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Interfaith Insensitivity

Started by Imperator; Last updated Feb 20, 08 9:47 AM CST by Imperator | View history

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Interfaith Insensitivity

The new pope pulls no punches with his rhetoric

Since he became pope in 2005, Benedict XVI has alternately tried to make friends with other faiths and castigated them -- but mostly the latter. From quoting a Byzantine emperor on the “evil” and “inhuman” nature of Islam to raising the ire of Jews by restoring the Latin mass—and with it, a prayer for their conversion—the Pope hasn't shied away from controversy. Not content to stir up those outside Christianity, Benedict went on to call Protestant houses of worship "not true Churches" and to refer to Orthodox Christians as "wounded."

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March 2008
- Dutch Pol Posts Anti-Islam Film Online
  
  BBC | Mar 28, 08 5:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A controversial anti-Islamic movie interweaving graphic images of 9/11, a beheading and protests by extremists has been posted on a maverick internet site by the leader of a far-right Dutch political party. Dutch television refused to broadcast the 17-minute movie, Fitna , which has been slammed as anti-Muslim propaganda. It ends with the message: "Stop Islamization." Fitna, which means "strife," has already been posted by users on You Tube. More »
- Bravo to Harvard for Women-Only Gym Hours
  
  Washington Post | Mar 26, 08 7:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Harvard was right to close a gym to men for six hours each week so Muslim women can exercise in comfort, Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post . Bloggers might be charging “Sharia at Harvard” and some students might be exercised about another decision to broadcast calls to prayer during Islamic Awareness Week, but the new policies are merely “reasonable accommodation.” More »
- Host Blocks Anti-Koran Film's Website
  
  Associated Press | Mar 24, 08 5:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Amid public outrage, a right-wing Dutch lawmaker has run into a new problem in his relentless quest to market his anti-Koran film: His US-based network provider has suspended service, AP reports. Network Solutions pulled the plug on Geert Wilders, who insists his 15-minute film will expose Islam's holy book as "fascist," saying the site may violate its terms of service. More »
- Afghans Protest Cartoons, Film
  
  Reuters | Mar 22, 08 7:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of Afghan protesters burned Dutch and Danish flags yesterday in a protest against a Danish cartoon and a Dutch film said to insult Islam. They called for the Dutch and Danish embassies to be closed and for their troops serving with NATO in the country to be expelled, Reuters reports. The 2005 cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb in his turban was recently reprinted in Dutch newspapers after the cartoonist received death threats. More »
- Pope Knocks China on Good Friday
  
  Reuters | Mar 21, 08 8:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pope Benedict took aim at China's lack of religious freedom at a Good Friday procession in Rome today, Reuters reports. "In many parts of the world, (the Church) is undergoing the dark hour of persecution," the Pope said, using words penned by a cardinal who has blasted China's policies. A Chinese woman shouldered the cross for part of the procession, which was broadcast to 39 countries. More »
- Dutch Pol Makes Waves With Unseen Film
  
  Der Spiegel | Mar 20, 08 1:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An unruly Dutch politician for months has had civil and religious leaders in a tizzy over a movie no one has seen—and which might not even exist, Der Spiegel reports. But by the end of March, provocateur Geert Wilders says he intends to release a movie exposing “the intolerant and fascist nature of the Koran.” Wilders had previously vowed to air his stunt—which is said to include the shredding of a Koran—by the end of January. More »
- Bin Laden Threatens Europe
  
  Associated Press | Mar 19, 08 8:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Osama bin Laden threatened Europe today with "severe" retaliation over the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, the AP reports. The audio recording of bin Laden surfaced on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, though he made no mention of it, and a day before the Muslim world celebrates Muhammad's birthday. One expert said the voice appeared to be bin Laden's, but he noted that it had no reference points to show when it was recorded. More »
- Kidnapped Priest Found Dead in Iraq
  
  BBC | Mar 13, 08 12:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The body of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop who was abducted last month has been found in a shallow grave in northern Iraq, the BBC reports. His kidnappers contacted church officials yesterday to tell them Paulos Faraj Rahho, archbishop of Mosul, had become very sick. They reported his death later that day, and gave directions to his burial site. More »
- Teddy Teacher Spurs UK to Kill Own Blasphemy Law
  
  Los Angeles Times | Mar 6, 08 2:12 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Britain's House of Lords voted yesterday to abolish blasphemy laws after an international incident sparked debate over secularism and tradition, the Los Angeles Times reports. With the UK and Sudan at odds in November over the prosecution of a British teacher allowing students to name a teddy bear Mohammad, many pointed out the hypocrisy of having a similar measure on common-law books. More »
- Ritual Daggers Bar Sikhs From Meeting Pope
  
  Associated Press | Mar 6, 08 12:00 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sikh leaders won’t attend a US interfaith meeting with Pope Benedict XVI next month because the Secret Service won’t let them wear ceremonial daggers, the AP reports. Kirpaans are required attire for the Eastern religion. “We cannot undermine the rights and freedoms of religion in the name of security,” said a Sikh official. But the Secret Service won’t bend the rules. More »
- Vatican Meets With Muslims to Set Summit
  
  BBC | Mar 4, 08 12:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Leaders from the Muslim world met with Vatican officials today to begin preparations for this summer's landmark Catholic-Islamic summit. Pope Benedict XVI will participate in the talks in an effort by the two religions to reconcile differences aggravated by a 2006 speech by the pontiff that offended many Muslims, reports the BBC. More »
February 2008
- Muhammad Cartoon Artist Now Homeless
  
  Der Spiegel | Feb 20, 08 11:11 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A Danish cartoonist who enraged the Muslim world in 2005 with his depiction of the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban is now homeless, Der Spiegel reports. Kurt Westergaard, 73, has been thrown out of his police-protected hotel room—where he was sent when authorities uncovered a plot to kill him—because he’s “too much of a security risk.” More »
- Iran Asks Dutch Gov't to Ban Anti-Islam Film
  
  BBC | Feb 17, 08 2:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Upset by a right-wing Dutch politician's movie, which portrays the Koran as an inspiration for murder, Iran’s justice minister is asking the Dutch government to ban the film, the BBC reports. The minister called the film, by parliament member Geert Wilders, an unnecessary attack on Islam’s holiest object. The Dutch government has so far supported Wilder’s right to show the film, which is set to air in a few months. More »
- 3 Danish Papers Reprint Cartoon of Muhammad
  
  Bloomberg | Feb 13, 08 6:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - After yesterday's arrest of three men allegedly plotting to kill a Danish cartoonist, the country's three largest newspapers all reprinted the offending cartoon, Bloomberg reports. Kurt Westergaard's controversial depiction of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb in his turban was originally printed in 2005 by Jyllands-Posten , which reproduced it again today. More »
- Fury After Head of Anglicans Condones Sharia in UK
  
  Times (UK) | Feb 8, 08 7:49 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Archbishop of Canterbury made the cover of almost every British newspaper today after condoning the application of sharia law in Muslim communities in Britain. Although Rowan Williams rejected the extreme versions of sharia practiced in parts of the Muslim world, he said in a lecture last night that the spread of the religious law in Britain was "inevitable" and that for settling some issues, such as marital disputes, he favored "constructive accommodation." More »
- Jews Outraged at Vatican Prayer
  
  Time | Feb 8, 08 4:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) -