Friday December 1, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

The Pope's visit to Turkey is a historic and significant step forward in Catholic/Muslim affairs.
To only focus on Muslim critique of the trip is to miss the true purpose of the Pope's visit.

The Pope actually prayed in the Blue Mosque in Turkey. The official Vatican spokesperson said that he meditated, that he took off his shoes and replaced them with a set of white slippers. He was seen moving his lips in the Mosque.
Those gestures, silent as they were, resonate loudly.

The Pope understands Islam, he understands that Allah and God are one and the same. He is upset because he sees that in Islam religion is sometimes used as an excuse for oppression and abuse. He is upset because to his way of thinking violence should not be part of religion.

Those Muslims who actually watched the Pope and listened to what he did say found a leader who is enormously open. They saw a Pope who is reaching out to an Islam of peace not an Islam of war.

Al Qaeda called this trip the act of a Crusader intent on destroying Islam. Actually it was a trip intended to help Islam discover its true path and then destroy al Qaeda.