Abdus-Sattar Ghazali <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:09:12
-0700
From: "Abdus-Sattar Ghazali" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: asghazali <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Submission: Pope BenedictÂ’s fresh assault on Islam
Pope Benedict's fresh assault on Islam
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
In a replay of September 2006 attack on Islam, Pope Benedict has sent a new
strong anti-Islam message to the Muslims. In 2006, the pope used remarks of a
14th century Byzantine Christian emperor, Manuel II, to launch an anti-Islam
tirade. This year, he seized the March 22 Easter service to make a coded but
fierce attack on Islam when the pontiff chose to baptize at St Peter's Basilica
a pro-Israeli Muslim, Magdi Allam, 55, who received first communion at the age
of 14.
Who is Allam? An Italian citizen, Egyptian-born Allam is a deputy editor of
Corriere della Sera newspaper. He has built his career attacking what he calls
the "inherent" violence in Islam and support of Israeli violence against
Palestinians while denouncing Palestinian resistance. Tellingly, two years ago,
Allam co-shared the Tel Aviv University-based Dan David Prize worth one million
dollars. He recently published a book under a provocative name: "Long Live
Israel - From the Ideology of Death to the Civilization of Life: My Story."
Allam, who often indulges in fear mongering by raising the specter of
"Islamization" of the Italian society, supports a ban on building mosques in
Italy.
Not surprisingly, Allam's high profile baptizing is interpreted by Muslims as
patronization of Allam's anti-Islam views by the Vatican. Here conversion is
not an issue since there is no compulsion in religion in Islam. The Quran says
clearly: "Let there be no compulsion in religion" (Verse 2:256) Obviously, the
high profile conversion is used for anti-Islam and anti-Muslim propaganda.
To borrow Aref Ali Nayed, director of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies
Centre in Amman, "the whole spectacle... provokes genuine questions about the
motives, intentions and plans of some of the pope's advisers on Islam." Aref
Ali Nayed, a key figure in a group of Muslim scholars launching discussion
forums with Christian groups, says Pope's actions came "at a most unfortunate
time when sincere Muslims and Catholics are working very hard to mend ruptures
between the two communities".
Nayed was one of 138 Muslim scholars from 43 countries who last October
issued an unprecedented appeal entitled "A Common Word" that urged a serious
dialogue between Christians and Muslims on the basis of the shared values of
love of God and neighbor. Dozens more scholars have since signed the appeal.
Protestant churches have mostly reacted in a positive way, but the Roman
Catholic Church -- which accounts for more than half of the world's Christians
-- has been hesitant and agreed to dialogue only after a long delay.
Interestingly, Allam has refused to endorse the open letter.
The day after his baptism Allam published a long letter in Corriere della
Sera in which he again branded Islam as intrinsically violent: "Beyond...the
phenomenon of extremists and Islamist terrorism at the global level, the root
of evil is inherent to a physiologically violent and historically conflictual
Islam," he wrote.
It can be argued that his letter gives the very message of the Byzantine
emperor quoted by the pope in his infamous Regensburg speech. Not surprisingly,
Allam defended the pope in 2006 when the pontiff's Regensburg speech that was
perceived by Muslims as depicting Islam as a violent faith.
In September 2006, Pope Benedict indirectly hit out at Islam during a
theological lecture to the staff and students at the University of Regensburg,
where he taught theology in the 1970s. Using the words, "jihad" and "holy war",
the Pope quoted criticisms of the prophet Mohammed by a 14th century Byzantine
Christian emperor, Manuel II, during a debate with a learned Persian. "Show me
just what Mohammed 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," Benedict quoted the emperor as saying.
Despite massive protests in the Muslim world, the Pope did not backed away
from his comments but only said that he was misunderstood.
As a cardinal in the Holy See, he was known to be skeptical of John Paul II's
pursuit of conversation with Muslims. One of his earliest decisions as pope was
to move Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, one of the Catholic Church's leading
experts on Islam, and head of its council on inter-religious dialogue, away
from the centre of influence in Rome, and send him to Egypt as papal nuncio.
According to Marco Politi, the Vatican expert for the Italian daily La
Repubblica, with his Regensburg speech he closes the door to an idea which was
very dear to John Paul II - the idea that Christians, Jews and Muslims have the
same God and have to pray together to the same God."
Unlike late Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict does not approve of joint prayers
with Muslims. He is also skeptical of the value of inter-religious dialogue. In
the summer of 2005, Pope Benedict (when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger)
devoted an annual weekend of study with former graduate students to Islam.
During the meeting, he has expressed skepticism about Islam's openness to
change given the conviction that the Noble Quran is the unchangeable word of
God.
Not surprisingly, Pope Benedict's coded attack on Islam drew sharp reaction
from the Muslims.
Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and
Mr. Navaid Hamid, Secretary, South Asian Council for Minorities, said that the
high profile baptism of Allam negates Vatican's recent announcement that it
sincerely wishes to engage Muslims in dialogue. "The incident provokes genuine
questions about the motives behind this high-profile ceremony and the future
plans of the Vatican vis-a-vis other faiths. This action would create distrust
and obstacles in the face of peaceful co-existence and inter-faith dialogue."
London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi said of the
conversion: "The pope provokes the indignation of Muslims by baptizing an
Egyptian journalist who attacks Islam and defends Israel."
Mohamed Yatim, commentator for the Moroccan daily Attajdid, called the
high-profile baptism "a new provocation for the Islamic world and part of a
trend that has intensified in recent years with the caricatures of the Prophet."
Rev. Christophe Roucou, the French Catholic Church's top official for
relations with Islam, while questioning the publicity surrounding Allam's
conversion said: "I don't understand why he wasn't baptized in his hometown by
his local bishop."
"What amazes me is the high profile the Vatican has given this conversion,"
Yaha Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious
Community, said. "Why could he have not done this in his local parish?"
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Executive Editor of the online magazine the
American Muslim Perspective: www.amperspective.com E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ABDUL WAHID OSMAN BELAL
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