The Pope must die, say Muslims
Pastor Dale Morgan
The Pope must die, say Muslims*
18.09.06
A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday
that the Pope should face execution.
Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be "subject to
capital punishment".
His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral on a day
that worldwide anger among Muslim hardliners towards Pope Benedict XVI
appeared to deepen.
The pontiff yesterday apologised for causing offence during a lecture
last week. Quoting a medieval emperor, his words were taken to mean that
he called the prophet Mohammed "evil and inhuman".
He insisted he was "deeply sorry" but his humbling words did not go far
enough to silence all his critics or quell the violence and anger he has
triggered.
A nun was shot dead in Somalia by Islamic gunmen and churches came under
attack in Palestine.
Choudary's appeal for the death of Pope Benedict was the second time he
has been linked with apparent incitement to murder within a year.
The 39-year-old lawyer organised demonstrations against the publication
of cartoons of Mohammed in February in Denmark. Protesters carried
placards declaring "Behead Those Who Insult Islam".
Yesterday he said: "The Muslims take their religion very seriously and
non-Muslims must appreciate that and that must also understand that
there may be serious consequences if you insult Islam and the prophet.
"Whoever insults the message of Mohammed is going to be subject to
capital punishment."
He added: "I am here have a peaceful demonstration. But there may be
people in Italy or other parts of the world who would carry that out.
"I think that warning needs to be understood by all people who want to
insult Islam and want to insult the prophet of Islam."
As well as placards attacking the Pope such as "Pope go to Hell", his
followers outside the country's principal Roman Catholic church also
waved slogans aimed at offending the sentiments of Christians such as
"Jesus is the slave of Allah".
A Scotland Yard spokesman said of his comments: "We have had no
complaints about this. There were around 100 people at the
demonstration. It passed off peacefully and there were no arrests."
Larger Islamic groups in Britain said they accepted the Pope's apology.
Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain said: "The Vatican
has moved quickly to deal with the hurt and we accept that.
"It was something that should never have happened - words of that nature
were always likely to cause dismay - and we believe some of the Pope's
advisers may have been at fault over his speech."
Yesterday's sermon by the Pope was the first time a pontiff has publicly
said sorry.
He said he regretted Muslim reaction to his speech and stressed that the
quotation did not reflect his personal opinion. Anger and violence -
including attacks on seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza - have
characterised one of the biggest international crises involving the
Vatican in decades.
The Pope appeared determined to move quickly to try to defuse the anger
but the fury of many radicals was unabated last night and there were
fears for his safety.
Iraqi jihadists issued a video of a scimitar slicing a cross in two,
intercut with images of Benedict and the burning Twin Towers.
The website run in the name of the Mujahedeen Army, used by extremist
groups who have claimed responsibility for attacks in Iraq, was
addressed to "You dog of Rome" and threatened to "shake your thrones and
break your crosses in your home".
In a reference to suicide bombing, it said: "We swear to God to send you
people who adore death as much as you adore life."
The threat of violence against Catholics and Christians was emphasised
by the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. Sister Leonella, 66, was
shot as she walked from the children's hospital where she worked to her
house in Mogadishu, a city recently taken over by an Islamic government.
A Vatican spokesman said he feared her death was "the fruit of violence
and irrationality arising from the current situation".
Father Frederico Lombardi said he hoped it was an isolated event. "We
are worried about this wave of hatred and hope it doesn't have any grave
consequences for the Church around the world," he said.
The murder suggested that extremists are determined to use the Pope's
embarrassment as an excuse for violence.
In Turkey, state minister Mehmet Aydin said the Pope seemed to be saying
he was sorry for the outrage but not necessarily for his remarks.
"You either have to say this, 'I'm sorry' in a proper way or not say it
at all," he told reporters in Istanbul.
There were fierce denunciations of the pontiff from Iran. The
English-language Tehran Times called his lecture in Bavaria last week
"code words for a new crusade".
The powerful cleric Ahmad Khatami told theological students in the holy
city of Qom: The "Pope should fall on his knees in front of a senior
Muslim cleric and try to understand Islam."
But the Turkish government signalled it was content and that the Pope's
visit to the country in November can go ahead.
In his sermon yesterday at the Papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo
outside Rome, Benedict spoke amid strengthened security.
He said: "I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few
passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were
considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.
"These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in
any way express my personal thought. I hope this serves to appease
hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address."
No other Pope is thought to have made such an apology.