September 15, 2006
Peaceful people...
...don't riot in the streets when a religious figure criticizes them.
Accusing someone of bigotry for criticizing you is, well, bigoted.
Benedict needn't backpedal here. He quoted a seven-hundred year-old religious figure in a historical context. It's not his responsiblity that anyone goes apeshit as a result.
It also doesn't help that the 14th century pontiff may have been right, but...
Best quote
on this whole issue comes from Turkish foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam, who in criticizing the Pope's address said, "Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence."
One might also consider the fact that the Emperor whom Benedict quoted made those remarks while in the middle of an ultimately losing fight against Ottoman Muslims.
Posted by: Mason at September 15, 2006 06:23 PM