Are you guys watching these protests over the comments made by the Pope? The whole situation is just dripping with irony. Here is an article I wrote about it:
Fighting Fire with Fire
Muslims around the world react violently to Pope’s claims that Muslims are violent
By Scott Brown
An effigy of the Pope burns in the public square of Srinagar, India.Thousands congregate in front of the Vatican Embassy in Jakarta, India chanting “Death to the Pope!”
An al Queda-linked group gathers in Cairo, Egypt waving a statement warning Pope Benedict XVI that he and the West are “doomed.”
Similar scenes swept across the Muslim world Monday, as the fire of rage continued to grow over statements made by the Pope in a speech last week. His comments, which some claim label Muslims as a war-loving and violent people, were made at a forum seeking to build a bridge between Christianity and Islam. Instead, the speech has served to widened the gap between the faiths, outraging millions within the Muslim population.
“I hate the Pope!” commented Mehmet Aydin, an attendee of a protest outside of Basra, Iraq. “I hate the Pope and his mother for having him and her mother for having her.”
“I would love to drive a hot poker into his eyes,” Aydin explained, “and I wouldn’t jab it in all quick-like as some people I know do. No… I would go very slowly so that each inch of the poker reminded him of each lifetime he will spend burning in eternal hell.”
Aydin’s comments reflect the general feeling towards the Pope among those in attendance at the demonstrations. Protestors cannot understand why the Pope, the highest leader of the Vatican, would use his power to express such inflammatory and unfounded ideas.
“When the Pope says that Muslims are violent people, it makes me want to kill him!” screamed Aydin as he paused to shoot a round from his semi-automatic rifle into the air, “We are a peaceful people. We abhor violence. I don’t even own a security system!”
The Vatican sought to quell the growing protests Tuesday, when it issued transcripts of the Pope’s speech. The transcript reveals that the Pope was quoting 14th century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus. The quote reads: “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.”
Rather than endorse the quote, the Pope instead used it as an example of the need of the faiths to learn from the past mistakes by seeking to avoid holy wars.“The lessons of the past must help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes,” the Pope said. “We must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect for each other's identity.”
Such revelations, at first glance, should help calm the Muslim unrest. Protestors such as Sinjay Rathkam, however, see through the Pope’s comments with an amazingly perceptive eye.
“He said our Prophet Muhammad was a terrorist and that he used a sword,” said Rathkam. “He also said that Muhammad was a homosexual and that he was a communist and that he was a sex offender.”
“The idea that the Pope is trying to spread, that Muhammad was some sort of sword-wielding warrior, is pure Christian propaganda,” he said.
When reminded that Muhammad did in fact carry a sword and lead multiple groups into battle against groups he termed “infidels” Rathkam was quick to counter.
“There weren’t even such things as swords when Muhammad was alive,” he said.
The current protests are reminiscent of those seen last year when a caricature of the Muslim prophet Muhammad sparked worldwide outrage. Many of the demonstrators see it as a growing trend of disrespect towards the Muslim faith.
“That whole cartoon of the Prophet really pissed me off,” yelled Rahim Soharim as he danced around a burning stuffed Pope that he and his friend made. “I mean, to disrespect a leader like that is so completely out of bounds.”
“But then the Pope comes out and basically claims that Muhammad’s teachings propagate holy war and that…. that’s just crazy,” he said.
“I drew a picture of the Pope to help release some of my anger. It is of him burning in Hell and you can see my hand on the right side of the picture holding a stick with the Pope’s tongue attached to it.”
Soharim’s drawing is symbolic of the feelings of each of the protestors. They just want the world to understand that they are peaceful people who try to avoid violence. They will topple as many churches, burn as many Pope effigies, and kill as many nuns as is necessary to get that message out.
