Admittedly, it wasn’t the brightest thing to say.
Pope Benedict XVI let a few choice criticisms roll off his tongue last week when quoting medieval Byzantine Emperor Manuel II as saying the Muslim faith was one “spread by the sword.”
Benedict continued to quote the emperor as saying that “to convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death.” And not only did he merely quote the medieval emperor, he built his entire speech around it.
Like we said, not the brightest thing to say, especially considering the Catholic Church’s less than stellar history when it comes to forced religious conversions.
But perhaps even more disturbing than the pope’s seemingly careless (or at the very least ill thought-out) remarks is the world’s reaction.
An Italian nun was shot in Somalia, though the event hasn’t been definitively tied to the pope’s remarks. Christian churches in Palestine are being burned in protest.
Ed Board doesn’t think the pathetic irony of extremist Muslim reactions needs to be commented on – it pretty much speaks for itself.
But we do think it’s supremely sad that the interaction between Muslims and Christians has been reduced to a hyper-sensitivity at any perceived slight.
Must we repeat the scenario from the Mohammed cartoon that ran in a Danish paper earlier this year?
We don’t see how the relationship between the religions can improve if every mildly offensive comment can, hypothetically, lead to death and destruction worldwide.
Which leaves very few options for a viable solution – for both Christians and moderate Muslims who don’t condone such violence.
What leaders can do, though, is consider the ramifications of their actions while, at the same time, keeping in mind that the idea of Western society is built on free speech.
The pope should be able to speak his mind at events without fear of worldwide riots. Newspaper cartoonists shouldn’t have to think about potential backlash when the point of their job is to stir up controversy. Journalists shouldn’t be afraid to run stories about the Muslim faith.
A small sect of extremists can’t be allowed to effectively censor the world press and world leaders. Ed Board firmly believes that there’s a reason that free speech has long been a fundamental part of our society. And though cultural imperialism is another subject entirely, for a peaceable world to be possible one culture can’t feel free to dictate what is and is not acceptable in another.
If fundamentalist Muslims choose not to incorporate free speech into their societies, so be it. But to turn around and try to force us not to have it in ours is the height of hypocrisy – moreso, perhaps, than the pope’s speech.
