thoughtmechanics

What has been said by Pope Benedict XVI is, by now, one of the most overquoted statements on the internet. If you have not read them by now, do yourself a favour and hit the little x in the upper right corner of the screen. But now that the inflammation of the controversy has come and gone, we can get right down to the analysis of the wound. Will it heal correctly, or do we need to pour some isopropylene on it? Is a simple apology band-aid enough, or do we need some heavy-duty surgery and rehab? Regardless, lines have been drawn over what Islamists are saying is a “Catholic stamp on the Iraqi war”. My opinion? Ridiculous.

That the Pope underestimated the damage his comments would make is accurate. But he has done anything but put a stamp on war. In fact the refutation to this illogic is found in the original “insult” to Islam:

Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. ‘God,’ the emperor says, ‘is not pleased by blood — and not acting reasonably 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.

By this very argument, the pontiff must also condemn the war in Iraq, or at least disagree with the principle of the violence that occurs there. The Pope may well have been talking about modern day Islam, and condemning the radical elements therein. And why not? Is it not time we address the most dangerous interpretation of an otherwise peaceful religion, and recognize that it is the radical voice of Islam that is gaining prominence in the world, defying the very edict of their own laws? By using vague and contrived justifications from the Q’uran, Islam is becoming tainted with the blood of murdered innocents.

Rather than spending all of our energy fighting radical Islam, which is something that must be done, perhaps we should look to leaders like Mr.Mahmoud Abbas, the voice of moderate Islam, and perhaps the saving grace for a doomed religion. While Christians and Muslims are gearing up for a religious war, there are those in the Muslim community who are trying to promote a more open-minded approach. Some Muslims recognize that the statements of the Pope were taken out of context, although acknowledge that an apology was a prudent way to mitigate any feelings of misconstrued resentment. Some Muslims also recognize the dangers and problems with their religion, and seek to make it into a one which honours sacred laws, including the law forbidding murder. (Of course, Sharia law does have many exemptions regarding retribution, but such laws are nothing less than a more ancient form of capital punishment.)

While we are keenly focused on the “Islamofascists” who hurl insults and threats at the leader of Christianity, we would be wise to keep our eyes and ears open for the more moderate voices of Islam; those who are willing to come to compromise, to accept the myriad of faiths, and live in peace and harmony. It is stranger, still, that the religions of the world that are threatening the peace and existence of humanity have spawned from the same Abrahamic roots. Like brothers fighting, they seem to forget that their core values originate from the same theological principles. Perhaps after thousands of years there is still some common ground they can agree upon?