Pope enrages muslim world, inspires death threats by suggesting Islam not peaceful

[Don Corleone]

Hmm, imagine that. The Pope gives a speech where he explicitly states that holy war, be it a crusade or a jihad.... religious violence of any kind is incompatible with the nature of God. As part of the speech, he offers a quote from a dialogue between a 14th century Byzantine Emperor and a Persian scholar, in which Manuel II Paleologus states that the only thing Islam has brought to the world that is unique is jihad, which is unholy.

Now I can understand hurt feelings and strongly worded disagreement. But the reaction to the Pope's speech has lost all bounds of reason. Muslims rioting against implication that they're violent...

Among other incidents include a bombing at a Greek Orthodox church (and if anybody has had it in for the Papacy through the centuries, it would be the Greek Orthodox church).

So, basically, if you want to start a riot, suggest that Muslims are violent? Doesn't that make the statement true?

I can understand the argument that Pope was painting with a broad brush, but surely the Pakistani National Assembly and the Supreme Imam of Turkey have bigger things to worry about then what the aging, ignored leader of a failing religion that is having secular legal issues in most of the countries it operates in has to say about them... If they really wanted to show Pope Benedict XVI how irrelevant he truly is, they should have ignored him, or quietly rebuffed his comments as the insane ramblings of a man out of touch. Surely the Muslim world is imbuing him with an importance that simply isn't there any more.

[Silver Rusher]

[lancelot]

This is sooo sooo funny!! The only thing funnier than people rioting over anger at Islam being called violent is that the idiots obviously fail to see the irony in that!

Thank you Islam...you have cheered up my day...

Seriously, it does make you wonder about the general IQ of some people...

@Don
I couldnt get that link to work...might be me though...

[Keba]

And that is religion for you ...

Does it really surprise anyone by now?

Although, there's a lesson to be learned here ... the next time someone calls you violent, punch his lights out. That'll teach him not to spread lies about you ...

[lancelot]

Although, there's a lesson to be learned here ... the next time someone calls you aggressive, punch his lights out.

LOL!...well said.

[Blodrast]

And that is religion for you ...

Does it really surprise anyone by now?

Although, there's a lesson to be learned here ... the next time someone calls you violent, punch his lights out. That'll teach him not to spread lies about you ...

eh.... broad sweeping generalizations again...
That's NOT religion. That's fanatics, fundamentalists, zealots. Quite a difference.

[lancelot]

eh.... broad sweeping generalizations again...
That's NOT religion. That's fanatics, fundamentalists, zealots. Quite a difference.

Oh come on...when a riot usually takes place it can very well be a large proportion of the average citizens that get stirred up, it certainly doesnt have to be the fanatics and what not...so did all the zealots and fanatics club together especially for this riot?

[Leet Eriksson]

that image is fake.

As always the entire ordeal is as stupid as jyllands-posten debacle. But thanks to the pope friday attendance at mosques has increased now

[caravel]

that image is fake.

As always the entire ordeal is as stupid as jyllands-posten debacle. But thanks to the pope friday attendance at mosques has increased now

The image is indeed fake. The real message was: "behead those who insult islam". This was part of the london demonstrations against the Jyllands-Posten cartoons.

[lancelot]

The real message was: "behead those who insult islam".

Oh thats much better then...

...no wait, hang on a minute...

checking...


checking...


Nope- still sick and wrong

[Silver Rusher]

The image is indeed fake. The real message was: "behead those who insult islam". This was part of the london demonstrations against the Jyllands-Posten cartoons.

Of course it is. You just need to have a look at the V to see how worse-than-photoshopped it is. But I posted the pic because it seemed appropriate.

Anyway. The Pope says Islam is violent because of the actions of a few terrorists. Don Corleone says Catholicism is about buggery because of the actions of a few American priests. Can you see a difference? I can. The difference is that the PC society allows people to insult catholics and get away scot-free whereas insulting Islam not only brings you to burning embassies, violent protests and even more terrorist attacks but also gets you shot down by others who are not Muslim.

(and DC, don't try to defend it with untrue spouts of 'I never said that'; as I said before, I saw what you posted before the edit. Oh, and I may have said I will never utter those words here but you continued with the subject of buggery anyway so I might as well)

[Keba]

Well, technically, the Pope didn't say Islam was violent ... he merely quoted Manuel II, and that guy said it. That's if you feel like nitpicking.

@Bloodrast: That post wasn't intended to be serious ... I thought that the lesson learned bit would make that obvious.

[GoreBag]

This guy MUST have a wicked sense of humour.

[yesdachi]

Muslims rioting against implication that they're violent...

While wiping blood from an infidel’s beheading off his hands what? I don’t get it?

[Leet Eriksson]

Muslims rioting against implication that they're violent...

While wiping blood from an infidel’s beheading off his hands what? I don’t get it?

what?

oh snap, i have to clean my cleaver and hide that infidels head i recently beheaded

Can't you people think for 5 minutes not every muslim is a maniac that beheads people?

[Don Corleone]

what?

oh snap, i have to clean my cleaver and hide that infidels head i recently beheaded

Can't you people think for 5 minutes not every muslim is a maniac that beheads people?

I can and do. But rioting because some over-the-hill head of a religion that even it's 'dedicated followers' don't really listen to is not the way to prove how calm and rational the average muslim is.

My apologies to anyone offended by my original description of the Pope. He's not one of my favorite people, and promoting Cardinal Law has done nothing to endear him to me.

[Silver Rusher]

I can and do. But rioting because some over-the-hill head of a religion that even it's 'dedicated followers' don't really listen to is not the way to prove how calm and rational the average muslim is.

I saw this post before you edited it. And believe me, those comments put you far, far below the level of the Pope. I shan't utter those words here though.

[Pindar]

"(X and Y) have bigger things to worry about then what the aging, ignored leader of a failing religion..."

"I can and do. But rioting because some over-the-hill head of a religion that even it's 'dedicated followers' don't really listen to is not the way to prove how calm and rational the average muslim is."

My apologies to anyone offended by my original description of the Pope. He's not one of my favorite people, and promoting Cardinal Law has done nothing to endear him to me.

I don't understand the hostility here.

[Don Corleone]

I don't understand the hostility here.

I have a big issue with the way the Catholic Church has borrowed a few tricks from Cosa Nostra on how to keep the whole buggery scandal quiet, and freaks like Geoghan and Shanley out in the field. One of the primary defenders of the pervs was Cardinal Bernard Law, who, as somebody that's dedicated their lives to the legal system, you should resent more than I. If Cardinal Law was anybody else then the figurehead of Catholicism in Boston, he would have been thrown in jail on numerous counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, extortion, bribery and numerous other felonies. Instead, he got recalled to Rome, where his old buddy Ratzenberger (aka Benedict XVI) saw to it that he was named Pastor in Residence of the Basillica of St. Mary Major. This represented if anything a promotion within the Vatican, as he was now stationed permanently within the Vatican and was able to maintain his title as Cardinal.

Hostility? Hundreds of molested children that Law pimped out to his priests. It's the reason I became a Methodist.

[Leet Eriksson]

I can and do. But rioting because some over-the-hill head of a religion that even it's 'dedicated followers' don't really listen to is not the way to prove how calm and rational the average muslim is.

My apologies to anyone offended by my original description of the Pope. He's not one of my favorite people, and promoting Cardinal Law has done nothing to endear him to me.

The thing is, every protest is now called a riot when the protestors are muslims?

Besides the bombing of an orthodox church carried by a few fanatics, what makes you think that these protests are what an average muslim thinks?

[Don Corleone]

The thing is, every protest is now called a riot when the protestors are muslims?

Besides the bombing of an orthodox church carried by a few fanatics, what makes you think that these protests are what an average muslim thinks?

Burning the Pope in effigy and letting off a bomb at an Eastern Orthodox community center in Gaza are hardly peaceful protesting.

[Vladimir]

what?

oh snap, i have to clean my cleaver and hide that infidels head i recently beheaded

Can't you people think for 5 minutes not every muslim is a maniac that beheads people?

Can't you think for 5 minutes that they're not calling every muslim a maniac.

[Samurai Waki]

The next time the Pope talks about Islam, I strongly suggest that he Proclaim himself God-King of the Sea People and that if anyone makes threats against the Holy Sanctity of his established position, then he'll send out his Corsairs to deal with the problem... the sad part is, is while the rest of the World would think he is crazy, Islamicists might believe him.

[Kanamori]

One incident of some being violent is not evidence of all muslims always being violent. Then again, depending on your definition of muslim, it certainly shows that some of them cannot be peaceful, denying the contrary statement that muslims are peaceful.

[Patriarch of Constantinople]

Among other incidents include a bombing at a Greek Orthodox church (and if anybody has had it in for the Papacy through the centuries, it would be the Greek Orthodox church).

That is'nt a good way to try to prove you arent a violent religion ("We are not violent!" "in other news another muslim bombing....")

[The Wizard]

Loved how old Benedictus ripped Manuel II's statements right out of context and pasted them out over the headlines like a frickin' Art class. From the mouth of an angry Emperor of Rome who had been reduced to the obedient hound of the Ottoman in Edirne, who had seen what had become of the Roman cities of Asia Minor by his time, and who was too proud to admit that the blame lay squarely on the shoulders of his predecessors, comes a comment which the Pope apparently thought was perfectly usable for a commentary on the religion of Islam.

With such ignorance (his own and those of the Muslim mobs), what can he expect but anger and riots? Manuel II's words belong in the past, and even then they were wrong. The Pontiff should have let them rest in their shallow grave.

[JR-]

there was nothing wrong with what the pope said, and the reaction of various muslims does no credit to the religion they profess to follow.

n.b. i am an athiest

[King Ragnar]

He lives in Democracy thus he is allowed to say what he wants, or does this not apply in Italy? If Muslims dont like it who cares? I certainley couldnt there are some Muslims who bad mouth Christianity and the western culture everyday and get of scott free so who cares what the Pope says about Islam/Muslims.

[Ser Clegane]

He lives in Democracy

Actually he doesn't ... but as he is the head of his non-democratic state you are of course right that he can technically say what he wants

[kataphraktoi]

Actually he doesn't ... but as he is the head of his non-democratic state you are of course right that he can technically say what he wants

college of cardinals - partially democratic...