Speech From Pope Outrages Muslim Leaders, page 5

The Pope needs to step down off of his “High horse”. The fact he quoted Manuel II Palaiologos, shows the lack of historical knowledge he has. This man [and I use the term lightly] was not exactly a Saint. He was a Byzantine Emperor and of course being Christian and from this era it was more than likely he would have a negative view-point of the Islamic Religion along with many others. It is as smart as quoting Hitler on the rights of Jews.

The Islamic Religion and the Christian Religion did not meld well with one another. If people would bother to read things such as the Qu’ran, they would know that Mohammed was forced from Mecca to Medina by Jewish and Christian authorities who viewed his new religion as heresy. Furthermore, the Byzantine Empire had been loosing war after war at this point to the Ottoman Empire. Many Christians thus tried to paint Islam as having a pact with the “devil” and other such groups to negatively portray them. This is who the Pope quoted and I am sure if it was someone such as Bin Laden quoting a Muslim Historical Leader who condemned Christianity there would be just as many people angry from the Christian community.

shots, you used to add something to debates but the post:

Hey the Pope is only human. Why should muslims be allowed to complain all the time, but not the rest of the free world.

Is stupid at best. The Pope was free to say this, nobody forced him to say it nor did anyone stop him. The Islamic Groups are also free to say “We don’t like what you said.” That or one group gets silenced and that isn’t fair on either. However, I have never felt any Muslim stop me from having freedom to say what I want nor have I met any Muslim’s who were not willing to say what they felt.

However, just because some Islamic Nation’s limit the freedoms of its people is by no way to make attacks against the whole of the Religious community. There are also Non-Islamic Nation’s which limit the freedoms of its people - North Korea for example. Thus, it can’t be blamed solely on Islam nor does every Islamic Country limit the freedoms of its people. So the argument you use is flawed.

Ezekiel, you seem to be making out as though Christianity stopped oppressing people long ago. This isn’t true at all. In fact, there are Christian groups in the United State’s who target abortion clinics in a violent way. There are Christian groups in Africa which force people into arranged marriages, who murder people because they have had sexual relations outside of marriage. Furthermore, do you forget that Hitler was a believer in what is known as: Positive Christianity? That’s very much recent History, especially to people in Europe.

XphilesPhan, do you forget the riots in Nigeria by Christians this year? Resulting in the deaths of several Muslims? They also violently riot.

ThinksYouAreAnIdiot, there is no quote in the Qu’ran where Mohammed shows Arabic Muslims as superior to Black and White Muslims. These views were added decades after and by Religious Scholars. There views are not accepted by the vast majority of Muslims. Furthermore, I challenge you to show where in the Qu’ran these views of superiority are displayed.

As per-normal, Souljah raises a good point. Where is the War on Terrorism? Every so called terrorist group that they have gone after have been Islamic. I’ve yet to see them go after those in parts of Africa who are Christian. Why is it Islamic Nation’s are being attacked? Why is it they are the ones constantly painted as the “evil” side in this conflict when the whole view is subjective. If you are in the firing line of an Israeli shell, terrorist or not then you would not think they are the “Good” side of this conflict and it is utterly ridiculous for people on this side to decide what is right or wrong when they try and use heavily misleading historical evidence. If you are the one loosing family members, those killing them will more often then not be seen as “evil”. Even after World War Two, there were people in Germany [and still now] who resent things such as the bombing of Dresden. It is just a shame that history is painted by the victors and we’re never able to get every piece of information that exists.

People need to think for a long moment. Those of you who are from the United State’s, remember how you felt on 9/11. This will be the feeling many Iraqi’s got when you invaded and killed members of their family and called them collateral damage. It is the feeling the Lebanese get when an Israeli kills one of their citizens. It is the feeling the Israeli gets when Hamas blow up and kill some of their citizens. It was the feeling the British got when Irgun killed some of their soldiers.

You are not the only people who get hurt. However, it is on a scale unimaginable to you in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other Nation’s. You can try and paint the blame off on the terrorists - however, would those terrorists in Iraq be there if it wasn’t for the United State’s? Of course not.

Until people realise, all human life lost be it Muslim, Christian or Jew will upset someone who knew them, loved them and cared for them and make them angry. On 9/11 the United State’s called out to get revenge on those who caused the attacks and the people wanted it. The same happens to those in Iraq whose family die because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, they have no legitimate army nor way of fighting the United State’s in an open battle thus they will try anything to win. They are no more a terrorist than anyone who picks up a gun for his “nation”. So they kill innocent people? So does the United State’s. Either both sides are terrorists or neither side is.

RedGolem, I suggest you read your own source. The “Twice as Violent” one is almost laughable. Look at it, read over it and then the debate going on below it. Look at what constitutes Qu’ranic violence. The best one he can show is:

Surah 5:33
"The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom."

That’s the best he can come up with? Let’s pause and think about this source. Does it slap you in the face yet? Oh yes the first line: “who make war”. Thus, if they don’t make war, there’s no violence. Case closed.

This is the violence in the Qu'ran. It's violence, when they are attacked first.