-Caveat Lector-
>From http://www.washtimes.com/world/20021013-30498908.htm
The Washington Times
www.washtimes.com
Rage meets Falwell's comment
Published 10/13/2002
FROM COMBINED DISPATCHES
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Shi'ite Muslim clerics in Lebanon and Iran have reacted with
rage at
the Rev. Jerry Falwell for calling Islam's prophet a terrorist, and an envoy of Iran's
supreme
leader reportedly called for his death.
Iranian cleric Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, addressing Friday prayers in the
northwestern town of Tabriz, said Mr. Falwell was a "mercenary and must be killed," the
Farsi-language daily Abrar reported yesterday.
"The death of that man is a religious duty, but his case should not be tied to the
Christian community," Mr. Shabestari, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying.
In an interview broadcast last week on the CBS program "60 Minutes," Mr. Falwell
said
in reference to the Prophet, "I think Muhammad was a terrorist."
Mr. Falwell, a conservative Baptist minister, said he has concluded from reading
Muslim
and non-Muslim writers that Islam's prophet "was a violent man, a man of war."
But Mr. Falwell apologized yesterday for calling the Prophet Muhammad a terrorist.
"I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine made during an interview
for the
September 30 edition of CBS's '60 Minutes' were hurtful to the feelings of many
Muslims,"
the preacher said in a statement issued in Lynchburg, Va.
"I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim," Mr. Falwell added.
In presenting his apologies, Mr. Falwell said that in his more than 50 years of
Christian
ministry, he had never preached a sermon on Islam, nor written a book or pamphlet on
the
subject.
"I have always shown respect for other religions, faiths and denominations," he
said.
"Unfortunately, I answered one controversial and loaded question at the conclusion of
an
hourlong CBS interview which I should not have answered. That was a mistake and I
apologize."
In Lebanon yesterday, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah called on Muslim
countries to respond to Mr. Falwell's comments on CBS, which, he said, had "infringed
on
the prophet [Muhammad´s] dignity."
Mr. Fadlallah, however, cautioned against resorting to "physical violence"
against Mr.
Falwell, saying Islam is a "religion of mercy and love."
In a statement issued in Beirut, Mr. Fadlallah also urged Muslims worldwide to
counter
what he called a "cultural war" launched against Islam after the September 11 terrorist
attacks on New York and Washington.
Mr. Fadlallah, 67, has condemned the September 11 attacks. He is a senior Shi'ite
religious authority and a harsh critic of U.S. policies in the Middle East.
In August, Mr. Fadlallah issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning Muslims from
assisting the United States and its allies if they attack Iraq. He also urged Muslims
to
withdraw their money from U.S. markets for fear they may be frozen or confiscated.
Earlier this week, another Shi'ite cleric in Iran, Ayatollah Hussein Nouri
Hamedani, called
on Muslims to cut relations with the United States. He accused Mr. Falwell of
implementing
a "Zionist plan" to cause a clash between Islam and Christianity.
But other Muslim clerics held different opinions.
"Although [Falwell´s] opinion is insulting, he can be answered through dialogue
so that
all ambiguities in his mind are cleared," Iranian Ayatollah Hussein Mousavi Tabrizi
said.
Mr. Tabrizi refused to compare Mr. Falwell to British author Salman Rushdie,
against
whom the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the Iranian revolution,
issued a
death verdict in the 1980s for blaspheming Islam in his book "Satanic Verses."
"Rushdie is a symbol of the red line between Islamic countries and the West. But
we will
not issue a death verdict against the priest. Iran is a country that promotes dialogue
among
civilizations," Mr. Tabrizi said in an interview yesterday.
Copyright © 2002 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Return to the article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Forwarded as information only; I don't believe everything I read or send
(but that doesn't stop me from considering it; obviously SOMEBODY thinks it's
important)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without
charge or
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of
information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth
shut."
--- Ernest Hemingway
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
