Yemen Times, Yemen
Outmaneuvering Bush's Pope

By Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Maqaleh  
September 28 - October 1 Issue
Yemen - Original Article (English)      

It is regrettable that President Bush is no longer alone amongst Western leaders in offending Islam and Muslims. Now the Pope in the Vatican has joined him in what in contemporary Christian history is a rare concordance between the leading worldly authority and the Papacy. There is great danger in this bilateral accord, not only to Muslims and Islam, but to the entire world, which is why we must admonish people to stand back from this agreement and the reactions it is likely to create in both Islamic and Christian worlds.

[Editor's Note: During a speech in Germany on faith and reason, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor, and said in part, "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached ].

The campaigners against Islam that deny altogether that such an agreement exists and attribute it merely to chance, are either mistaken or deluded. And those looking for reasons for the deal don't need to look far, because the causes are so obvious that those who deny such an agreement exists can't hide them. The agreement between the political pole in Washington and the religious pole in the Vatican seems comprehensive and complete. The Pope’s talk concerning Islam and the Prophet of Islam was neither a slip of the tongue nor a result of a lack of understanding of Islam. Nor were his comments made without knowing the wave of anger and denunciation that would sweep across the Muslim world.

The dissonance between [Western] rulers and those that they rule has made politicians and religious men careless when it comes to discussing Islam. With an Islamic world drowning in conflict, comments are made without fear or concern. And this conflict in the Muslim world makes it appear to those that are hostile to Islam that such blows and slaps will not unite Muslims, but rather cause them to fragment further.

Clearly, the Pope's belittling of the Islamic world was a frank and open expression if his views and it shows the consequences of the gulf between Muslim rulers and their own people.

Those who accuse the Pope of ignorance about Islam forget that he doesn't lack an understanding of those who represent a third of the world's population. Rather, he is assured that Muslim weakness is so deep that all they can do is respond with denunciation and demonstrations, with the breaking of street lamps and the windows of cars.

The comments of the Pope are almost identical to those of George Bush's, in regard to his Crusader war and the supposed fascism of Islam. While the phraseology is different, the goal and the purpose remains the same. The new extremists who govern the United States and influence policies around the world have accredited partners in the Vatican, which has transformed from an abode of spiritual care into an institution that interferes with global affairs without hesitation.

There is no doubt that the present Pope has been chosen for the purposes of implementing an irreligious and non-spiritual plan. From the moment of his installation, he has issued alarming messages that were noticed by some, but neglected by others. If the previous Pope succeeded to a degree in developing Islamic-Christian relations, his successor has destroyed what that wise pontiff had realized.

This is confirmed by the fact that the present Pope's comments about Islam and the Prophet of Islam where part of a well-prepared lecture. It was an unscripted address that wouldn't contain mistakes or be dominated by enthusiasm.

This behavior should prompt Muslims to agree on a plan to unify their stands and restore to them their lost prestige. By becoming a more integrated force, the adversaries of Islam and those that represent their religion will take notice.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Maqaleh is prominent Yemenite poet and intellectual. He is the director of the Yemeni Studies Center.

VIDEO FROM SAUDI ARABIA: POPE'S

COMMENTS 'NO SLIP-OF-THE-TONGUE'

MBC TV, Saudi Arabia: Excerpts from an interview with Saudi cleric Sheik Salman Al-Odah, Sept. 15, 00:02:08, MEMRI

"It's as if the Pope did not have the courage to attack Islam and its Prophet directly. So he borrowed from an attack by a 14th-century Byzantine emperor in a dialogue with a Persian scholar."

Sheik Salman Al-Odah