Stinging Bees
Ubi mel, ibi apes - Plautus
Western editors and journalists need rub their eyes in disbelief no longer. Mullahs, imams, ‘Islamists’, and those always too ready to demonstrate need waste no more energy protesting the ‘painful’ words of the ‘insensitive’ Pope. The lecture is there for all to read, in English, and in the original German. It is benign stuff indeed! Moreover, it is very erudite, and way beyond the ability of the average man in the street to comprehend.

This Pope is perhaps the most learned of popes. In so many ways he is an exalted pope, one who needs no lessons from anyone in how to conduct papal affairs, much less from the media, who love to sensationalize everything they learn of to bolster their ever-dwindling sales.

As the Neue Zürcher Zeitung so correctly stated, his words were “intelligent and necessary”. Indeed! Sadly, yet again, what was said was taken out of context. He used the following quotation from a Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Palaeologos, from the year 1391 …

"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."

(“Zeig mir doch, was Mohammed Neues gebracht hat und da wirst du nur Schlechtes und Inhumanes finden wie dies, dass er vorgeschrieben hat, den Glauben, den er predigte, durch das Schwert zu verbreiten.”)

… and the whole world breaks out in a frenzy. How absurd!

The Vatican has stated that the actual text of Benedict XVI should be made known in the Islamic world, in full. It wants the text to be explained and elucidated, for the Vatican believes that it has been the victim of much manipulation of the text, so that its true meaning has been changed and distorted.

The Vatican wants dialogue with the Islamic world, but believes that meaningful ‘interfaith dialogue’ can only come about when the violence has stopped. The Pope, rightly, says that God abhors violence, from wherever it comes. Who can argue with that?

It is always helpful to read the text of such an important message in its original language. These things always lose something in the translation. A text as scholarly as this one is prone to lose even more when translated.

It is doubtful that many working in the Western press would have the ability to read, much less to appreciate the meaning and beauty of, the Pope’s address at the University of Regensburg. Even if some were able to read it in its original form, it is highly unlikely that they bothered to read the whole text before reporting on how ‘insensitive’ the Pope had been. Such are the ways of the press.

Instead of criticizing the Pope, I would suggest that people working in the media need to ask themselves some important questions about their readiness to blurt out, and publish abroad, statements out of context. The press should have integrity, especially over such sensitive issues.

We all know how ready the Islamic world is to pick up on anything they perceive to be insulting to their prophet or religion. The Islamic world is like a tinderbox waiting for a match to be struck.

One should bear in mind, of course, that this Pope is not the darling of the liberal press anyway; so they are only waiting to pick up on something to get him into the quagmire. Why? It’s simple! He is against many of the issues the PC apostles espouse: He is against gay marriage, against the ordination of women, against relativism, against the use of condoms even to prevent AIDS, and against Turkey’s entry into the European Union. He is also anti-abortion. Briefly put: He is not liberal.

His grasp and understanding of the teachings of Christianity are profound; indeed, his understanding, naturally, surpasses the understanding of lesser mortals. And that’s how it should be, of course. Furthermore, he sets an extremely high standard in matters of morality. And so he should. After all, how could we hold in high esteem a pope that gave free rein to all that liberals hold dear? Liberals wish to change the very nature of Christianity itself. Aren’t many of these people going to abandon the Church, anyway, once they have achieved their aims?

This Pope has gone further than any previous pope in apologizing for ‘hurting the sensitivities’ of Muslims worldwide; yet many still feel he has not gone far enough. One can only shake one’s head in disbelief! I ask you one simple question: When are Muslims going to apologize to the people of the West for all their violence and beheadings and insults? When are they going to apologize for 9/11? For Madrid? For the London bombings? For Bali? Why don’t we demand of them what they incessantly demand of us? Why should there be this double standard? Do you, for example, like being referred to as an infidel (kafir)? That word alone should send shivers down the spine of any devout Christian. The meaning of the word kafir is actually not simply that one is not one of the faithful. In Arabic, that word has all kinds of pejorative connotations, connotations of uncleanness and inferiority. I, for one, take exception to these people referring to Westerners as inferior. Such arrogance! Such self-importance! And such stupidity!

They think this, of course, because they believe that they are Allah’s chosen people. They believe that anyone that has not yet embraced Islam is living in a backward state of jahiliyyah, the wretched, dystopian, chaotic, pre-Islamic state. Funny, isn’t it, that God has chosen the West to be so much more advanced?

Karen Armstrong, in today’s Guardian (see below), was very critical of the Pope. In an article entitled, We cannot afford to maintain these ancient prejudices against Islam, she surely misunderstood the Pope’s message! She wrote: ”He has, most unfortunately, withdrawn from the interfaith initiatives inaugurated by his predecessor, John Paul II, at a time when they are more desperately needed than ever. Coming on the heels of the Danish cartoon crisis, his remarks were extremely dangerous. They will convince more Muslims that the west is incurably Islamophobic and engaged in a new crusade.”

No, no, no, Ms Armstrong! He hasn’t withdrawn from interfaith dialogue at all! What he has done is try to point out that for there to be meaningful dialogue, the violence has to stop. He is trying to pull the zealots up higher. No moderate, reasonable Muslim can object to that; and after all is said and done, it is with reasonable Muslims that any meaningful ‘interfaith dialogue’ can take place.

The fact of the matter is that everybody has climbed onto the bandwagon. Both non-Muslims and Muslims alike have taken one ancient quotation out of context in the hope of ridiculing this wonderful Pope. Fortunately, and as one would expect, he has responded intelligently, serenely, and with dignity.

Unfortunately, where there is honey, there are bees. Bees sting! If the Pope is guilty of anything, he is guilty of forgetting that.

©Mark Alexander

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