[americanophile]

I’m not concerned about whether or how God hears the prayer, I’m concerned about the message it sends when a pope prays in a mosque. Surely you can understand that to the eyes of the average Muslim observer, one can’t help but see it as the Pope praying to Allah.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

And in the eyes of a Christian observer, I see the Pope praying for the awakening of the souls of all Muslims...

I for one believe that prayers should be said continually without ceasing - does that make me wrong when I pray when I am in a Buddhist temple, here in Shanghai? Does that make me wrong when I prayed at my Jewish friend’s wedding at his synagogue?

[knarf]

Refrain from all appearance of evil

[Petronski]

Surely you can understand that to the eyes of the average Muslim observer, one can’t help but see it as the Pope praying to Allah.

They are entitled to make up whatever they want.

[Cronos]

Surely you can understand that to the eyes of the average Muslim observer, one can’t help but see it as the Pope praying to Allah.

To pray to a llah, you need to follow the ritual bowing, saying the Shahnamah (la illah allah, muhammed al rasurillah, shadwan al rasurillah: "there is no god but allah, and mohammed is his prophet, here is no other prophet after him").

Anything else is NOT a prayer to Alla and Mozzies KNOW That -- visit a Moz land and you'll see.

Unless the Pope does the entire "touch my head, touch my chest, touch my ba**s, and repeat", the average Moz would know that's not a prayer. Rather the average Moz would be outraged saying that the mosque has been defiled because the Pope prayed to God there, not all ah.

Have you ever been inside a mosque or a temple or a pagoda? You can freely worship God in your thoughts and your words, you do not have to mouth what they want.