Muslims around the globe were outraged by the insult of Islam in the Pope’s speech. The Pope had later on said that the text which he quoted did not express in any way his personal opinion. A quick look at his speech shows that what the quote about Islam was not strongly tied to the topic of his speech and looked like an alien text that was deliberately inserted to reflect hatred and disrespect for Islam and Muslims. It’s unlikely that the Pope failed to expect the enormous reaction from Muslims to his insult; his speeches are prepared and edited by assistants before he delivers them.

 

The quotation which angered Muslims is as follow: 

I was reminded of all this recently, when I read... of part of the dialogue carried on - perhaps in 1391 in the winter barracks near Ankara - by the erudite Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both.

In the seventh conversation...the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "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."

The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God," he says, "is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats." 

I’m not going here to defend Islam as many scholars have already done so and showed that if there is a religion that was spread by violence then it is Christianity. But I like only to refer to the letter of the Spanish priest Bartoleme de Las Casas, Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies (1542) which he addressed to the King of Spain. Bartoleme narrated or documented the atrocities committed by Christians against the red Indians which he himself witnessed. Bartoleme estimated the number of Indians killed by the Christians to be around 12 to 15 millions. He stated how Indians were tortured, killed, raped, and had their corpses mutilated, although they showed no hostility towards Christians but welcomed them.

 

Anyhow, back to the main topic which is the Pope’s quote. I would like here to highlight two issues that relate to two parts of the quote: first, “God is not pleased by blood”, and second, “Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul.”

 

The crucifixion of Jesus is the core of the Christian faith, and denying it is to deny the verity of Christianity. Christians claim that Jesus died on the cross and that his blood was the only way for our sins to be forgiven by God. Jesus’ blood is symbolized in every Church service and given to worshippers to drink in a form of wine or water. But what does the actual crucifixion mean? It means that the God of the New Testament was pleased to slaughter his only son to save us. The New Testament’s God has himself chosen this fate for his only son and watched him for hours being tortured, and his hands and feet being pierced with nails. This surely contradicts totally the Pope’s quote that “God is not pleased by blood.”

 

The second statement in the Pope’s quote that “Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul” is in total contradiction with the commands of the Old Testament, which is part of the Bible. The Old Testament shows God pleased with violence, so the latter is not incompatible with God’s nature. These are some Old Testament verses that the Pope seems to have deliberately forgotten: 

The Lord said to him, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it." While I listened, he said to the others, "Go through the city after him and strike people down; you must neither show pity nor spare anyone! Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women — wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark! Begin at my sanctuary!" So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple (Ezekiel 9:4-6).

 

The Lord spoke to Moses: "Exact vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites — after that you will be gathered to your people." So Moses spoke to the people: "Arm men from among you for the war, to go against the Midianites and to execute the vengeance of the Lord on Midian. You must send to the battle a thousand men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel." So a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel. So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand. They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites took the women of Midian captives along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. They burned all their towns that they had inhabited and all their encampments. They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals (Numbers 31:1-11).

 

Joshua told the army, "Give the battle cry, for the Lord is handing the city over to you! The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord…. But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. They must go into the Lord's treasury." The rams' horns sounded and when the army heard the signal, they gave a loud battle cry. The wall collapsed and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys (Joshua 6:16-21). 

So the God of the Old Testament approved all kinds of atrocities against all kinds of people. He did not even spare women or children. The God of the Old Testament approved the killing of people and even animals, slavery, pillaging, and the destruction of cities. So is violence really incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul of his servants whom he orders to commit those savageries?

 

Someone may say that Jesus never committed or instructed his followers to commit such violent acts and hence these are not part of the message of Christianity. But then Jesus not only never criticized the Old Testament, but he himself said that he came to continue what others have carried before him. Jesus, according to the New Testament, surely approved of the Old Testament.

 

Also, Christians claim that the God of the Old and New Testament are one and the same. They also claim that the God’s Old Testament contains prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ, and they see these messianic prophecies the ultimate proof of the Messiahship of Jesus. Christians have chosen to accept the Old Testament as the Word of God, and therefore they have also accepted whatever attributes this book ascribes to this God, including his instigation and commandments of extreme violence.

 

Yes, it is true that violence is incompatible with God’s nature, and that can be proven in the message of Qur’an, that book that Allah sent to all mankind. Allah in the Qur’an commands Muslims to forgive even if they were wronged and mistreated. He order Muslims to be fair when they punish in retaliation, punishing only the guilty and not to inflict collective retribution that targets both the guilty and the innocent, which the Old Testament does. He commands Muslims to be restrained in their retaliation and make it proportionate to the crime. The following verses from the Quran show how Allah denounces violent, command justice, and encourage forgiveness: 

If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (5.32).

 

Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. And argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious . . . And if you punish, let your punishment be proportionate to the wrong that was committed against you. But if you show patience, then that is indeed the best course. Be patient, for your patience is from God. And do not grieve over them, or distress yourself because of their plots. For God is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good (16:125-128).

 

Oh you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor, for God can best protect both. Follow not the cravings of your hearts, lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily God is well acquainted with all that you do (4:135).

 

The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree), but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God, for God loves not those who do wrong. But indeed, if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong done to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress people with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying rights and justice, for such there will be a grievous penalty (in the Hereafter). But indeed, if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an affair of great resolution (42:40-43).

 

Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel evil with what is better. Then the person with whom you have enmity may become your intimate friend! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint; none but people of the greatest good fortune (41:34-35). 

Any proper comparative or non-comparative study or discussion of the scripture of Islam, Christianity, or any other religion is welcome and should be encouraged. But such a debate needs to be honest, balanced, and apply the same standards to all scriptures. The Pope's decision to use that quote makes his approach fail on these three counts.