Pope’s speech stirs Muslim anger

Questioning the concept of holy war, he quoted a 14th-Century Christian emperor who said Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things.

A senior Pakistani Islamic scholar, Javed Ahmed Gamdi, said jihad was not about spreading Islam with the sword.

Turkey's top religious official asked for an apology for the "hostile" words.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, police seized copies of newspapers which reported the Pope's comments to prevent any tension.

A Vatican spokesman, Father Frederico Lombardi, said he did not believe the Pope's comments were meant as a harsh criticism of Islam.

'Abhorrent'

In his speech at Regensburg University, the German-born pontiff explored the historical and philosophical differences between Islam and Christianity and the relationship between violence and faith.

Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manual II Paleologos of Byzantine, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The emperors words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad 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."

Benedict said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul".

The Pope is due to visit Turkey in November and the Turkish response was swift and strong, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports from Istanbul.

Religious leader Ali Badda Kolu said the Pope's comments represented what he called an "abhorrent, hostile and prejudiced point of view".

Whilst Muslims might express their criticism of Islam and of Christianity, he argued, they would never defame the Holy Bible or Jesus Christ.

He said he hoped the Pope's speech did not reflect "hatred in his heart" against Islam.

Many Turks see Benedict as a Turkophobe and commentators call his words just before the holy month of Ramadan "ill-timed and ill-conceived", our correspondent adds.

wasi siddiqui wrote: The emperors words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad 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."

seems like the Pope had never read the Old Testament, especially the book of Joshua and Samuel that order the killing of Women, children and even Babies!!!

Agree with you hanan

and seems he didnt read also talmud

and he dont know about ZETO ( the most dangerous jewish terrorist organization ) and also ( kahane and kach )

they also believe in suiciding to save israel

and anyhow again the world tried to conveinced the arab world that our problem is jewish

while jewish cant be strong unless the christians would help them and support them

and the jewish isnt smart enough to know that they have been used to kill the more muslims they can

and do you think that the christians ( specially in the last war between lebanon and israel ) would care how many jewish would die

there policy let the infidels kill eachother

and for the christian ( we and jewish  ) are infidels we dont believe that jesus is god

though the christians never dare to face jewish that way

because if they do , they would lose their allies in middle east

the allies that likes to kill muslims ....

by aiding of USA and vatican

And no wonder why pope look his all his pictures as satan

( ghadab allah ala washo )

and I again sorry to say that sure those are the antichrist that trying to conveince people to worship to a man

the man on  the crusades ...

We see USA and europe as heaven

while their heaven is our hell ,, is sex , homosexuality in the houses of allah ( church and synagogue )

pride parade gays ,,,, naked woman , porn , freedom

what is the defenition of freedom for those people who fight islam ?

naked woman and those dirty songs they do on TV ?

or the freedom and the civiliazation is to help people to live with good ethics and be clever and upgrading their countries

Our arab leaders unfortunately because they are very weak

they cant understand that our civiliazation is not with HAIFA WAHBI and more naked woman

our civilization is to help the public to live in a better life

good education , good traffic

help youth to get married instead of fool girls cuz they cant marry

cuz they dont have money to have a appartment

many many gaps in arab world that been used by our enemies to fight islam and arab

Hasbi allah from those who gives satan the gate to our countries .

wasi siddiqui wrote: Muslim religious leaders have accused Pope Benedict XVI of quoting anti-Islamic remarks during a speech at a German university this week.

I wish the muslims stop being so jumpy for something they did not even read. For God sake, the pope was talking about the God head just like when the muslim sheikh preach the tauhid.

Please read before start talking, and stop listening to what other people say. I read the script myself and tried to understand it with great difficulty, but I did.

If any of you who does not read it fully have no right to make any comment. It is a simple rule to avoid flaming.

The Pope maybe attacking Islam or muslims, fine. But no read - no talk.