Pope Francis: Don't equate Islam with violence

[Jazzy]

Pope Francis said on Sunday that equating Islam with violence was wrong and called on Muslim leaders to issue a global condemnation of terrorism to help dispel the stereotype.

Francis, the leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, told reporters aboard his plane returning from a visit to Turkey that he understood why Muslims were offended by many in the West who automatically equated their religion with terrorism.

Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, caused storms of protest throughout the Islamic world in 2006, when he made a speech that suggested to many Muslims that he believed Islam espoused violence.

Benedict said he had been misunderstood and apologized. But this year, the image of a violent religion has once more been promoted by Islamic State, who have seized swathes of Syria and Iraq, slaughtering or driving out Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and others who do not share their radical brand of Sunni Islam.

The Argentine pope, who has been trying to foster cooperation with moderate Islam in order to work for peace and protect Christians in the Middle East, said it was wrong for anyone to react to terrorism by being "enraged" against Islam.

"You just can’t say that, just as you can’t say that all Christians are fundamentalists. We have our share of them (fundamentalists). All religions have these little groups," he said.

"They (Muslims) say: ‘No, we are not this, the Koran is a book of peace, it is a prophetic book of peace'."

Francis said he had made the suggestion of a global condemnation of terrorism by Islamic leaders in talks on Friday with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

"I told the president that it would be beautiful if all Islamic leaders, whether they are political, religious or academic leaders, would speak out clearly and condemn this because this would help the majority of Muslim people," he said.

Source

Comments?

 

[DrLeftover]

There are a large number of people with bandanas around their faces who would disagree with the 'holy father' and his friends.

Nigeria's Boko Haram Violence Now Comparable to ISIS in Iraq

6 Dec

Intensifying violence perpetrated by Islamist radicals and government troops in Nigeria has for the first time claimed more than 10,000 lives in just 12 months, according to new figures.

The rate of violence in Africa's most populous country is comparable to the civilian death toll in Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition is fighting ISIS.

Nigeria's bloodiest year is the result of a relentless insurgency by the Islamist sect Boko Haram. Bombings, shootings and kidnappings have become weekly events, and the group is estimated to control an area of northeast Nigeria the size of Rhode Island.

with video:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-nigeria-schoolgirls/nigerias-boko-haram-violence-now-comparable-isis-iraq-n260576

 

[Webster]

He's (i.e. Pope Francis) also apparently forgotten that there's a long line of history connecting Islam with violence. Now, does this mean that all Muslims are violent? Not at all...but there is a linkage between the Islamic faith and violence, which cannot be ignored. Quoting:

After the events of September 11th, the issue of violence and religion has once again come into intense discussions and debate. It is our conviction that although various political, socio-economic and cultural factors have significantly contributed to the rise of violence and terrorism in contemporary fundamentalist Islam, we cannot ignore the religious dimension of this violence that goes back to the very heart and origin of Islam.

The point that we'd like to make is quite simple. Muslims who commit acts of violence and terror in the name of God, can find ample justification for their actions, based on the teachings of the Qur'an and the sayings and examples from prophet Muhammad himself! We have often heard in the media that the relationship between Muslim terrorists and Islam is like that of KKK and Christianity. This analogy is absolutely false. Christians who have engaged in violence, are betraying the explicit teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Muslims who take upon themselves to destroy their alleged enemies in the name of God, can rightly claim to be following the commands of God in the Qur'an and imitating their prophet as their role model.

Our point, of course, should not be taken to imply that all faithful and devout Muslims, must become violent, in order to be true to the teachings of Islam. We will not hesitate to say that the vast majority of the Muslim world condemns acts of terror and violence. There are many schools of thought in Islam with various and often conflicting interpretations of the Qur'an. However, the important distinction that we are making is this: the minority groups in Islam who resort to violence, are not an aberration to Islam, but in fact can legitimately claim to be working within the basic parameters of Islamic Jihad. We will now turn to the evidence in support of our claim. (Answering Islam)

 

[DrLeftover]

Oh, yes, we mustn't forget the Honorable Minister:

November 30, 2014

The Rev. Louis Farrakhan gave a racially charged sermon on Saturday, arguing that a “law for retaliation” exists in Islam that justifies violence in the wake of grand jury decisions in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases.

Speaking at Morgan State University, a black college in Baltimore, Mr. Farrakhan argued that peaceful protests are only in the interest of “white folks,” The Daily Caller reported.

“Watch now, because once it starts, it’s on. You may not want to fight, but you better get ready. Teach your baby how to throw the bottle if they can,” he said, apparently referencing a Molotov cocktail. “We going to die anyway. Let’s die for something.”

The Nation of Islam leader held up what appeared to be the organization’s version of the Koran and purported that violence is justified by the “law of retaliation” in the religious text.

“In this book, there’s a law for retaliation,” he said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/30/louis-farrakhan-justifies-racial-violence-lets-die/

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Not all Muslims of course are radicals who want to kill everyone who is not a Muslim but...................

As Chris Plante asked “can you tell me who the head of the Muslim peace movement is?”

And..............

Brigitte Gabriel said

   There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. Of course not all of them are radicals! The majority of them are peaceful people. The radicals are estimated to be between 15 to 25 percent, according to all intelligence services around the world. That leaves 75 percent of them peaceful people.

   But when you look at 15 to 25 percent of the world’s Muslim population, you’re looking at 180 million to 300 million people dedicated to the destruction of Western civilization. That is as big [as] the United States.

   So why should we worry about the radical 15 to 25 percent? Because it is the radicals that kill. Because it is the radicals that behead and massacre.

   When you look throughout history, when you look at all the lessons of history, most Germans were peaceful. Yet, the Nazis drove the agenda and, as a result, 60 million people died. Almost 14 million in concentration camps; 6 million were Jews. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

   When you look at Russia, most Russians were peaceful as well. Yet, the Russians were able to kill 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

   When you look at China, for example, most Chinese were peaceful as well. Yet, the Chinese were able to kill 70 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

   When you look at Japan prior to World War II, most Japanese were peaceful as well. Yet, Japan was able to butcher its way across the Southeast Asia, killing 12 million people, mostly killed with bayonets and shovels. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

   On Sept. 11 in the United States, we had 2.3 million Arab Muslims living in the United States. It took 19 hijackers, 19 radicals, to bring America down to its knees, destroy the World Trade Center, attack the Pentagon and kill almost 3,000 Americans that day. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

So.................

 For all our powers of reason and for us talking about moderate and peaceful Muslims, I’m glad you’re here. But where are the others speaking out?


So the peaceful Muslims have a lot inner personal issues to deal with before the world can come out and give more respect to them. First would be to the millions of good Muslims to start demanding that millions of women be taken out of slavery and given equal rights. But the question is DO THE GOOD MALE MUSLIMS WANT OR CAN EXCEPT SUCH A MOVEMENT?

And next would be a mass movement of the peaceful Muslims to take back there religion from the radicals. Where is that movement? Or is it somewhere deep down a majority do not have a problem with the radical movement and just turn a blind eye to it?

Watch the video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B-vvoRwJSPc

What the Muslims need is there version of a Martin Luther King to embrace freedom and equal rights for women. And to start fighting back against the 300 million radicals world wide causing misery and death. So when I see four things from the Muslims my attitudes will begin to change. First is the middle east countries cleaning out the radicals in mass. Second Start building up there versions of special forces to fight against these radicals in the middle east. Third stop showing the intense hatred they have for Israel and begin to embrace true peace. Four begin changing the laws on how women are treated.

When those things begin then come back to me and speak of how peaceful they are and you will have my full attention.