Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI

[Crimson Star]

Here is letter from an number of Muslim leaders and religious figures to the Pope, because of the whole "quote debacle". It's posted as educational reasons.


http://www.islamicamagazine.com/onli...edict-xvi.html

[LoZz]

their not still going on about the whole quoteing of a medieval lord thing are they?

[mongoose]

Um, not really. Read the article.

They engage the Pope on an intellectual level concerning these crucial topics—which go well beyond the controversial quotation of the emperor—pointing out what they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in the Pope’s own remarks about Islamic belief and practice.

[LoZz]

Um, not really. Read the article.

didnt read the whole letter sent to the pope, read the news post though, but to be honest this just seems like a direct responce to these medieval comments, would they have sent this letter if he hadn't said that? proberly not

[Jan III]

"Engaging the Pope on an intellectual level," thats what the Pope had been trying to do to the Muslim community. He is a Christian scholar, trying to engage the wider Muslim community with his comments, his "open letter" was the speech. Now finally we get the intellectual response from the Muslim community that we had to wait through months of riots and killings for, congrats. Why don't they try speaking out to their Muslim brothers and telling them that their violent reaction to a statement such as that is despicable and has no place in sort of debate they wish to develop.

[Zenith Darksea]

But Jan III, surely you know that there are two laws, one for Islamic fanatics and one for everyone else? If they send an 'open letter' then they're being extremely gracious and are obviously right; if anyone else expresses an intellectual viewpoint then they're worthless dogs who need to be shot down.

[mongoose]

Why don't they try speaking out to their Muslim brothers and telling them that their violent reaction to a statement such as that is despicable and has no place in sort of debate they wish to develop.

Jan, this may surprise you, but Muslims are not a signle being. Even if a high ranking one tells a lower ranking one to not to something, the lower ranking one might do it anyway. It's the same thing with Christians, Jews, Buddists, Hinuds, ect.

If a moderate Christian priest tells a young earth creationist to stop spreading lies, the YEC will usually just label that person as not being a "true Christian".

"Engaging the Pope on an intellectual level," thats what the Pope had been trying to do to the Muslim community. He is a Christian scholar, trying to engage the wider Muslim community with his comments, his "open letter" was the speech. Now finally we get the intellectual response from the Muslim community that we had to wait through months of riots and killings for, congrats.

So? It takes time to write letters...

didnt read the whole letter sent to the pope, read the news post though, but to be honest this just seems like a direct responce to these medieval comments, would they have sent this letter if he hadn't said that? proberly not

Yes, that might be what sparked it, but that's not the only reason.

[Crimson Star]

At least they are going into the right direction...debate...with words.

[Shaba Wangy]

For some reason the letter wont open for me. Can someone post the actual letter please.

[Ummon]

Looks like propaganda, mostly.

[Tom Paine]

You dismiss it out of hand without exlaining dismissal of the scholarly points it puts forth.

[Ummon]

In truth, I dismiss the scholarly points it puts forth.

[Tom Paine]

But again, you dismiss them out of hand without demonstratng them to be untrue.

[Ummon]

Time is our master.

I have taken time to print the letter: it cannot be cut and pasted here. That is one of the reasons.