I found this on The Jakarta Post. I don’t know how I got there, but it is certainly a good read. I have nothing against the muslims and I do not want to start an argument in this blog. I just wanted to share this because of this line from the article: “It would be better to regard the pope’s address as a challenge to prove to the world that Islam truly is a peaceful religion.” FYI: My father’s half-brother is a muslim.

Here is the article (for your convenience):

Pope John Paul II, during his 26-year papacy, was quite respected by Muslims for his empathy with Islam and the suffering of Palestinians and Iraqis.

He showed great concern over the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the fate of Palestinians. He prayed for Aceh, although he also, on several occasions, expressed dismay over what he believed was Indonesia’s disappearing religious freedom.

So how has his successor done, in terms of maintaining relations with Islam?

Pope Benedict XVI has only been in office for about six months, and there are already strong signs that he will be tougher and more open with his remarks than his predecessor. Which is a nice way of putting it.

The comments made by the pope about Islam and violence, as recorded in a seven-page English translation of an address at the University of Regensburg in Germany on Sept. 12, received mixed reactions from Catholics around the world.

They also left many Catholics in predominantly Muslim nations like Indonesia fearing for their security. His statements could affect long-term relations between the world’s two biggest religions.

Certainly, the pope must have had his reasons for touching on Islam in his lecture on faith and reason. Perhaps he wanted to encourage more frank academic debate among scholars, or he just wanted to express his honest assessment of Islam.

He clearly wants a more mature and straightforward discourse on relations between Islam and Christianity and other religions. But while Israel continues to oppress Palestinians, and millions of Iraqis must suffer simply because the United States did not like Saddam Hussein, are the pope’s comments helpful in healing religious divisions?

Did he take into account the possible reactions to his speech, and the direct impact on Catholics across the globe?

If such a remark came from U.S. President George W. Bush, Muslims perhaps would say, “No wonder.” But these came from the pope.

For Indonesian Catholics, who are a minority here, their immediate concern is their own safety and the security of their churches. Personally, as a Catholic, I have to ask myself: “Why would my beloved leader say that in public?”

While the pope’s concerns over the relationship between Islam and violence — by quoting a 14th century conversation between Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleolugus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam — are shared by many people around the world, he should have chosen his words more carefully, or not have said them at all.

As the supreme leader of the Catholic church, was it wise to discuss such a sensitive issue amid the growing distrust between Christianity and Islam, regardless of the truth or untruth of his observations? It will be more difficult now to argue there is no “clash of civilizations” between the West (Christianity) and Islam.

It will also be more difficult for the Catholic church to continue an effective interfaith dialog with Islam if Muslims suspect the sincerity of the church’s leader. In Indonesia even Muslim hard-liners retained a degree of trust in the late pope John Paul II. And we Indonesian Catholics were very proud of that. But now I am afraid we will not be able to have that same level of pride. Only time will tell.

It should be taken into account, however, that Pope Benedict’s speech was delivered to scholars at the university where he was a professor and vice rector from 1969 to 1971. So it was, in effect, an academic paper.

In paragraph 7 of the speech, the Pope said, ” … the emperor must have known that sura 2:25 reads: ‘There is no compulsion in religion.’ It is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under (threat). But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Koran, concerning the holy war.”

In paragraph 10, he said,” … but for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality ….”

The Vatican has been engaged in damage control. But with the Internet, people around the world have immediate access to the full transcript of the speech, and not all of them will feel that the Vatican’s clarification is adequate.

It would be saddening, however, if Muslims acted violently to demonstrate their anger over the pope’s comments. Such violence would only strengthen the perception — not necessarily accurate — among non-Muslims that Islam tolerates violence. It would be better to regard the pope’s address as a challenge to prove to the world that Islam truly is a peaceful religion.

We can only hope that the controversial statements by the head of the Catholic church will somehow turn into a blessing in disguise, by promoting dialog and helping to restore trust between the two major religions.

As an ordinary Catholic with limited knowledge about church teachings, again I can only say: “Was it necessary for my Holy Father to make such a comment?”

The writer can be reached at purba@thejakartapost.com

The source: Jakarta Post