Posted on 03/24/2008 10:16:51 AM PDT by NYer
ITALIAN editor and critic of Islamic extremism Magdi Allam, who converted to Catholicism from Islam and was baptised by Pope Benedict XVI, today branded his former faith as intrinsically violent.
"I had to do this (abandon Islam)", Allam wrote in a long letter to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"Beyond ... the phenomenon of extremists and Islamist terrorism at the global level, the root of evil is inherent to a physiologically violent and historically conflictual Islam," wrote the Egyptian-born journalist, who says he has received death threats and is under police protection.
One of seven adults baptised during an Easter vigil yesterday evening, Allam, 55, is an editorial writer and deputy editor at Corriere.
Regarding a combative tone that has made him famous in Italy, Allam wrote: "Over the years my spirit has been freed from the obscurantism of an ideology that legitimises lies and deception, violent death that leads to homicide and suicide, blind submission to tyranny."
He described Catholicism as "an authentic religion of Truth, Life and Freedom".
By baptising Allam in the public ceremony, the Pope "sent an explicit and revolutionary message to a church that until now has been too cautious in the conversion of Muslims ... because of the fear of being unable to protect the converted who are condemned to death for apostasy," Allam said.
"Thousands of people in Italy have converted to Islam and practise their faith serenely," he wrote.
"But there are also thousands of Muslims who have converted to Christianity who are forced to hide their new faith out of fear of being killed by Islamist terrorists."
Allam adopted the Christian name of Cristiano (Christian), not a common name in Italy.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
“God Bless Magdi Allam.”
He has.
Cliff? Cliff Clavin, is that you?
I enjoyed your comment and concur. While the church has done away with its past abusive ways, it has also done away with many positive theological aspects, particularly reverence for angels and worship of the Divine Mother. Then there is the unfortunate infiltration of leftist clergy in many of central and south American churches, and some in the U.S. Then the fact that many masses have become folk cumbaya sing-a-longs. So quite amamzing that in relation to Islam, the church is a beacon of light.
The courage this man displays is just beyond belief. May God keep him safe.
Thank you all for your insightful comments. Like many of you, I too have pondered this at great length. The Pope is the only one today who has challenged the Muslims to come to the table for a frank discussion. Those meetings will begin shortly. This pope is not a showman and must have carefully weighed the impact of Allam's Baptism on worldwide television.
The real question is how did Magdi Allam arrive at this faith conversion. When asked that by a group of reporters, he replied:
"Undoubtedly the most extraordinary and significant encounter in the decision to convert was that with Pope Benedict XVI,'' Allam said. He said he admired the pope for his skill in laying out the relationship "between faith and reason as the basis of authentic religion and human civilization.''
It should be interesting to see how the conferences with the 142 Muslim clerics progress. If not Pope Benedict XVI, who?
The mention of Islam gives me an itchy trigger finger.
“Linking religions to violence in public can only be done when ones own religion has a spotless record of peace and love. Of course, the catholic church has an impeccable past of religious tolerance.
What a crock. By your twisted logic someone who has sinned, and has admitted and confessed to those sins, and has sought and received reconciliation (forgiveness), can not ever venture an opinion on those sins, and how they were wrong. Thankfully, God is not closed minded like you are.
Sure, but not currently. Currrently the violence is coming out of Islam, not the Roman Church. We have to deal with the present, not the past.
Besides, during all the time that Christianity had its violent moments, when was Islam ever peaceful?
...and those who support the war should go and fight it?
Don’t believe the lies about the Crusades and the Inquisition; one was defensive, the other much less violent than we have been led to believe.
Wonderful news! May God protect him from his former brethren!
> 1834
>
> That was the year the Spanish Inquisition was finally disbanded.
So roughly one hundred years before the rise of Hitler, or a mere sixty years after the American Revolution.
Not much will have changed in the Islamic world since 1834. The same can’t be said for our Civilization.
> I dont understand why this had to be done in the public eye. What is to gain from that?
My initial reaction to this was, “Well, duuuhhhhhhh....” Then I thought about it quite a bit harder, and decided that my first reaction was probably correct.
So a bunch of turd-worlders are killing people and this reflects on Roman Catholicism exactly how? Did the Pope issue an Encyclical authorizing this? No, he did not. Did Mexico’s Cardinal issue an Encyclical authorizing this? No, he did not. Did a bunch of communist rebels in Chiapas murder people under the color of religion? Yes, they did.
Mexico isn’t even a Catholic country anymore! The socialist revolution there in the first part of the 20th century devastated Catholicism there, and most folk north of the border have no idea.
“Linking religions to violence in public can only be done when ones own religion has a spotless record of peace and love. “
Your argument is specious at best. We are all sinners and strive to accept Christ as our savior and can only try to be better in the eyes of God. That is why God has given us a path for forgiveness
The cult of Islam has never strived to be better, just to convert, by any means, as many as possible to a cult of abject moral degradation, murder, and subjugation to the cult hierarchy. Nothing more.
I don’t respond to troll posts.
ya....everybody’s gotta keep their mouth shut, cuz nobody’s perfect.....
Nice Logic..../sarc
Benedict: he sure knows how to pope.
I didn’t see any baptism taking place. I see a man in some kind of helmet or something on the left holding something on the head of a guy bent over a bowl or something.
Nice, baseless assertion. In fact, this is about as logic free as I see from most leftists.
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