You are in:
- Archives » 2006 » September 2006
News Round Up
Neo-Nazis make gains in Germany, al-Qaeda calls for attacks on France, Pope declares holy war.
One of the above is false, but it's the one getting the most coverage.
In Germany, the Neo-Nazi National Party is expected to win 6-7 percent of the vote in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This is well above the 5 percent threshold
for German elections - and it means the group will win seats in Germany's parliament.
France woke up to the threat of more Islamist attacks when al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri announced that the Algerian terror group GSPC has joined its franchise. Al-Zawahiri says that the GSPC will become ""a bone in the throat of the American and French crusaders". The Algerian faction describes France as "public enemy number one."
France's security forces are taking the threat seriously: Head of the Domestic Security Service
Pierre de Bousquet de Florian described the threat level as "very high and very international."
Top of the news list today, however, is the fact that many of the world's Muslims have once again become inflamed by the words of a prominent western institution. This time it's not the free press but Pope Benedict XVI, who gave a speech in his native Germany this week during which he quoted 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus. Paleologus wrote of the dangers of spreading religion at swordpoint, and used the expansion of Islam as an example: Benedict quoted the following, triggering outrage from some Muslims.
"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
So far, prominent Muslim leaders have condemned Benedict's "crusader mentality" and called for Arab states to break off relations with the Vatican. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood claimed that quoting the 600 year old letter had aroused "the anger of the Muslim world."
The Vatican has rushed out an explanation, arguing Benedict intended "to cultivate a position of respect and dialogue towards other religions and cultures, and that clearly includes Islam."
Do we face another Cartoon Jihad? Europeans are used to heated discussion on religion, to put it mildly - the fact that the Pontiff has been attacked for quoting a Medieval letter warning of the dangers of mixing war and religion seems to demonstrate once again the enormous gap between western culture, even in its most conservative form, and that of Islam. In the fevered imaginations of the kind of people who protest in the streets of Muslim countries, Benedict XVI has invoked the Crusades.
The Pope visits Turkey next month. The man who tried to assassinate his predecessor John Paul II was a Turk - let's hope Benedict isn't tempting fate.
