Posted on 09/21/2006 10:10:11 AM PDT by jan in Colorado
Paris --- The European press on Monday changed tack in the row over Pope Benedict's comments on jihad, switching its critical focus from the pontiff to questioning whether the scale of Muslim outrage was justified.
Many European papers lamented that the moderate voices of Islam were being drowned out by hardliners and open debate was being thwarted by political correctness.
In London, the conservative Daily Telegraph editorial said that 'now is the time for other churchmen to tell their Muslim counterparts that, in addition to dishing out criticism, they must learn how to take it'.
French newspaper Le Figaro said the pope's comments last week in which he spoke of a link between Islam and violence had become fodder for Muslim leaders with political designs.
"The one responsible for the outburst of hate on the Arab-Muslim street is not the Holy Father. But rather those who use whatever pretext to manipulate their faithful and foster their ignorance, for essentially political reasons," its editorial said.
Other newspapers highlighted the pope's conciliatory tone on Saturday when he said he was 'deeply sorry' for the anger sparked by his remarks, and called on Muslim leaders to reciprocate.
The German daily Sueddentsche Zeitung said it hoped Muslims 'would make a similar grand gesture', noting that the protests appeared 'to confirm what the pope absolutely did not say: they (Muslims) behave as if Islam was an aggressive and violent religion'.
In overwhelmingly Catholic Poland, the daily Dziennik bluntly asked: "Why is Europe not defending the pope?". It called for western 'solidarity' in the face of 'Islamic fundamentalism', saying 'a global victory of that version of Islamic ideology would be a catastrophe'.
Several papers argued that Muslim reaction was 'exercising a form of censorship on free speech in the West'.
The British centre-left Independent asked if religious leaders, when addressing those from a similar cultural and religious background, could really be expected to weigh the impact of 'every word, as though the whole world is listening'.
"If everyone speaks in inoffensive platitudes, real points of disagreement will remain concealed," it said.
Many in the European media also called for moderate Muslim leaders to seize control of the debate back from the radicals.
"There is a part of the Muslim world which is not tolerant and respectful of other religions," wrote Belgium's Dutch-language daily De Standaard, citing the fiery speeches of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denouncing Israel and the Jews.
"Islam, which always asks for apologies, finds its own 'conquests' perfectly normal ... It is time for a peaceful Islam to rise up," the paper wrote.
I don't recall ever hearing from "moderate" Muslims and political correctness is the tool that is allowing evil to spread!
"questioning whether the scale of Muslim outrage was justified."
If you have to ask the question, you are hopeless.
Thank you Dark Skies ;o)
ping
Things are looking up.
Many European papers lamented that the moderate voices of Islam were being drowned out by hardliners and open debate was being thwarted by political correctness
What am I missing here? If the "moderate voices of Islam" are being drowned out, isn't that because the media -- including "many European papers" aren't reporting what they're saying. The hardliner nutjobs have no problem getting coverage.
The Pope has opened the door to exposing the TRUTH about islam Ping!
bump
Stop the presses! Shouldn't this be in Breaking News? ;-)
these articles ALWAYS contain some rationale or apology for the silence these mythical moderate muslims. In fact, their silence is all that is for certain.....their existence is doubtful, save for a very few possible examples who are 'writers' whose secondary message is usually plausibly deniable beneath the apparent main message of their writings.
Yes, about 99.9999999% percent of it.
"...It is time for a peaceful Islam to rise up,"
I ain't holdin' my breath.
Watching "peaceful Islam" rise up would be like watching the ripples from a grain of salt dropped into an ocean whipped by the fury of a category 5 hurricane.
.
Wow Europe is finally waking up? I guess getting over run has something to do with it.
It took the Pope to (indirectly) speak out about islam, for the door to finally open to question its ideology. It looks like the door is opening a little more every day. Did you hear about the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey? His words are much more outspoken than the Pope's!
THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has issued his own challenge to “violent” Islam in a lecture in which he defends the Pope’s “extraordinarily effective and lucid” speech.
See TaxachusettsMan's post HERE
French newspaper Le Figaro said the pope's comments last week in which he spoke of a link between Islam and violence had become fodder for Muslim leaders with political designs.
There's more to this story (see below)...
TUNIS - Tunisia has confiscated Tuesday's edition of French newspaper Le Figaro because its content insulted Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, an official source said on Wednesday.The daily ran an article by philosopher Robert Redeker on the controversy over the Pope's remarks on Islam in which Redeker described the Koran as a "book of unprecedented violence" and accused Muslims of seeking to intimidate the West.
Source: nzherald.co.nz
Is Europe waking up?
no, it's just rolling over. :(
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