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Deep wounds between Christians and Muslims. Let's see. Did Khatami mean this? Or this? Maybe this? How about this? Or this? This?
Or could Khatami have been referring to this? Or perhaps to this? Could it be this?
Of course, the answer is none of the above. Khatami was not referring to any of those incidents of Muslim violence against Christians, or persecution and harassment of Christians, all of which took place during the last month. No, what Khatami was referring to was the Pope's speech at Regenburg that touched off the Pope Rage riots of last year -- and why? Because the Pope quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor suggesting that Islam was violent.
Now consider for a moment what he could have done on this occasion. Shaking hands with the Pope, Khatami could have decried the Muslim persecution of Christians, apologized for it, and called upon Muslims to treat the "People of the Book" with all the respect that Islamic apologists in the West claim they have for them. He could have told the Pope, "I deplore your remarks about Islam and Muhammad, although I am aware that you have made it clear that you do not share those sentiments, and I have determined that the best response to them is to show the world that Islam is peaceful and rational. I ask Muslims worldwide to behave in this manner, thus removing any cause anyone might have to suspect that the Emperor Manuel II Paleologos was right about our religion and our prophet."
But he didn't say anything like this, of course. He just whined and played the victim, after the well-established pattern of the spokesmen for his coreligionists in the West.
By Philip Pullella for Reuters, with thanks to JS:
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami met Pope Benedict on Friday and said the wounds between Christians and Muslims were still "very deep," including those caused by a controversial papal speech last September.Khatami became one of the most prominent Muslim clerics to visit the
Vatican since the Pope's controversial Regensburg speech which angered Muslims by appearing to link Islam and violence."These wounds are very deep. There are many wounds and they cannot heal that easily," Khatami told a conference in Rome just before the papal meeting, when asked if the wounds that followed the Pontiff's speech in his native Germany had been healed.
"For sure, a meeting with the Holy Father cannot be enough to heal all these wounds but at least we are making a joint effort in order to start healing these wounds," Khatami said.
Posted by Robert at May 5, 2007 5:38 AM
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Did he bring the black flag of islam to hang over the vatican?
The pope should direct him to www.thereligionofpeace.com
Posted by: Borg![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 5, 2007 8:09 AM
Ironic that this meeting had taken place on the first Friday for the month of May. This month honors Mary the mother of Jesus and also this was when Mary first appeared at Fatima in Portagual to 3 children, the town's name coming from the daugther of Muhammed.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at May 5, 2007 8:35 AM
Typical Muslim victimhood mentality. It never crossed his mind the Quranic-aprooved wounds islamo-fascists have inflicted on Christians for 1400 years.
Posted by: Crusader at May 5, 2007 9:03 AM
Isn’t there some sort of Catholic prophecy that the intercession or prayers of Our Lady of Fatima will bring peace between Christians and Muslims?
Or am I imagining that?
at May 5, 2007 9:04 AM
Khatami ought to know about deep wounds that will not heal; he has ordered the torture, maiming and murder of those who seek freedom from the tyranny of Islam in Iran.
The Pope may meet with anyone he likes, but, allowing Khatami to pretend to worship the same God as Christians is a mistake.
Yahweh is not Allha. Allha is not Yahweh.
Posted by: BurkasforHitlery at May 5, 2007 10:30 AM
I had great hopes for Pope Benedict. This is very disappointing.
at May 5, 2007 10:43 AM
The Pope may meet with anyone he likes, but, allowing Khatami to pretend to worship the same God as Christians is a mistake.
I agree. Having been brought up a Catholic, the only things Allah and the God I was raised to believe in have in common are very generic, like eternal existence and omniscience. Everything related to things like judgement and other "human" attributes (e.g., mercy and love) is entirely different in Islam and Catholicism. Spengler at the Asia Times has written very cogently about how jihad and communion symbolize the different conceptions of God in Islam and Christianity, respectively, with jihad literally being the Islamic version of communion. If the Pope had any sense, he would at the very least proclaim them irreconcilable, unless what he means is that both Islam and Catholicism worship an eternal and omniscient God, in which case they are the same, but that is hardly the basis upon which the Islamic world and the West differ. Where we differ is in precisely those areas where we believe we are acting out God's will on earth, not whether or not we believe God is eternal.
Pope, the Muslims are parasites on your religion, and ungrateful, obnoxious and deadly parasites at that. If you truly believe in the divine essence and message of Jesus Christ (which you should, since you're the Pope!), you should not put Muslims on the same level as Catholics and your meetings with folks like this Iranian mullah would be very different.
Posted by: venividivici at May 5, 2007 10:45 AM
Khatami became one of the most prominent Muslim clerics to visit the
Vatican since the Pope's controversial Regensburg speech which angered Muslims by appearing to link Islam and violence.
A blind man can see the link of islam and violence.
Posted by: interestinconundrum at May 5, 2007 11:24 AM
Since Muslims are considered historical heretics, all the Pope needs to do, in situations like this, is kindly ask of his Muslim visitor : "Do you wish to renounce your violent creed and rejoin the peaceful faith?"
The rest is silliness and tap-dancing and gives a phony equivalency betwen the two "faiths".
Christ preached forgiveness and love.
Mohammad ordered terror and conquest.
There's no unity between the two.
Except the word "and".
And that's not enough.
Posted by: profitsbeard at May 5, 2007 11:33 AM
A blind man can see the link of Islam and violence.
Indeed and as the world and his dog watches and listens to the increasing tide of Muslim violence worldwide, meetings like this give the Islamists a perfect opportunity to blatantly avoid admitting the truth. Be honest, you’d have fallen out of your chair if this bearded Muslim had raised the issue of Muslims being violent because it would spoil the whole thing!
The Pope (GBHCS), God bless his cotton socks, stuck the knife in right up to the hilt when he broadcast to the world what was said in the 14th century. It was a brilliant strategy because the world media were FORCED to put in print and televise a statement which they otherwise would not do due to political correctness. Now the cat’s out of the bag, it’s no secret, even if the media never make another slanderous comment about Muslims and continue to refer to them as insurgents, youths or restive inhabitants we all know. Of course the Pope (GBHCS) did not apologise as such, if I remember correctly, he said he ‘regretted’ the situation which had arisen, as in, I’m sorry that you are still a barbaric hate ridden bunch and the world would be better rid of you.
The issue still pains the Muslims, as we see and the poor things will be forced to rake over the coals at meetings like this and the world will be reminded of what the Pope (GBHCS) said and the rather obvious fact will again be brought to the surface.
It should be welcomed that these meetings take place as it gives the world an opportunity to see first hand just how pig ignorant and sly the Islamists can be.
at May 5, 2007 12:17 PM
To say nothing of Vatican II:
"In his speech, Benedict quoted two previous pontiffs, including his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who referred to the "spiritual bonds" between Christianity and Islam in a 1979 speech in Ankara.
"He also quoted Pope Gregory VII, an 11th-century pontiff who talked about the charity that Christians and Muslims owe each other "because we believe in one God, albeit in a different manner." ---CNN.com, November 29, 2006
Posted by: Denzinger at May 5, 2007 4:15 PM
I'm not Catholic no more..no more...no more ...
no more...
Thank God (not Allah) I won't be killed me for saying that.
at May 5, 2007 6:58 PM
Here it is oh me god-ness! If I hadn't seen it!
I best shut up! He believes he is trying to do a good thing...? it's late
at May 6, 2007 1:39 AM
As an Iranian ex-pat I am amazed to see that Khatami still has the nerve to show his lame face on the world stage at all after his disastrous 8 years in presidential office in Iran! This man betrayed his Iranian supporters in the most shameful and ignoble manner and under his presidency the Islamists could perpetrate more acts of violence and oppression against the freedom-seekers and activists in Iran than any other time! He always put his lame smiley face forward to fool people but when it comes to action he is nothing more than a typical Muslim. He used to talk about the rule of law and the dialogue between cultures and religions and goody-good stuff like that, but in action he operates on the very same totalitarian and illogical mindset as any other fanatical Muslim. He just puts a nice coat on it and pretend to be civilized!
In general I am sick and tired of hearing Muslims pretending to be the victims! Both in Mecca and Medina and later on in the world stage Muslims never have been the victims. They have always been the aggressors, but later on when others get back at them and try to resist their aggression they immediately start to cry wolf and claim victimhood and shed tears of sorrow for their own fate! For example when their rear ends got kicked out of Andalusia where it didn't belong at the first place they cried victimhood, conveniently forgetting that they themselves were uninvited guests and aggressors there for several centuries after their violent takeover!
I remember in my childhood the Islamic history books that I read with one voice were proclaiming that the crusades where such a crime against the peaceful Muslims in Palestine! They tried to paint such an idyllic, Utopian picture of Jerusalem under the Muslim rule and then show how those barbarian Christians came and ruin everything! Only later on in my life after I had access to more reliable and objective history books I learned that first of all Palestine was conquered by Muslims at the first place from Christian Byzantine Empire and its inhabitants were forced to convert to Islam (much like ancient Persia) and then after some years they even started to harass Christian pilgrims and denying them access to their holy sites! So they provoked the attack themselves!
That is how they do it! They brainwash children and tell them their distorted, one-sided version of history until they totally believe that the whole world is and has always been against them since time immemorial! Of course such people would feel hurt, wounded, angry, and messed up!
But meanwhile when the West is trying to strangle its freedom of speech in order not to offend the Muslims, the Muslims are very busy brainwashing their kids about the supposed criminal acts of Christians in the history, and the fact that their holy book has been corrupted and that their priests are all perverts and that themselves are Najis (impure) and unreliable, drunkards who are after Muslim women's honor and are set about to corrupt Islamic nations with their way of life! What hypocrites!
Posted by: ritamalik at May 7, 2007 6:42 AM
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