Gazans warn Pope to accept Islam

[homesick_american 1]

Does it strike anyone else as mildly ridiculous that extremists are demanding that people convert to Islam or be killed? Do they think any conversion under such duress would be genuine? Are they really that stupid? I mean, c'mon; Christians learned these lessons hundreds of years ago.

I'm glad to be an atheist so I can sit on the sidelines and watch the dust fly.

The irony is that these people are denser than the fanatically-Sunni Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who had a policy of forced conversion particularly aimed against Hindus and Sikhs. Against this:

• Sikhism's 9th Guru, Tegh Bahadur filed a protest--and was martyred with several of his followers; his son Gobind Singh (10th Guru) led rebellion in Punjab till Aurangzeb's death in 1707
  
• Rajputs, Jats and especially Marathas (the last caused Aurangzeb to do an "unofficial move of capitol" from Delhi to Aurangabad in 1680's; he never returned to Delhi--I've seen his tomb, basically a place by the roadside into which one can descend)
  

Toward the end of his life, Aurangzeb actually expressed remorse that the result of this policy would be the collapse of the empire--by 1727, the Mughals had only OFFICIAL authority (but no power) over the bulk of the sub-continent.

The short list of suggested reactions by Benedict:

• "flip bird"
  
• zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  

Yeah, but a lot of these extremists are poorly educated and many of them are illiterate.

Even well educated, literate westerners can be ignorant about the major religion in our region (Christianity) so let's be honest...is anyone surprised that the extremists have it all wrong? They're ignorant.

[munchkins 0]

How about the Islamic clerics accepting the fact that not everyone is Muslim, and just shutting the hell up for once?

stop asking for miracles

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yeah, but a lot of these extremists are poorly educated and many of them are illiterate.

All too oft, the requirement for a mullah is religiosity/fanaticism, rather than literacy.

(whereas priests and pastors usually have to go to divinity school and be ordained)

Even well educated, literate westerners can be ignorant about the major religion in our region (Christianity) so let's be honest...is anyone surprised that the extremists have it all wrong? They're ignorant.

Many madrassahs are known for teaching exclusively the Koran--no mathematics, sciences, etc.

[PlatyPius 5]

Yeah, but a lot of these extremists are poorly educated and many of them are illiterate.

All too oft, the requirement for a mullah is religiosity/fanaticism, rather than literacy.

(whereas priests and pastors usually have to go to divinity school and be ordained)

I'm ordained. Does that mean I is smart?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week's apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.

"If this person were really someone reasonable, he would not agree to remain at his post one minute, but would convert to Islam immediately," Mohammed Gaddafi told an awards ceremony on Monday evening for an international competition to memorise the Qur'an.

"We say to the pope - whether you apologise or not is irrelevant, as apologies make no difference to us."

Gaddafi junior also hit out at "those Muslims who look for comfort in the words of a non-Muslim".

He said Muslims "should not look for charity from the infidel... but should fight Islam's enemies who attack the faith and the Prophet Muhammad".

On Sunday, the pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the reaction to a speech he made last week in which he quoted an obscure medieval text that criticised some teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman".

The speech sparked several days of protests in Muslim countries against the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.

Although the pontiff's apology was widely rejected as insufficient, anti-pope protests seemed to subside on Tuesday with the only planned event a rally by foreign theology students in the Iranian clerical capital of Qom.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,...2000964,00.html

Edited September 19, 2006 by Gupt

[almaty 19]

The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week's apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.

"If this person were really someone reasonable, he would not agree to remain at his post one minute, but would convert to Islam immediately," Mohammed Gaddafi told an awards ceremony on Monday evening for an international competition to memorise the Qur'an.

"We say to the pope - whether you apologise or not is irrelevant, as apologies make no difference to us."

Gaddafi junior also hit out at "those Muslims who look for comfort in the words of a non-Muslim".

He said Muslims "should not look for charity from the infidel... but should fight Islam's enemies who attack the faith and the Prophet Muhammad".

On Sunday, the pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the reaction to a speech he made last week in which he quoted an obscure medieval text that criticised some teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman".

The speech sparked several days of protests in Muslim countries against the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.

Although the pontiff's apology was widely rejected as insufficient, anti-pope protests seemed to subside on Tuesday with the only planned event a rally by foreign theology students in the Iranian clerical capital of Qom.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,...2000964,00.html

what a bunch of stupid ####...

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

The Vatican has an air force?

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

The Vatican has an air force?

more like these guys is what i had in mind link

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

The Vatican has an air force?

more like these guys is what i had in mind link

Yes, I know what you had in mind.

What I'm trying to say here is that the Pope is not American. The Vatican is not America. There is no reason to get US forces involved in defense of either.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

The Vatican has an air force?

more like these guys is what i had in mind link

Yes, I know what you had in mind.

What I'm trying to say here is that the Pope is not American. The Vatican is not America. There is no reason to get US forces involved in defense of either.

i was thinking more along the lines of 1986, let him and his son know we still know where they are

[Saddle Bronc 124]

maybe time to have some more planes fly over libya..........

The Vatican has an air force?

more like these guys is what i had in mind link

With the gazan mullahs, you would need to drop a "package" directly on their heads; buzzing Libya (over 3,000 km away) or even Gaza would not even waken them.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

What I'm trying to say here is that the Pope is not American. The Vatican is not America. There is no reason to get US forces involved in defense of either.

i was thinking more along the lines of 1986, let him and his son know we still know where they are

Because they are threatening the Pope? What does that have to do with us?

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

What I'm trying to say here is that the Pope is not American. The Vatican is not America. There is no reason to get US forces involved in defense of either.

i was thinking more along the lines of 1986, let him and his son know we still know where they are

Because they are threatening the Pope? What does that have to do with us?

absolutely nothing. i did expect vp to show up and give me a hard time for that though.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

With the gazan mullahs, you would need to drop a "package" directly on their heads; buzzing Libya (over 3,000 km away) or even Gaza would not even waken them.

Srini,

You're missing the context because you missed this post - http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=455683

What I'm trying to say here is that the Pope is not American. The Vatican is not America. There is no reason to get US forces involved in defense of either.

i was thinking more along the lines of 1986, let him and his son know we still know where they are

Because they are threatening the Pope? What does that have to do with us?

absolutely nothing. i did expect vp to show up and give me a hard time for that though.