Michael - September 18th, 2006

Vatican tries to calm Pope row as militants vow war

A speech by Pope Benedict last Tuesday was seen as portraying Islam as a religion tainted by violence, causing dismay among Muslim states where some religious leaders called it the start of a new Christian crusade against Islam.

And what do the Muslims do in response?

Al Qaeda militants in Iraq vowed war on "worshippers of the cross" and protesters burned a papal effigy on Monday over Pope Benedict's comments on Islam, while Western churchmen and statesmen tried to calm passions.
[...]
"We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya," said a Web statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council.

"We shall break the cross and spill the wine ... God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome ... (May) God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen," said the statement, posted on Sunday on an Internet site often used by al Qaeda and other militant groups.

In Iraq's southern city of Basra, up to 150 demonstrators chanted slogans and burned a white effigy of the Pope.

"No to aggression!," "We gagged the Pope!," they chanted in front of the governor's office in the Shi'ite city. The protesters also burned German, U.S., and Israeli flags.

Oh, and, if you're sitting there thinking, "That's only a small minority of extremists!", I advise you to use the WayBack machine to read the newsfeeds of worldwide Muslim protests on Friday. I mean Damn. I understand that Muslim encroachment on the Western world depends almost entirely on Westerners having a ridiculously short memory (whereas Muslims are still pissed at us for resisting their invasion at Tours, France in 773 AD, and still call modern-day Spain "Al Andalus"), but we're talking a scant four days ago!