The Religion of Peace indicts itself, again.
Pope's words spur attacks on Gaza, W. Bank churches (Note the original headline for this article was: Gaza group: we will blow up churches) Don't know why it changed.
A hitherto unknown group calling itself the Swords of Islamic Right on Saturday threatened to blow up all churches and Christian institutions in the Gaza Strip in protest against remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI about Islam and Prophet Muhammed.
The group, which claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on a church in Zaituon neighborhood in Gaza City on wounded in the attack.
"What the Pope said is unforgivable," the group said in a statement. "We will continue to target churches."
Michelle has a great round-up of the violent reaction to Pope Benedict's remarks. The reaction is to this statement by the Pope.
In the seventh conversation (*4V8,>4H - controversy) edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "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". The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God", he says, "is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".
This caption under a picture of the Pope at Michelle's site, linked above, is chilling:
My friend Lorenzo Vidino, counterterrorism expert and author of al Qaeda in Europe, sent the above photo and this note:
Attached is a picture of the Pope that is circulating in Qaeda-friendly chat rooms and websites. Lovely (and predictable) that they call for his beheading.
The script in red calls for the Pope's beheading. The rest of the translation:
"Swine and servant of the cross, worships a monkey on a cross, hateful evil man, stoned Satan, may Allah curse him, blood-sucking vampire."
This is not an aberration. This is the natural reaction to any real or perceived criticism of Islam. Remember the Danish cartoons?
The violence and unrest come as Muslims across the globe voice their displeasure at a series of Muhammad caricatures printed originally in the major Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September. Though the initial response was muted, Danish Muslim leaders traveled to the Middle East to drum up outrage against the sleight in December. Papers in a number of European countries, joined by the Dominion Post
A widespread perception in Islamic countries that European anti-Muslim sentiment is growing is also fuelling their anger. in New Zealand, printed the cartoons during the week and indignation in the Muslim world overflowed. Islamic tradition prohibits the depiction of Muhammad in images and they see the caricatures as a direct attack on the prophet.
Religion of Peace?
UMM AL-FAHM, Israel, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Israeli Arab Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah told a rally in Jerusalem the "Israeli occupation" of the city will soon vanish.
"With fire and blood we shall liberate al-Aqsa," Salah told 50,000 people Friday at the Islamic Movement's 11th annual rally in Umm al-Fahm, a city in Israel's Haifa district, YNetNews reported. (my emphasis)
Fire and blood. We are dealing with fanatics here. Whether they constitute a small percentage of Muslims or not, they are basing their hate on Islam. Moderate Muslims do exist, one spoke out this week:
September 12, 2006 -- WELL, here it is, five years late, but here just the same: an apology from an Arab-American for 9/11. No, I didn't help organize the killers or contribute in any way to their terrible cause. However, I was one of millions of Arab-Americans who did the unspeakable on 9/11: nothing.
[...]Five years after that awful day, it's time for all Arab-Americans, and Arabs around the world, to protest against Islamic fascism, to raise our voices - and, where necessary, our arms - against these tyrants until their plague of terror has been driven from the face of the earth forever.
Unfortunately, this is the exception not the rule. The apologists for Islam harp on and on about radicals highjacking Islam, saying we should not paint Islam with such a broad brush. This kind of thinking will get us killed. It really does not matter whether Islam has been hijacked or not. The face of Islam we are seeing now is hell bent on our destruction. It's us or them. The moderate Muslims can join us in our fight against Islamic fascism or not. It's up to them.
We must do what we have to do to protect ourselves without worrying about offending peace loving Muslims. The violence we are seeing will only get worse. And it's bad enough already.
As for me, I will not submit.
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