2008 Woodie Awards
Papacy leads way for others to start speaking the truth
Michael Rubin
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Commentary
The way The New York Times tells it, you would think that Pope Benedict XVI called for a crusade. On Sept. 16, in an editorial the Times editors demanded that the pope give a "deep and persuasive apology" for having "insulted Muslims" with his speech at a German university and for obstructing "interfaith dialogue."
As for major news sources like the Times, their strategy for dialogue with Islam is apparently to ignore any distressing statements from Muslims. No analysis or criticism was made concerning the Muslim cleric who issued a fatwa against Pope Benedict, nor the seven firebombed Palestinian churches or the murdered Italian nun. Instead, the media employed the truism that any violent action by a Muslim does not represent Islam, and every morally acceptable one does.
Turning a blind eye to the military aggression that is part of Islam might postpone conflict with Muslims-but not for long. Such Western cowardice encourages the orthodox Muslim terrorists, and tells moderate Muslims living in oppressive Islamic societies that we will not support or protect them from their co-religionists. If we do not find a way to confront the evils in Islam through dialogue, we will have to confront them in a holy war with Islam, a disagreeable option for an increasingly feeble West.
To find this path, one need look no further than the pope's speech. Primarily concerned with the place of reason and God in the modern university, the text is no offense to Muslims but, as confirmed by recent Vatican statements, is "an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue," and an analysis of how that is to be accomplished.
The cause of Pope Benedict's troubles was his quoting of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus from his dialogue with a Persian Muslim: "Show me just what Mohammed 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 emperor then provides arguments for why furthering a religion with violence is incompatible with God's nature.
As for major news sources like the Times, their strategy for dialogue with Islam is apparently to ignore any distressing statements from Muslims. No analysis or criticism was made concerning the Muslim cleric who issued a fatwa against Pope Benedict, nor the seven firebombed Palestinian churches or the murdered Italian nun. Instead, the media employed the truism that any violent action by a Muslim does not represent Islam, and every morally acceptable one does.
Turning a blind eye to the military aggression that is part of Islam might postpone conflict with Muslims-but not for long. Such Western cowardice encourages the orthodox Muslim terrorists, and tells moderate Muslims living in oppressive Islamic societies that we will not support or protect them from their co-religionists. If we do not find a way to confront the evils in Islam through dialogue, we will have to confront them in a holy war with Islam, a disagreeable option for an increasingly feeble West.
To find this path, one need look no further than the pope's speech. Primarily concerned with the place of reason and God in the modern university, the text is no offense to Muslims but, as confirmed by recent Vatican statements, is "an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue," and an analysis of how that is to be accomplished.
The cause of Pope Benedict's troubles was his quoting of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus from his dialogue with a Persian Muslim: "Show me just what Mohammed 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 emperor then provides arguments for why furthering a religion with violence is incompatible with God's nature.