Muslims around the world are outraged that in his meeting with "representatives of science" at the University of Regensburg the Pope said this:
In the seventh conversation edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "Show me just what Mohammed 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 mine)
The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God", he 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... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".
The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature.
Muslims are incensed that the Pope would dare to quote a 14th century emperor who suggests that some of the teachings of the prophet were "evil and inhuman". The proper response, of course, if one finds the Pope's words offensive, is to show that the words he quotes are false, but it's not obvious that this is the tack very many Muslims have chosen to follow. Instead, they seem to be intent on confirming by their actions exactly that in the Pope's message to which they most deeply object.
The fact is that conversion by compulsion and threats is indeed evil. The use of violence to spread one's religion is indeed inhuman. If this misrepresents Islam then Muslims should point out the error. Instead they engage in the sort of protest that gives people of common sense every reason to believe that threats and violence are exactly what Islam is all about.
Muslim students burn an effigy of the Pope in India.
Michelle has more.
