Turkish Lawmaker Compares Pope to Hitler

She's saying "There are some people that would take offence to this statement and act out in violent ways. For example, members of al Quaeda."

One of the reasons Islamic fundamentalist terrorists commit acts of terror is because they feel Islam is not taken seriously in Western countries. The Pope's statement doesn't exactly help.

How can you take anyone seriously when every time you turn around they are saying you are offending them? This is getting ridiculous. I am getting so sick and tired of Muslims complaining about every little thing that is ever said about them. Guess what, we have freedom of speech, if you dont like, too damn bad. That doesnt give you the right to attack people, kill, threaten, riot, or anything. They sit there and whine that we dont show any respect for their feelings and values, yet not show any for ours when we tend to bend over backwards for them?

It's not just Muslims... *every* religion has people that complain.

Besides, he does bare a resemblance to Hitler, looks wise ;p

But no other religion attacks, kills, riots and bombs when it happens thereby proving his statements about how involved Islam is with violence.

You know the US is run basically by Christians right now right.......

You could say it always has been. And how many times have we rioted, bombed, and kill people in other countries just because someone said something bad about us?

But no other religion attacks, kills, riots and bombs when it happens thereby proving his statements about how involved Islam is with violence.

That's... a load of rubbish.

Look into history... on Encarta if you must... at some of the crusades throughout Europe to get people to convert to Christianity/Cathlosism... That's just one example.

Because they said bad things.....can't think of any off the top of my head. I can think of some for a lot of other reasons though, like greed, to breed fear in the public, the fact that god put oil that (duh) belongs to the US under other countries, etc.

And that of course is the actual government, not just the wacko extremists terrorist types, which tend to cause damage on the home field like a lot of the other terrorists, funny how that is...isn't it?

Robbie, lets try to stay a little more current than the crusades on this. Its nowhere near an equal comparison.

But no other religion attacks, kills, riots and bombs

You specified no timeline, and as I said -- "That's just one example."

It is an equal comparison, considering your statement was amazingly broad and even if you look at it from today's day and age, is still wrong.

Governments use religion to their favour. They use it to start wars, to kill people... even civilians do this. Be their religion Goth or Catholic... it's well documented throughout history and today (although not so much documented as widely known).

I did not think a timeline was particularly necessary.

Even still if we use your example, please point out how that happened strictly based on a statement that someone said. I believe a bit more happened during the crusades. So therefore it is not an equal comparison.

Nor do you provide a current example.

Tasnim Aslam's words are idiotic at best. I'm sorr for such a comment. Answers to such remarks coming from people like th Pope should be worded much more carefully. To add a not about Muslims in India and Pakistan (As a fellow muslim) I think they're waiting in garages next to their trucks with banners and picket signs in their hands, whenever someone makes such unfortunate comments they race each other to picket and demonstrate. In 15 minutes after an incident you can see Pakistani muslims demonstrating! Kudos on such zeal!

The Pope recounted an historical statement. People who think they can rewrite history are the stupid ones.

I, too, am getting fed up with the so-called "good Muslims" complaining at every opportunity about little or nothing while remaining completely silent about the mass murderers who act in the name of Islam. It's time a war erupted within Islam. Let's see some positive actions for a change.

The Pope recounted an historical statement.

Yes. But, to what end? Don't you think that the following quote:

'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.'"

Was bound to cause a problem? In today's political climate quoting that was insensitive, and inflammatory. Further, he didn't agree nor disagree with it. What was the point?

I think it's fair enough for the Pope to bring that subject up.

Islam is a proselytising religion which has a history of seeking converts by compulsion (as did Christianity historically). Moreover, many of today's Muslims are open about seeking to make the whole world muslim. I don't hear any preaching about the virtues of Islam though, only support for terrorists and violence.

This is one of the major issues in our world today. A large body of Muslims intent on Islamifying the world by whatever means against everyone else with no intention whatever of converting and getting less enthused about the idea with every passing second.

It does not augur well.

The Pope is right to bring this into public debate. Maybe the precise wording was insensitive but the topic is fair game for discussion.

The right answer from the Pakistanis would have been "Please do not be alarmed by this ancient doctrine. We are a peace-loving faith. We wish to co-exist peacefully with all other faiths and it is no longer part of mainstream Islam to impose our religion on others."

What we actually got just reinforced the Pope's point. We do have something to worry about.

The real question is:

"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.'"

Is that untrue? If its not then there is nothing wrong with that statement. Its an indictment of Islam and that would be the fault of Islam and its supporters, not the person who points it out.

Moreover, many of today's Muslims are open about seeking to make the whole world muslim.

I have real issues with these sort of blanket statements. Now, I'm not Muslim, so I can't speak from experience, but I find it very hard to believe that people just like, who happen to be Muslim, are bent on religious world domination. I figure most people are just trying to get by, doing their day-to-day things, and don't really care about what religion everyone else is, so long as it's not restricting them from being Muslim. Are there any Muslims here who can honestly talk about this? I'm tired of arguing with people who aren't Muslim, haven't read the Quaran and yet will make all sorts of statements about what they feel, think, desire, etc.

Enigma,

You're right. I'm not Muslim either, but I live in Turkey, a Muslim country. Everyone here is Muslim, including my wife. Living here is surprisingly like living in the states - great people, @!$%#ty government.

A small minority is more accurate

Don't kid yourself! A survey of British muslims after the recent foiled airplane liquid explosive plot revealed that around 30% support the terrorists.

That does not make me feel at all comfortable, nor any other non-moslems.

I have called before for the Moslem leadership in the UK and anywhere else to foster an attitude of respect for the non-moslem country where they have been welcomed, not to harbour the hope or intention of making it a moslem country against the will of the majority.

If they don't do this at some stage things will get nasty.

P62.8% of polls are inacurate or just blatently fabricaded with creatively worded questions and selective participants..and some are just made up...like this one...

Really, saying 30% of muslims in a certain area that make up about 2.7% of the global muslim population is a majority view is absurd. A higher percentage of people in the US that think the sun revolves around the earth.

Thirty percent is still a minority, though I agree with you. Muslim leaders do need to decry terrorism worldwide. Gaps between the western world and Islam need to be bridged - which is exactly why the Pope's comment was irresponsible (at best).

You're an arch appeaser. It's short termist.Some things you have to face up to rather than patch it over and hope for the best.

Still, I have to ask...what was his point? Did he have one?

As for being an "arch appeaser," I know many Muslims. My wife is Muslim. I live in Turkey... a secular country that vehemently opposes terrorism - though the people are Muslim.

I can only guess. Maybe his point was to bring the issue more into the open, rather than suppressed, in the hope of constructive debate. If so clearly off to a bad start.

There is no official Muslim leader, so this would be harder than you think. That said, many important Muslim clerics living in Britain have spoken out against the violence. Most British Muslims, when asked, state they believe that the "Jihadists" are not Muslims at all. The alleged plot to commit terrorist acts discovered in Heathrow airport a few weeks ago was only stopped through the help of Pakistani officials, and I'm betting they aren't Christian.

Those are just a few examples. I've seen the "Muslims should openly speak out" argument on here way too many times. It's wrong. They do, and if they don't, often it's because they can't. If you lived in Iraq right now, would you speak out against radical "Muslims", knowing it would endanger your life to do so?

Ooble speaks the truth. So-called jihadists (Al-qaeda and it's derivative terrorist organizations) are already marginalized. A great majority of muslims are against such atrocious deeds. But you have to cut us some slack, openly talking about your distaste of an unbelievably dangerous terrorist organization which may or may not happen to have a cell in your part of the city would be plain stupid. But this is a fact: Great majority of muslims do not and never will support terrorism.