Is The Pope Correct?

Pope Benedict XVI recently made a speech which has now allegedly fanned flames in the Islamic world. YNet, an Israeli webwite, wrote:

Arab op-ed: Pope’s remarks may lead to war

Muslim world newspapers filled with articles slamming pope’s remarks; ‘it is clear that such remarks only contribute to the fueling of the fire raging between Islam and the West,’ op-ed published in al-Sharq al-Awsat says.
Roee Nahmias
Published: 09.16.06, 21:32

The recent remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI on Islam are threatening to ignite the entire Muslim world.

Op-Eds published in the Arab newspapers slammed the pope even after the Vatican’s apology.

The most extreme opinion was voiced by Hani Pahas in the London-based Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Hayat, who wrote “the pope’s comments may lead to war; we fear that the pope’s statements may lead to a war that we, Muslims and Christians alike, are trying to prevent through dialogue between East and West."

Pope Benedict was "extremely upset that some portions of his speech were able to sound offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers and have been interpreted in a way that does not at all correspond to his intentions."

Further, Iranian newspapers said that the Pope's comments were the result of a US-Israel plot to distract attention from the resistance of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah to Israel's offensive on Lebanon.

Pope Benedict's speech in his native Germany on Tuesday, September 12th, referred to a link between Islam and jihad, or "holy war", and quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said innovations introduced by the Prophet Mohammed were "evil and inhuman."

The Pope explored the historical and philosophical differences between Islam and Christianity, and the relationship between violence and faith, in his speech at Regensburg University.

Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The emperor's words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad 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 said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul."

"The intention here is not one of retrenchment or negative criticism, but of broadening our concept of reason and its application," he added in the concluding part of his speech.
"Only thus do we become capable of that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today."

However, I will say what the Pope cannot: Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire was correct. Muhammad did command that the word of Islam be spread by the sword and, yes, that is evil and inhuman.

What portion of this is difficult to comprehend?

BZ