Jerry Falwell Apologizes for Mohammed Criticism (Called Mohammed a terrorist)

reuters ^ | 10/12/2002 | reuters

[TLBSHOW]

Jerry Falwell Apologizes for Mohammed Criticism

Oct. 12 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. preacher Jerry Falwell apologized on Saturday for calling the prophet Mohammad a terrorist, saying he meant no disrespect to "any sincere, law abiding Muslim."

The apology came after top Iranian and British officials condemned the remarks, which Falwell made last week in an interview on the CBS new show "60 Minutes."

"I think Muhammad was a terrorist," Falwell said in the interview. "I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and -- non-Muslims, (to know) that he was a -- a violent man, a man of war."

The comments angered Muslims around the world, triggering Hindu-Muslim clashes in western India on Friday and Saturday that left at least nine people dead. Earlier in the week, there were protests in Kashmir, the disputed province at the heart of a military standoff between India and Pakistan, and outside the offices of CBS News in New York.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday condemned the remarks as encouraging violence.

"What this American priest said encourages war among civilizations and also increases crises and it should be confronted," Kharrazi said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who was in Iran to seek Tehran's support for a tough U.N. resolution on Iraq, said he regarded Falwell's comments "as much an insult to me as a Christian as they are to Muslims."

Falwell, a conservative Baptist and a leading voice for the Christian right in America, said in a prepared statement that he was sorry for the hurt feelings caused by his comments.

"I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine made during an interview for (the Oct. 6 edition of) CBS's '60 Minutes' were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims.

"I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim," he said.

Falwell said his error came from answering a "controversial and loaded question" at the end of an hour-long interview.

"That was a mistake and I apologize," he said.

[TLBSHOW]

Falwell was right in what he said and there was no need to say he was sorry, I do like how he limited it to law abiding Muslims. But now our Christian leaders are being silenced by Islam and the threats from Islam. This is not a good thing for the future of this country. In my opinion.

[Arthur McGowan]

A classic non-apology--"I am sorry if my remarks hurt anyone's feelings." Of course, I don't mind when someone non-apologizes for saying something that was true in the first place.

[lsee]

Do you think he'll now come out and say he MEANT to call Mohammad a false prophet?

[Texas_Jarhead]

damn straight. Only in a PC world could Falwell's comments be identified as the cause of violence and death. There were deaths because some MUSLIMS are violent PIGS hell bent on destroying anything or anyone that is not muslim!

[mikeIII]

I wish he hadn't. I thought at least he'd stand his ground, unlike Graham. Unless, this is a strategy of going ahead and making your point, knowing that you'd withdraw it but the end result is that the point was made.

[A_perfect_lady]

NOW HEAR THIS: ALL CHRISTIANS, ZIONISTS, AMERICAN WHITES, CAPITALISTS, AND HETEROSEXUALS...

STOP APOLOGIZING!!! JUST STOP IT!!!

[TheEngineer]

I hated to see him apologize, too. If he owed them an apology, then they owe us about a million. Whenever I hear translations of the things stated by their clerics, it makes my blood boil.

BTW, When I heard about the uprising in Kashmir, I had to laugh. It sounded too much like the news on Saturday Night Live...

"In other news... The Reverand Jerry Falwell stated that Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was a terrorist and a violent man. To protest his remarks, muslims around the world went on a spree of violence, rape, and looting. Back to you Jane." :-)

[BenLurkin]

Let those who criticize Falwell this evening pay close attention to what just happened in BALI.

[billhilly]

Jerry Falwell will go anywhere, anytime, to get his face on Television. The media use him. He may know that , or worse, he may believe he is using them. His strange relationship with Geraldo is a case in point.

This man has a large church. That is where he belongs. Maybe.

[gorebegone]

"What this American priest said encourages war among civilizations ...."

hmmmm

[sinkspur]

Jerry Falwell will go anywhere, anytime, to get his face on Television.

Yep. A case of a shotgun mouth getting ahead of a bb-gun butt.

Falwell's always apologizing for something. He's an extremely imprudent man.

[plain talk]

selected Hadiths of Sunan Abu-Dawud

When the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) cut off (the hands and feet of) those who had stolen his camels and he had their eyes put out by fire (heated nails)...

A woman borrowed jewellery through some known persons and she herself was unknown. She then sold them. She was seized and brought to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). He gave orders that her hand should be cut off...

the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him): If he drinks wine, flog him if he does it so again, a fourth time, kill him.... Ali said: When a man drinks wine, he tells lies. I, therefore, think that he should be prescribed punishment that is prescribed for telling lies..

[ikka]

"I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim," he said.

All 27,000 of them worldwide.

[bluecollarman]

"What this American priest said encourages war among civilizations and also increases crises and it should be confronted,"

He probably continued...

"However, what things our Mullahs (peee-iss be upon them) say, these sayings are wise and true. So, if we pay our faithful brothers to bring attacks on western infidels or Zionist, this then is okay altogether and of a different thing. Do you understand that we have the divine meaning from Mohammy (peee-iss be upon him also)?"

I for one, get very disgusted with all of the apologizin'
Bomb em with hog bowels!

[frnewsjunkie]

Did we hear ANY "peaceful, non-violent" muslims apologize for 911?

Did we hear ANYONE from the islam side apologize for anything?

I wish the apologies from our side would STOP. We are not the ones who started this!!

[Eternal_Bear]

he's another gutless wonder

[Honorary Serb]

Historical facts:

Muhammad was a bandit who robbed caravans.

He slaughtered whole tribes of people for impulsive reasons.

He conquered Mecca by force after breaking a treaty with the major tribe (his own!) there.

He called for driving out all Jews and Christians in the Arabian peninsula, which was not completed until after his death.

This is only a small sample of his TERRORIST deeds, and those of his successors, whose goal was to CONQUER THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!

Once agan, the islamists and their pseudo-intellectual enablers, shills, and dupes, are claiming that anyone who calls Muhammad a terrorist does so out of "ignorance". The facts say otherwise.

It's time to fight muslim lies!! It's time to stop muslim fifth columnists' attempts to impose sharia-like prohibitions against criticizing islam and its founder, while it's OK to say anything at all against other religions.

[KingKongCobra]

And he always says something stupid just before an election. He's a poster boy for the left and I predict that he just cost us the Senate. He is correct but he should sit down and shut up.

[11th Earl of Mar]

There are few of Flawell's political positions with which I disagree, but I can't stand the guy.

I am so tired of seeing his sanctimonious, finger pointing holier-than-thou face on TV.

I truly wish he was a liberal. He is more annoying than Carville and Bagala put together.

[TLBSHOW]

A personal representative of Iran's supreme leader has called for three prominent US Protestant Ministers to be killed for insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

The Ayatollah Mohsen Mujtahed Shabestari, who is supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's personal representative to Iran's Azerbaijan province, says US leaders want to repeat the crusades.

The three are Jerry Falwell, who has called the prophet Mohammed "a terrorist"; Pat Roberston, who claims Islam is a religion of violence seeking to "dominate and destroy"; and Franklin Graham, the son of televangelist Billy Graham, who says Islam is "a very evil and wicked religion".

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