Islamic Leaders Are Divided Over Pontiff’s Expression of Remorse
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
VATICAN CITY — Some Islamic leaders accepted Pope Benedict XVI’s explanation yesterday of his remarks on Islam and violence.Others said it was not enough but cautioned followers against a violent backlash after attacks on churches in Palestinian Arab areas and the slaying of a nun in Somalia.
Two churches were set on fire in the West Bank, raising to at least seven the number of church attacks in Palestinian Arab areas over the weekend blamed on outrage sparked by the speech.
The head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, a banned group but still the largest Islamic movement in that country, said the outrage was justified but predicted it would subside quickly.
“Our relations with Christians should remain good, civilized, and cooperative,” Mohammed Mahdi Akef told the Associated Press in Cairo.
Germany’s Central Council of Muslims welcomed the pope’s comments yesterday as “the most important step to calm the protest” and urged the Vatican to seek discussion with Islamic representatives to avoid lasting damage.
But others were still demanding an apology for the words, including in Turkey, where questions have been raised about whether Benedict should go ahead with a visit scheduled for November as the first trip of his papacy to an Islamic nation.
“It is very saddening. The Islamic world is expecting an explanation from the pope himself,” Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin told reporters in Istanbul. “You either have to say this ‘I’m sorry’ in a proper way or not say it at all. Are you sorry for saying such a thing or because of its consequences?”
Turkish Education Minister Huseyin Celik voiced similar concern. “It is different to be sorry and to apologize,” he said.
A professor at the Institute of Judicial and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mohammad al-Nujemi, expressed dismay at what he called Benedict’s “evading apology.”
“His statements might give terrorists and Al Qaeda followers legitimacy that there is really an attempt to hurt Muslims,” Mr. Nujemi told Al-Arabiya television. In Damascus, Syria, lawmaker Mohammad Habash said the pope offered a “clarification and not [an] apology.” But Mr. Habash also called for “calm and dialogue.”
Hundreds of Iranians demonstrated against the pope in cities across Iran. In Qom, the religious capital of Iran’s 70 million Shiite Muslims, hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami said the pope and President Bush were “united in order to repeat the Crusades.”
