VARIOUS: Muslims worldwide react angrily to Pope's quoting of a Byzantine emperor's comments on Islam and demand an apology from the Pontiff

Pope Benedict's comments about Islam could hurt religious harmony, government and religious leaders across the Muslim world said on Friday (September 15). A growing chorus of Muslim leaders have called on the Pope to apologise for the remarks he made in a speech in Germany on Tuesday when he used the terms "jihad" and "holy war". A youth centre run by the Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip was lightly damaged by a small explosion on Friday, but it was unclear if the blast was connected to comments. The explosion around sunrise targeted the church's youth centre in Gaza City. The blast broke doors and shattered glass. The church itself was not damaged and there were no injuries. "In the name of the Palestinian people on this blessed Palestinian land I express our condemnation to the statement of his excellency the Pope regarding Islam as a religion, law, history, and a life style. These statements have missed the truth and offended the Islamic history which spread the language of dialogue and civilization through the world. And we say that the Pope should reconsider his statements and must stop offending the Muslim religion, the religion of over one and a half billion Muslims," Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said. Gaza is home to an estimated 3,000 Christians among more than 1.4 million Muslims. Islamic scholars say the Pontiff's comments show how little he understands Islam and some have said Islamic countries should threaten to break off relations with the Vatican. The Vatican issued a statement to say the Pope had never meant to offend Islam. In his speech at the University of Regensburg on Tuesday, Benedict quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". Benedict repeatedly quoted Manuel's argument that spreading the faith through violence is unreasonable, adding: "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul." A top religious figure in Turkey suggested the Pope should reconsider a trip he is planning to Turkey later this year. "We wish that he would not said these things but after this statement we expect him to offer an apology and to reflect on and be critical of what he has said. I hope that he will do so," the Head of Turkish Religious Affairs, Ali Bardakoglu, said. Pakistan's National Assembly, parliament's lower house, unanimously passed a resolution on Friday condemning the speech. "This statement has hurt sentiments of the Muslims," the resolution said. "This is also against the charter of the United Nations. This house demands the Pope retract his remarks in the interest of harmony among different religions of the world." The spokesman for a opposition alliance of six religious parties said the Pope had allied himself with anti-Muslim comments made by U.S. President George W Bush. "We respect and esteem him (Pope Benedict XVI) as a religious leader. We, therefore, regret the fact that he has given such a statement which is unbecoming of his status. U.S. President (George W.) Bush has already declared that this is a crusade against the Muslims. We believe that this statement (of Pope Benedict) will lead to a clash of two civilisations, because the Pope, despite being a religious leader, has bracketed himself with Bush. Today our National Assembly (lower House of Parliament) has condemned this through a resolution. We appeal to the entire Christian brotherhood to clarify their position in this context and not to become tools of President Bush," said Hafez Hussain Ahmed, leader of the Muttahida Majlis-E-Amal (MMA). Washington's response to Sept. 11, invading Afghanistan and Iraq and tightening civil freedoms as part of a wider "war on terror", has created a widespread feeling among Muslims worldwide that their religion is under attack. A row earlier this year over Danish cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammad has deepened the sense of a divide between Islamic culture and the West. Muslims across India also protested at the Pontiff's comments. Scores of burqa-clad women took to streets in Jammu region of Indian Kashmir to register their protest and called on the Pope to apologize. Protesters burnt an effigy of the Pope in northern Varanasi city and also threatened to launch a worldwide agitation if such statements were repeated. In Lebanon, a leading Shi'ite cleric said the Pope's remarks lacked understanding. "We want to raise this issue, not to have problems with Christians, but so that you know how the person that is in control of all the Catholics in the world talks, which is in a way that indicates that he doesn't understand Islam," leading Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah told worshippers in the Southern suburb of Beirut. "This talk from the Pope shows that he is not cultured or subjective," he added. The head of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood called on Islamic countries to threaten to break off relations with the Vatican unless the Pontiff withdrew his remarks. The Vatican press office said in a statement the Pope had not intended to carry out an in-depth study of jihad (Islamic holy war or struggle) and Muslim thinking about it, "even less to offend the sensitivity of the Muslim faithful".

ITN Source | September 16, 2006

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