he quoted the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus who said “”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.”
What is wrong with quoting the Emperor?
Since when did we Muslims become so sensitive to political correctness such that we respond with hostility when someone quotes what was said by an Emperor more than six hundred years ago?
The reaction towards, and subsequent condemnations of, the speech is deplorable. This is a world leader presenting well-researched arguments. I see nothing wrong with what the Pope said.
It seems that some Muslims have become so obsessed wth political correctness. As soon as someone says something that they find offensive, they will go ape.
Now, if anyone really wants to be so obsessed with political correctness, let me present you with a challenge.
You say that the Pope has quoted a phrase that offends Muslims and therefore he must be condemned. Would be ready to commit yourself to not quote anything that offends others?
Do you remember the hadith that says:
“Tidak akan berlakunya Qiamat sehinggalah saling berbunuh-bunuhan antara Yahudi Dan Orang Islam, sehinggalah Orang Islam akan membunh Orang Yahudi dan Orang Yahudi akan lari menyembunyikan diri di belakang pokok-pokok dan batu, lalu berkatalah pokok-pokok dan batu-batu, Wahai Muslim Wahai Hamba Allah! Yahudi berada di belakangku, datanglah dan bunuhlah dia.”
If Jews claim that they are hurt by the hadith, would you be willing to commit yourself to never quote it again?
Do you still think hostility towards the speech is justifiable?
Those who think that the Pope should apologise for hurting Muslims, do you also think our beloved Prophet (s.a.w) should apologise for saying such thing about the Jews?
Filed under: Freedom & Liberty
Given that large majority of the Muslims are not that educated as some people, and given the Pope’s previous record (remarks e.g. in 2004 on Turkey’s ascension to the Eu etc) the particular quote could be classified as ‘inciting hatred’. It is a bait to the Muslims; the bait taken with pleasure one wonders if what the fisherman is now doing.
As to the hadith you quoted, that does not quite fit in the discussion. It relates to what would happen in the future, a warning, and made no attempt to bash down the Jews or their religion in the same way as the evil-in-effect quote.
I do not think the knee-jerk reaction of some Muslims including the burning of effigies and flags and riots are appropriate, just as I think the selection of quote and the choice of time by the Pope are not appropriate.
-my simple mind-
interesting point of view. but in this time and political condition, where muslims deeply wounded and hurt by many things, it is understandable for muslims to act upon what he said.
yeah, as a muslim we should behave, act justly.
Come on. Time for an update.
Ok lah…..Ok lah…..
And you too!
In my humble opinion, Pope made many irrational and unsound intepretations on historical facts while presenting a subject on Rationalism itself. He made the tradition of the Other’s Other deeper. Pope hurt Christians worse than to Moslem fellows by representing the Church in the manner of anti academic.
Abu Saif: The Pope may have made irrational comments. But one irrationality from the Pope does not invite a similar irrationality from us. We should rise above irrational and unsound attitude and be Muslim enough to deal with ideas that differ to ours. If, as you claim, the Pope had hurt Christians, then we must be the first to stand up for fellow Christians. Our compassion should be “lil ‘alamin” .
But my main question is, why are we so far away from the great intellectual traditions of our great predecessors?
Because we rarely read, never mind learn directly from scholars, their works. And if we do, we so often read second sources – those translations – and worse still translations by those oppose to our ethos (i.e. the Orientalists) or by those not fully acquainted with the works (includes sympathetic Western scholars or Muslim scholars with little understanding of the context and spirit of the works – especially true of works by al-Ghazali, Rumi (especially x100), and a multitude others). We need a revival of our ilmu kalam.