Benedict XVI and Islam
John L. Esposito
Washington, D.C. - The primary purpose and message of Benedict XVI's address
in Regensburg, Germany was not about Islam, referred to in only four
paragraphs of his eight-page lecture. And yet, this papal address to a
university audience turned into an occasion for an international protest
across the Muslim world. Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican,
heads of state from Turkey to Indonesia voiced criticism, the Sheikh of
Al-Azhar commented on the Pope's ignorance of Islam, and leaders of Muslim
organisations called for a public apology. The incident has also triggered
public demonstrations, the burning of the Pope in effigy in Pakistan and
acts of violence against both Christians and churches.
The Pope clearly stated that his primary purpose was to discuss the issue of
"faith and reason". He did so reacting and responding to a major concern of
his, the excesses of secularisation: the triumph of secularism and increased
weakness of Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church in his homeland,
Germany, and in Europe in general, and attempts to exclude religion from the
realm of reason.
Although the Vatican stated that the Pope did not intend to offend, his
remarks did in fact upset many Muslims. Particularly offensive to Muslims
was his citation of a fourteenth century Byzantine emperor's remarks about
the Prophet Muhammad: "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."
Now, Muhammad is revered in Islam as the final Prophet of God and the model
of Muslim life. Moreover, the remark that he commanded the spread of Islam
by the sword is simply inaccurate, for what the Qur'an and Muhammad did was
recognise the right to defend Islam and the Muslim community by fighting
those Meccans who threatened and attacked Muslims.
Equally problematic is the Pope's statement that the Qur'anic passage,
"There is no compulsion in religion" (Qur'an 2:256) was revealed in the
early years of Muhammad's prophethood in Mecca, a period "when Mohammed was
still powerless and under [threat]" but was overtaken later when he ruled
Medina by "instructions, developed later and recorded in the Koran [Qur'an],
concerning holy war."Both these statements are incorrect. Qur'an 2:256 is
not an early Meccan verse but is itself from the later Medinan period and
the Qur'an does not equate jihad with holy war. This interpretation of jihad
developed years later after Muhammad's death when it came to be used by
rulers (caliphs) to justify their wars of imperial expansion and rule in the
name of Islam.
Benedict XVI is a distinguished Catholic theologian but he is not an expert
on Islam. The Vatican in the recent past has had some first class scholars
of Islam serving the papacy as advisers. The inappropriate references to
Islam in the Regensburg address could easily have been averted. If the
Pope's primary purpose was to address the issue of the relationship between
faith and compulsion on the one hand and faith and reason on the other,
Christian history offers ample examples (the Inquisition, Galileo and other
issues he mentions, violence and extremism, holy wars) without having
recourse to passages drawn from mutual polemics.
Have Muslims over-reacted to the Pope's statement? Their responses need to
be understood in the context of our post 9/11 world with its greater
polarisation and alarming increases in Islamophobia. Many Muslims feel under
siege. A Gallup World Poll of some 800 million Muslims from Morocco to
Indonesia indicates widespread resentment over what respondents see as the
denigration of Islam, Arabs and Muslims in the West. The cartoon
controversy in Europe demonstrated both the dangers of xenophobia and
Islamophobia, and the depths of anger and outrage. Therefore, it is easy to
understand why Muslims would express their disappointment and anger and call
for an apology and dialogue much the same as Jewish leaders strongly urged
meetings with the Pope or other Church leaders for offensive comments or
actions. This was the case for American Jewish leaders before the papal
visit of 1987, after Pope John Paul II had met with Kurt Waldheim. As
prominent Muslim leaders noted during the European cartoon controversy and
in the current situation, expressions of concern or outrage do not preclude
discussion and dialogue and certainly never justify acts of violence.
Pope Benedict has now apologised, but more can be done. The Pope could
invite Muslim religious leaders and scholars to meet and discuss the issues
that his statement raised and hear their concerns and responses to his
specific comments about Islam, the Prophet and jihad. He could invite them
to join with him in mutually acceptable language to express concern about
violence in the name of religion and the abuse of human rights. The Pope's
upcoming visit to Turkey could be an occasion to demonstrate in his public
pronouncements his respect for Islam and Muslims and his desire to continue
the major accomplishments that the Catholic Church has made since Vatican II
in Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
It is now time to move on. The Pope has apologised and Muslims and Catholics
(as indeed all Christians) must now get back on track, building on the
significant accomplishments in inter-religious dialogue in recent decades.
In the twenty-first century, critical to Catholic-Muslims relations will be
how Benedict XVI's papacy and Catholics work with their Muslim counterparts
to overcome ignorance and hostility as well as the threat from violence and
intolerance globally.
* John L. Esposito is University professor of religion & international
affairs, director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for
Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University and author of What
Everyone Needs to Know about Islam and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of
Islam. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service
(CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 26 September 2006,
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
Ignorant Church.What a shameful statement.They are playing with fire. In this age of technology it is a 'sin' for the leaders for being ignorant in critical issues like this. We have already know that the Danish cartoon has erupted the volcano of the Ummah to its highest level in recent years. Are they blind and deaf o Vatican? Wake up and smell the coffee back. Before this you deserve my respect as a new pope because I'm hoping for a better integration between Christian West and the Muslim World that has long being tarnished with hatred against each other.But I'm not surprise with this news because its their nature to be damn ignorant towards others.Sorry for the harsd word Pope, but you deserve it this time.Allahuakbar!
ustry, a 100 years old one.Just look at this graph.
