Thirty-two words. That’s all it took to devastate the already heightened sensibilities of over a billion people last week. It was justified as being an innocent slip of the tongue. The casual mention of a mere excerpt from a bygone era that bore no malicious intent. But as tension soared over Pope Benedict XVI’s speech it became patently obvious that the pontiff must have been aware of the incendiary potential of his irresponsible remarks well before he made them.
To patronize the collective intelligence of the entire Muslim community by pretending that he “was trying to cultivate an attitude of dialogue and respect” (!) toward us by denigrating our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) served only to add insult to injury.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that the pope, a man of letters and erudition, could have been so willfully ignorant about historical facts.
Perhaps he skipped the chapters on the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition when studying at the University of Regensburg? How else could he so complacently allude to a misguided quotation by a Byzantine emperor on the verge of defeat as the benchmark with which to judge the practitioners of an entire faith? The accusation that only things “evil” and “inhuman” were brought to the world by Islam ignores entirely the exchange of ideas during the Crusades that eventually led to Europe emerging from the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance and the massive contribution made to the south of Spain by Muslim intellectuals, artisans and statesman.
The whole concept of Islam being “spread by the sword” is in itself a fantasy that belies the very nature of its progress. The Qur’an clearly forbids any compulsion in religion and as Jews and Christians are considered to be “People of the Book” they were never expected to abandon their faith.
Furthermore, it was the call to “Holy War” by the predecessors of the pope that led to the massacre of thousands of Muslims and Jews in brutal and bloody conflicts. Ironic really that what Pope Benedict has so incorrectly ascribed to the Islamic faith is a practice applicable to the dark days of Christianity when heretics were burned at the stake and entire Jewish communities annihilated en route to Constantinople. And dare we even mention Pope Pius XII’s silence during the Nazi Holocaust? In any event, let’s take what was said by Cardinal Bertone in the Pope’s defense at face value. Even if there was no offense intended (and we should afford him the benefit of the doubt) surely he knew that in a world already seething with religious anger, suspicion and misunderstanding, his comments would only serve to fuel a growing trend toward Islamophobia and widen the rift between the religions that his predecessor was so eager to bridge? What’s more is that, as leader of the Catholic Church, would he not be concerned about the repercussions of his statement upon our Christian brothers in the Arab and Islamic world? Regardless of what may now be said in an attempt to control the irreparable damage already done, there exist very real prejudices in the pope’s thinking that need to be discussed and addressed by the more moderate members of the Vatican.
Equally abhorrent to me was the response of the so-called Muslims who thrive on such opportunities for discord. It is nothing short of sickening that they continue to commit atrocities in the name of a religion whose very essence is underpinned by tolerance and peace.
It is tragic that we lose our power to reason and allow emotions to dictate our response whenever a situation like this arises. Instead of referring to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet (peace be upon him) a few deviants take it upon themselves to perform atrocities and injustices in the name of Islam.
Since when has the desecration of churches and threats against Christians been acceptable in our religion? When Omar, the second caliph of Islam, called for a meeting at the Church of the Apocalypse he was invited to pray inside but refused to with the greatest humility, citing the fact that he did not want the church to become a place of dispute where Muslims may later insist upon its becoming a mosque. The place where he prayed a few meters away is now the location of the Omar Mosque. Furthermore, his keenness to extend good will and to secure the liberties of others can be seen in his pledge toward the conquered people of Jerusalem, an incredible document that enforces the equal inviolable rights of all those who lived under the Muslim state.
It is therefore nothing short of pathetic to watch the mob mentality of some Muslims who, instead of extending this message of peace to the outside world, show a very ugly face when they burn effigies of the pope and attack the lives and property of innocents. Who can blame those who have no understanding of Islam if they cannot see the beauty of the religion through this shameful veneer inspired by hatred and intolerance? We have lived peacefully with Christians and Jews for hundreds of years.
We share many similar beliefs and deep friendships (although I believe we are professional when it comes to losing friends). It’s true. We have the right to be offended by the ill-advised speech of the pope, but Islam is greater than that and the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him) will never be diminished by the words of anyone.
There is a lesson in this unfortunate incident. Solomon, the author of ancient Hebrew literature wrote, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The word is very powerful and should never be underestimated.
Let’s not forget that we too have been guilty of engaging in rhetoric that has been equally inflammatory and counter-productive. As Muslims we must accept that the Pope made a mistake and has apologized. This should be accepted in good faith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the best amongst us is the one who forgives. If we are true Muslims (and let’s face it, how many of us are?) we should show that actions speak louder than words. It is in our hands to demonstrate to the world the true message of our religion rather than use such opportunities to vindicate the negative stereotype that is all too prevalent in the West.
