ISLAMABAD, 16 September 2006 — Pakistan’s Parliament yesterday unanimously condemned Pope Benedict XVI and passed a resolution demanding that he withdraw the derogatory remarks linking Islam with violence.
The country’s Foreign Ministry also joined the growing row, accusing the Roman Catholic leader of “ignorance” and warning that his remarks would hurt efforts to improve ties between religions.
The resolution was proposed by a legislator and approved by both government and opposition legislators in the National Assembly.
“This House demands that the pope should retract his remarks in the interest of harmony between religions,” said the resolution.
The resolution “strongly condemns” the statement by the Pope. “The derogatory remarks of the pope about the philosophy of jihad and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) have injured sentiments across the Muslim world and pose the danger of spreading acrimony among the religions,” it added.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry described Pope Benedict’s remarks as “regrettable.” “Anyone who says that there is anything inherently evil or inhuman about Islam only shows his own ignorance of this great religion,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told AFP.
“They widen the gulf between religions that we are working so hard to bridge,” Tasnim said. “It also shows ignorance of history. It was certainly not Muslims who persecuted the followers of other religions.”
The Foreign Ministry also summoned the Vatican ambassador. “Apostolic Nuncio (Ambassador of the Holy See) was called to the Foreign Office,” the ministry said in a statement.
“He was conveyed that the regrettable remarks attributed to Pope Benedict XV1 ... were deeply disturbing for Muslims all over the world, and had caused great hurt and anguish,” it said.
“It was underlined that at a time when there was an acute need for promoting interfaith harmony such remarks, regardless of the context, were very unfortunate.”
Lawmakers made angry speeches in Parliament to support the resolution.
“There is chaos in the world after 9/11 and such remarks by the pope will only fuel the acrimony,” said Fazal Karim, an MP for the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam party, which supported the Taleban regime in neighboring Afghanistan.
He said Muslims respect the pope but “he also has to act under a certain code of responsibility.” Khurshid Shah, an MP from the secular Pakistan People’s Party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said Pope Benedict should not have uttered the “derogatory” remarks against Islam. “He is the first pope to have said such things,” Shah said.
Meanwhile in India, the head of the minorities commission said the pope sounded like medieval crusader.
Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief prayer leader of New Delhi’s historic Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque, extolled Muslims to “respond in a manner which forces the Pope to apologize.” Bukhari did not elaborate.
