The Pope is a genius!

Glory be! The Pope is a true genius.

Although I am not a Catholic, I could kiss his hand.

Having re-read his lecture, some of the implications are starting to sink in.

Firstly, why has the reaction amongst the Islamic world been so extreme? Was it, for example, that the Pope is suggesting that we should gain a better understanding of God through the use of reason? No. Was it, for example, for suggesting that God abhors bloodshed, and we can understand that to be so through, amongst other things, the use of reason? No.

On the contrary, neither of those important messages would have made any impression on the Islamified mind.

The real reason for the violent reaction was that the Pope had the temerity to quote the following, written by the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, written probably during the siege of Constantinople (1394-1402):
"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".

A few lines earlier, the Pope had quoted from the Quran "There shall be no compulsion in religion". This verse, by the way, is often quoted today to "prove" that Islam is tolerant. However, let me deal with that matter presently.

We now have the spectacle throughout the Islamic world, of effigies of the Pope being burned, and heated protesters shouting and waving banners. Also churches have been attacked.

Why? We are told emphatically by prominent Muslim leaders that Islam is not spread by the sword. That is what has upset them. What appers to have not upset them is the call to use our reason, and the abhorrence of bloodshed.

It is very easy to demonstrate, by quoting from the Quran itself, that the Islamic faith was, and presumably continues to be spread by violence. For example:

"And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers." Quran 2.191

Why did the Pope not quote from the Quran, as I have done? It is inconceivable that he would not be aware of this verse, and indeed he alludes to such verses. I suspect that there are more subtle aspects to this whole lecture than I am currently aware of.

By mentioning the siege of Constantinople, is the Pope perhaps extending a hand of friendship towards the Orthodox Church? Perhaps he is looking ahead to the future, and considering the siege of Rome? Due to demographic changes, I have seen figures that the Islamic population will be a majority in Holland in around 20 years time, and in Italy in around 40 years time. (I have not found confirmation of these figures, so please treat them as approximate figures). However, in France, approximately one third of the under 30-year-olds are Muslims, so these figures are credible.

History has a habit of repeating itself, but with increasingly devastating results. It is easy to consider the scenario whereby missiles, equipped with nuclear warheads, would be used against the Vatican.

Returning to the Pope's message. The two aspects that have been ignored by the Islamic world, are: Firstly we must use our reason, and secondly, bloodshed is abhorrent to God. It would seem to me that Islam has studiously avoided these issues. It cannot use reason, because that would be like a tool against the revealed word of Allah. The tool of reason would be like a tin-opener, opening a can of worms.

Secondly, the Pope has pointed out that God abhors bloodshed. I could have pointed that out to Muslims, simply by quoting from Genesis, regarding the murder of Abel by his brother Cain:

"And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;" Genesis 4:10-11

Why should a Muslim care what is written in the Old Testament of the Bible? Well, there is the concept that of the holy Book, a portion was given to the Jews, that is, the Old Testament.

So, Muslims would rather conveniently ignore the two key points in the Pope's message, namely to use reason, and to abhor bloodshed. Instead, they choose to divert attention away from those matters, in order to deny that Islam is spread by the sword.

As I see it, the Pope's true genius lies in forcing Islam to choose: Will they admit that it is spread by the sword, but from now on they will use reason when reading the Quran? Or, will they deny reason, thereby denying that Islam is spread by the sword? They appear to have chosen the latter option.

By denying reason, however, they have to also deny that Islam is spread by the sword. This has clearly been demonstrated by my quote from the Quran above. Here is another quote, just to reinforce the message:

"They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah's way; but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper." Quran 4.89

I mentioned earlier that the verse in the Quran which states "There shall be no compulsion in religion" is often used to "demonstrate" that Islam is peaceful and tolerant. This, however, is just a half-truth. Any Muslim who quotes this verse alone (or similar verses alone) is being dishonest if he fails to mention the concept of abrogation:

"Whatever communications We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or like it. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things?" Quran 2.106

In practice, abrogation means that many of the earlier, mild-mannered and tolerant verses are superceded by some seriously hard line verses, such as:

"When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them." Quran 8.12

And

"And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!" Quran 9.30

Compare that with the tolerant type of verse that it supercedes:

"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." Quran 2.62

Is a Muslim obliged to tell the truth? The shocking answer, is no, they are not. Islam itself absolves them from the responsibility to be honest. This is a far cry from all other religions (as far as I know), including most emphatically Christianity. The Pope states: "The scientific ethos, moreover, is .. the will to be obedient to the truth, and, as such, it embodies an attitude which belongs to the essential decisions of the Christian spirit."

The British legal system is grounded firmly in Christian principles. A witness is obliged to "Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Here is a quote from the Hadiths, clearly stating that a Muslim is not bound by such principles:

"Whenever I tell you a narration from Allah's Apostle, by Allah, I would rather fall down from the sky than ascribe a false statement to him, but if I tell you something between me and you (not a Hadith) then it was indeed a trick (i.e., I may say things just to cheat my enemy). " Hadith Volume 9, Book 84, Number 64

Finally, it would seem that the Muslim world has scored an own goal. By criticising the Pope so violently, they have ensured that perhaps many millions of people have downloaded and read the Pope's lecture. Any person with a logical mind can see for themselves how reasonable are the Pope's statements.

"Not to act reasonably, not to act with logos, is contrary to the nature of God", said Manuel II, according to his Christian understanding of God, in response to his Persian [Muslim] interlocutor. It is to this great logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures.

It would appear that an appeal to Islam to use reason is no nearer to being achieved, after at least 600 years.

Humanity needs peace not Islam.