Al-Qaeda warns the pope...

[Heracles 417]

USA TODAY

The stuff in this article are gold. More proof that Al-Qaeda is determined to destroy the west. Well they can try..

*****

OAS_RICH("VerticalBanner")

CAIRO (AP) — An al-Qaeda-linked extremist group warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that he and the West were "doomed," as protesters raged across the Muslim world to demand more of an apology from the pontiff for his remarks about Islam and violence.The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the West. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.

ON DEADLINE: More on the controversy

The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."

Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay a head tax to safeguard their lives if conquered by Muslims. They are exempt if they convert to Islam.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, meanwhile, shops, businesses and schools shut down in response to a strike call by the head of a hard-line Muslim separatist leader to denounce Benedict. For the third day running, people burned tires and shouted "Down with the pope."

Protests also broke out in Iraq, where angry demonstrators burned an effigy of the pope in Basra, and in Indonesia, where more than 100 people rallied in front of the heavily guarded Vatican Embassy in Jakarta, waving banners that said the "Pope is building religion on hatred."

The pope on Sunday said he was "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction to his speech last week in which he cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of Islam's Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman" and referred to spreading Islam "by the sword."

Benedict said the remarks came from a text that didn't reflect his own opinion.

"I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect," he said during his weekly appearance before pilgrims in Italy.

The statement of regret — the pope's second in two days — helped ease some tensions.

In Turkey, where outrage against Benedict's remarks had been swift, Catholic bishops decided Monday that no changes were necessary in his upcoming visit in November — his first to a Muslim country, Vatican spokesman George Marovic said.

Marovic said the trip was expected to go on as planned, and the bishops had discussed the details of a religious ceremony the pontiff is to lead in Istanbul.

However, State Minister Mehmet Aydin, who oversees the religious affairs in Turkey, said he expected Turkish authorities to cancel the visit if Benedict does not offer a full apology.

"We are expecting the authorities to unilaterally cancel this visit. The pope's coming to Turkey isn't going to foment the uniting of civilizations, but a clash of civilizations," he said.

The secretary-general of the Turkish HUKUK-DER law association submitted a request to the Justice Ministry asking that the pope be arrested upon entering Turkey.

The appeal by Fikret Karabekmez, a former legislator for the banned pro-Islamic Welfare Party, called for Benedict to be tried under several Turkish laws, among them obstruction of freedom of belief, encouraging discrimination based on religion, and inciting religious hatred.

A prosecutor in the ministry will evaluate the request and decide whether to open a case.

Angry reactions also persisted in other corners of the Muslim world, where many demanded more of an apology by the pope than Sunday's statement of regret.

"Muslims have all this while felt oppressed, and the statement by the pope saying he is sorry about the angry reaction is inadequate to calm the anger — more so because he is the highest leader of the Vatican," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

More than 200 Muslims staged a sit-in at a shrine in Damascus, Syria, heeding a call by the Damascus office of Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A statement issued by the office urged the pope to "openly and plainly apologize for his remarks."

Protesters also rallied in the city of Muzaffarabad, in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir. "His apology is not sufficient because he did not say that what he said was wrong," said Uzair Ahmed of Pasban-e-Hurriyat, a Pakistani political group.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent a letter to the Vatican in which he implored Benedict to show "the same respect for Islam that you have for the other religions," Moroccan media reported. Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican over the weekend.

Even in China, where the government exerts tight controls over religious activities, a top religious official said Benedict had insulted the nation's Muslims.

"This has gravely hurt the feelings of the Muslims across the world, including those from China," Chen Guangyuan, president of Islamic Association of China, was quoted as saying in an interview with the Xinhua news agency.

In the Middle East, where Muslims threw firebombs at seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the weekend, Christian leaders posted guards outside some churches.

"We are afraid," said Sonia Kobatazi, a Christian Lebanese, after Mass at the Maronite Christian St. George Cathedral in Beirut, where about a dozen policemen carrying automatic weapons stood guard.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Heracles 417]

Hmmm. I see a world war coming..

Edited September 18, 2006 by Infidel

[sharky 2]

CAIRO (AP) — An al-Qaeda-linked extremist group warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that he and the West were "doomed," as protesters raged across the Muslim world to demand more of an apology from the pontiff for his remarks about Islam and violence.The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the West. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.

Your link is mis-leading, I hope you are not suggesting that this is the view of ALL muslims??? It was only the view of an Al-Qaeda EXTREMIST group = a bunch of nutcases hell bent on violence and destruction.

A lot of other muslim groups that speak for the majority of muslims have moved on from this crisis: excerpt from:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5356820.stm

"Although some Muslims have rejected the apology, others have welcomed it.

The Council of Muslims in Germany said the Pope had taken an important step towards calming the unrest of the past few days.

The Muslim Council of Britain said the Pope's expression of regret was "exactly the reassurance many Muslims were looking for".

I think you need to be clear about that.........

[Dr_LHA 3]

Penny for the Guy!

Edited September 18, 2006 by dr_lha

[Heracles 417]

I just feel sorry for the sane muslims who are having their religion tarnished by extremist idiots..

[sharky 2]

I just feel sorry for the sane muslims who are having their religion tarnished by extremist idiots..

Indeed........... I'm glad you said that, it's an important factor

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Your link is mis-leading, I hope you are not suggesting that this is the view of ALL muslims??

It doesn't have to be.

The US revolutionary war was not actively supported by the majority of the population, if my American Economic History professor in college was correct. The war effort was actively supported by a large minority, actively opposed by a small minority with a significant portion of the population keeping a low profile.

In times of conflict, it matters very little what the 'silent majority' wants. They're silent. They don't matter. It's those who are willing to be heard, either through the pen or the sword, either in offense or defense, that define the course of history.

All those Muslims who don't support Al Qaeda, unless they take aggressive action to root it out, are irrelevant.

[Fandango 1,439]

Penny for the Guy!

Where's my sparkler?

[Heracles 417]

The leaders of these extremists are constantly looking for scapegoats to advance their agenda.

The question is would the extremists stop their hatred for non-muslims if the US and Israel completely pulled out of the Middle East and had no relations with muslim nations? Would this bring peace?

The thing that concerns me is that these guys are growing in numbers. Much like a virus or outbreak left untreated. So the longer we bicker about whether it is even a problem the harder the problem will be to solve in the future..

Edited September 18, 2006 by Infidel

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Your link is mis-leading, I hope you are not suggesting that this is the view of ALL muslims??

It doesn't have to be.

The US revolutionary war was not actively supported by the majority of the population, if my American Economic History professor in college was correct. The war effort was actively supported by a large minority, actively opposed by a small minority with a significant portion of the population keeping a low profile.

In times of conflict, it matters very little what the 'silent majority' wants. They're silent. They don't matter. It's those who are willing to be heard, either through the pen or the sword, either in offense or defense, that define the course of history.

All those Muslims who don't support Al Qaeda, unless they take aggressive action to root it out, are irrelevant.

Most Muslims are silent...... Same with Nazi Germany. Most were silent there too. Look what happened.

[Heracles 417]

Most Muslims are silent...... Same with Nazi Germany. Most were silent there too. Look what happened.

The sad thing was the Germans who turned around after the war and pretended they didn't know what was happening..

[Sheriff Uling 3]

I just feel sorry for the sane muslims who are having their religion tarnished by extremist idiots..

I agree... Who among them can speak out against these intolerable acts and make an impact or change without being persecute? The extremist are completely out of control! They work for Dr. Evil and have aspirations of world domination. LOL! Cheers!!!

[sharky 2]

The leaders of these extremists are constantly looking for scapegoats to advance their agenda.

The question is would the extremists stop their hatred for non-muslims if the US and Israel completely pulled out of the Middle East and had no relations with muslim nations? Would this bring peace?

The thing that concerns me is that these guys are growing in numbers. Much like a virus or outbreak left untreated. So the longer we bicker about whether it is even a problem the harder the problem will be to solve in the future..

I think the problem is much more complicated than that.........my opinion is that extremists are growing in numbers as a direct result of US actions overseas.......

I think the Iranian ex-president "hit the nail on the head" in a speech in the US recently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5309766.stm

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I just feel sorry for the sane muslims who are having their religion tarnished by extremist idiots..

Really!? That's not what you've been saying elsewhere....

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The leaders of these extremists are constantly looking for scapegoats to advance their agenda.

The question is would the extremists stop their hatred for non-muslims if the US and Israel completely pulled out of the Middle East and had no relations with muslim nations? Would this bring peace?

The thing that concerns me is that these guys are growing in numbers. Much like a virus or outbreak left untreated. So the longer we bicker about whether it is even a problem the harder the problem will be to solve in the future..

I think the problem is much more complicated than that.........my opinion is that extremists are growing in numbers as a direct result of US actions overseas.......

I think the Iranian ex-president "hit the nail on the head" in a speech in the US recently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5309766.stm

He added: "As America claims to be fighting terrorism it implements policies which lead to the intensification of terrorism and institutionalised violence."