Is the pope (with semi-deniability) declaring religious war?

You’re probably heard about Pope Benedict’s controversial remarks about Islam in a speech in Germany. Here is the way the AP reports it:

Citing historic Christian commentary on holy war and forced conversion, the pontiff quoted from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos.

“The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war,” the pope said. “He said, I quote, ‘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.’” [Emphasis added.]

Clearly aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Benedict added, “I quote,” twice before pronouncing the phrases on Islam and described them as “brusque,” while neither explicitly agreeing with nor repudiating them.

Now all kinds of Muslim spokesmen are hopping mad, and the Vatican spokesman has denied that the pope intended to “offend” anyone, blah blah. But, according to all accounts, the Pope quoted an extremely inflammatory statement that Islam is inherently evil and inhuman, and he did not criticize it or dissociate himself from it, other than indicating that it was a quote. You can never be sure with this pope, since he keeps going back and forth on the issue, but this sure sounds to me as if it could be the opening shot of a religious/civilizational confrontation with Islam, a thing devoutly to be wished, in place of the West’s current policy of holding its arms open to its age-old mortal enemy.

By the way, the Reuters news agency is completely outside the envelope. Eighty percent of their story consists of denunciations of the pope by a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the matrix of Sunni jihadism (aka Islamic Fascism) in the modern world, and by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the famous Muslim scholar who is an explicit supporter of terror against Western civilians (see Bostom, see VFR). Next think you know, Reuters will be asking Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn for his reaction to Bush’s latest speech, and shaping their story from Al Qaeda’s point of view.

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Russell W. writes:

I suppose now Ralph Peters is required by the logic of his recent statements to claim the pope is a genocidal bigot seeking the murder of all Muslims.

By the way, your focus on Peters has been excellent. The man represents everything that is nonsensical and idiotic about those in the West who make a show of standing up to Islamic terrorism.

I recall when he first gave indication of his ridiculously contorted thinking. It was perhaps a year ago when he wrote a column that argued that America must embrace abortion and other aspects of radical feminism because we needed to distinguish ourselves from the theocrats of the extreme Muslim world!

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 14, 2006 11:09 PM | Send