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Muslim Outrage Ebbs

Pope's Apology Rejected by Some, Accepted by Others

A statement of regret by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday has quieted some Muslims' anger. But others say his clarification fell short of a real apology. One Muslim leader called for an international day of rage this Friday and Al Qaeda insurgents in Iraq declared Muslims would conquer Rome.

Five days after Pope Benedict XVI offended the Muslim world by quoting a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, the pontiff had a different message on Sunday: Mea culpa. Sort of.

While the pope clearly hopes to put the episode behind him as quickly as possible, some Muslim leaders said on Sunday and Monday that his apology didn't go far enough, with one influential Muslim cleric even calling for a "peaceful international day of rage" to be held on Friday.

"I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims," Pope Benedict said, speaking at his residence Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome on Sunday.

"These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought. Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect."

The pope's comments were welcomed by many Muslim leaders. Germany's Central Council of Muslims said Benedict's comments were "the most important step to calm the protest." The Muslim Council of Britain likewise seemed ready to set outrage aside. The papal apology on Sunday was "exactly the reassurance many Muslims were looking for."

But not all Muslims were placated by the explanation. Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin criticized the pope's comments before reporters in Istanbul by saying, "you either have to say this 'I'm sorry' in a proper way or not say it at all. Are you sorry for saying such a thing or because of its consequences?" A number of other Muslim leaders likewise accused Benedict of evading apology.

The most vociferous rejection of the pope's olive branch came Sunday from influential Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who called for a "peaceful international day of rage" this Friday on his popular weekly TV show aired by al-Jazeera.

The pope's comments, he said, "were no apology. They were an accusation against Muslims that they didn't understand his words." His call for a "day of rage" - which is to include sit-ins but no attacks against the Catholic Church - recalls similar protests last February at the height of the furor over the Muhammad caricatures printed in a number of European newspapers.

Once again, Muslim anger around the world is galvanizing around a perceived offense. In Iraq, the al-Qaida-led Mujahideen Shura Council declared in an Internet statement, "We shall break the cross and spill the wine .... God will (help) Muslims conquer Rome ... God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen."

In Mogadishu, Somalia, an Italian Catholic nun was shot dead Sunday in an attack possibly linked to anger over the pope's comments. Her bodyguard was also killed in the attack. And in the West Bank, seven churches were set afire over the weekend. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, from the radical group Hamas, urged Palestinians to remain calm and not to inflame sectarian strife. Protests were held in cities across Iran on Sunday to condemn Pope Benedict XVI for his comments. Hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami said that the pope was united with US President George W. Bush "in order to repeat the crusades." On Monday, protesters in Pakistan burned an effigy of the pope.

During a speech last Tuesday during a visit to Regensburg in southern Germany, the pope had quoted the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus as 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 pope argues he mentioned the words as part of a larger invitation to dialogue and a condemnation of using violence to further faith no matter what religion is involved.

Although the pope did say the emperor's words were somewhat brusque, a short history lesson to lessen the impact of the quote might have helped. After all, the Ottoman Empire was on the march in southern Europe at the time with the Serbs having just come under its influence. The siege of Constantinople was soon to come. An acknowledgment that Christians - whose warriors marched on Jerusalem during the Crusades - have also perpetrated violence throughout history may likewise have helped to dampen the outrage.

With the Catholic Church anxious to avoid a drawn-out conflict with Islam, the controversy is likely to ebb quickly. Protests over the weekend in a number of Muslim countries were only sparsely attended as was the rally in Pakistan on Monday.

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