Islam on the Pope

Quotes on the recent Benedict on Islam controversy:


Hussein Shabakshy wrote in an article published by the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat. “These are ignorant comments previously made by Adolf Hitler, who spoke of a supreme white race against all the other races, especially the African race.”

This is a rather ironic misunderstanding of history. Hitler’s recorded comments on Islam are in fact quite positive: he preferred it to Christianity, because he believed it was warlike, while Christianity was too forgiving.

Nor did Hitler, as far as we can tell, have any special interest in an “African race” (there is of course no such thing). His concern was with the Aryans as master race, with the Jews as a supposed pollutant, and with the Slavs as a subject race. None are from Africa.



Somebody on Wizbang comments: “While whole hosts of people got bent out of shape over his quoting Manuel II, I didn't see too many refutations of it, with people citing just where Manuel got it wrong and showing some positive innovations from Islam.”


I think this is very much what is called for. I am personally quite disappointed that apparently no dialogue has yet been attempted on the Muslim side.

Nor does it seem to be simply that the Western media are not reporting the erudite responses from the other side. I have been scanning the Muslim English-language media too, and have so far seen no response to Manuel II’s charges. The Khaleej Times has also called for this, and seems to have received no response from leading Muslim scholars.

Here is Islam’s great chance to refute the charge, which, whether the Pope believes it or not, is worth refuting for the sake of Islam’s reputation in the non-Muslim world. Why is nobody taking up the task? Why the deafening silence?