Last week Pope Benedict XVI gave a lecture in Germany. In his speech he quoted the words of Manuel II Paleologus.
Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus’s original 14th-century writings reflected the rise of Islam against the free world. Strange how the more things change the more they stay the same.
Said the emperor, in a conversation with a “learned Persian” on Christianity and Islam — “and the truth of both”:
and there you will find things only evil and inhuman,
such as his command to spread the sword by the faith he preached.”
al-Arabiya, an Arabic-language television news channel based in Dubai and a contemporary of Al Jazeera, predicted the quote would provoke the “anger of the Muslim world.” Yes, The Religion of Peace™ spent the rest of the week, and through the weekend, living up to their description:
From the Times Online:
An Iraqi militant group led by al Qaeda has threatened to massacre Christians in response to remarks about Islam by Pope Benedict XVI.
“We shall break the cross and spill the wine. … (you will have no choice but) Islam or death,” said the statement, citing a hadith (saying of the Prophet Mohammed) promising Muslims that they would “conquer Rome… as they conquered Constantinople”.
“We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya. God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the Mujahideen.”
Convert or die. But isn’t that exactly what Paleologus was saying? Isn’t that exactly what the Pope was referencing?
From Breitbart:
Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, following remarks by Pope Benedict that angered many Muslims.
No injuries were reported in the attacks, which left church doors charred and walls pockmarked with bullet holes and scorched by firebombs. Churches of various denominations were targeted.
From The Age:
“We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion,” he said in Friday evening prayers.
“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim,” [Sheikh Abubukar Hassan] Malin, a prominent cleric in the Somali capital, told worshippers at a mosque in southern Mogadishu.
“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim.” Thus spoke a religious leader of The Religion of Peace™. This echoes the 1998 fatwa by bin Laden: “The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies — civilians and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it … This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, ‘and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,’ and ‘fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.’”
From the Associated Press via Yahoo:
An elderly Italian nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in Africa was shot dead by two gunmen at a hospital Sunday in an attack possibly linked to worldwide Muslim anger toward
Pope Benedict XVI.Sister Leonella, 65, was shot in the back four times by pistol-wielding attackers as she left the Austrian-run S.O.S. hospital at lunch time after finishing nursing school for trainee medics. Her bodyguard was also slain.
A nun, saving lives in a hospital in an area rampant with disease and death, was shot in the back. Exactly how weak a coward to you have to be to do something like this? So much for the mujahideen being some sort of warrior.
From News Limited:
“The violent reactions in many parts of the Islamic world justified one of Pope Benedict’s main fears,” Cardinal Pell [Sydney, Australia's Catholic Archbishop] said in a statement.
“They showed the link for many Islamists between religion and violence, their refusal to respond to criticism with rational arguments, but only with demonstrations, threats and actual violence.
Bring back The Crusaders.
Pope Benedict, Paleologus, Islam, Muhammad, Arab, Muslim
1 response so far ↓
1 Carmen // Sep 20, 2006 at 6:36 am
Yes, I’ve also read in Koran that Muslims’religion is the only right in the world. I won’t say anything about Mohamed, because they will find me everywhere and kill, but I want to remark, that the problem is in national identity. For what muslims were well-known in the world? Do you know any internationally famous Muslim in any sphere? I mean like Washington Irving,V.Hugo,Bethoven,Curie,Gagarin, etc.maybe I don’t know, so you tell me some distinguished Muslims. Generally saying, its human nature to be socially known. An isolated person becomes mentally seek in some weeks. A nation becomes quicker, because arises a chain reaction. I think they are revenging to the world because almost no one recognizes them. Excuse me, Muslims, for my personal, inconsiderable opinion. I am pretty sure you can be and you are sincere and friendly, but a lot of your friends try to prove us the contrary…