Hicham Maged’s blog

Assalaam Alikom wa rahmat ALAAH
Peace and blessings be upon you

Hello Everybody

“Pontiff cannot err”. This is one of the basic rules in the Roman Catholic theology, which considers Pope as an infallible character. However, what His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI had mentioned in his lecture - which he told on 12th September 2006 @ University of Regensburg - proof that people - even Pope - are subjected to make mistakes.

When mistakes came from normal people whom do not have any kind of responsibilities towards others, man can understand. However, when it came from the elite whom are called to guide people to the right way + establish bonds between different cultures, man should pause to see what happened.

Well, I know very well that His Holiness Pope Benedict didn�t say something against Islam by his own words; however he had quoted words of the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel Paul II Palaeologus, who lived in the 14th century. This emperor has written down his controversy with some Persian Muslim, and within them he asked the Muslim the following question “Show me just what Mohammed 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”.

I’m not interested in the quoted words themselves right now; however what I want to highlight on is Pope’s speech itself.

I’d read the whole speech, so people can not say the words had been extracted, and misunderstood. His Holiness Pope Benedict was talking about Faith + Reason, and from what I’d read, simply he tried to establish a comparison between Reasonable Faith which is found in Christianity verse non-reasonable one found in Islam, according to his point of view. That’s the key for understanding the whole issue, not the quoted words themselves.

It’s very strange how people establish a whole structure over very weak foundations. Pope Benedict XVI (knows as Cardinal Ratzinger before being elected as Pope on April 2005, after the death of his predecessor, Pope Jean Paul II) is quoting words which feed anger, while disregarding what Islam had present to humanity.

His Holiness Pope Benedict had accused Islam with being non-reasonable; and disregarded the fact that Islamic Civilisation had saved its predecessor civilisations - either Greek or others from being lost. Not only saving them, but also additions were applied.

While Europe was living within the dark of middle ages, on the contrary, Islamic civilisation was lighting the way to Mankind between 8th-15th centuries. From where did the Muslims take the orders for this? From Islam

The first verse which was told to Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) via Archangel Gabriel was “Read” (Holy Qur’an 96:1). In parallel, Qur’an told us to use our minds to understand the universe, and urbanise Earth (Holy Qur’an 2:154). Later, when the Islamic civilisation fades out, Europe had found the heritage of the predecessor civilisations + additions made via Islamic civilisation, and established its own renaissance upon.

So, excuse me dear your Holiness Pope Benedict, Islam is a totally reasonable faith, and it should be because it came as the final message from ALLAH (swt) to Mankind, respecting the other divine messages (Judaism + Christianity), and calling Muslims to respect their messengers, because they were sent from the same source: ALLAH (swt).

It’s not time to live into past and ask who did what, because that is way of weak people, who do not see anything far than their steps.

The normal way of human development means that civilisation follow another in order to add, not to subtract, however some people in the 21st century do not want to understand this, and work on feeding hate and anger for the sake of nothing.

Well, back to the reactions. One might feel strange that the reaction of His Holiness after Muslims’ anger was nothing more than his deep sorrow for offending Muslims, according to the statement told on 20th September 2006.

However, one might feel stranger that His Holiness called for a meeting with Muslims envoys in Vatican on 25th September 2006, where he expressed his total and profound respect for all Muslims, without any kind of dialogue.

Beside the sorrow, His Holiness mentioned that “Since the beginning of my pontificate I have had occasion to express my wish to continue to establish bridges of friendship with believers of all religions, showing particularly my appreciation in the belief in dialogue between Muslims and Christians,”

Great+ Bravo + tres bien aussi!
Just words without actions! Subhaan ALLAH!

From my point of view, what His Holiness has done was nothing more than a short way to avoid falling into the mistake which swallowed Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen when he refused to meet the 12 ambassadors of Muslim countries in Denmark upon the Carton Crises at the beginning of this year.

What had happened neither need a call for apology nor just bunch of sweet words to be told within a 30 min. meeting wassalam! No! What had happened need real people who have sense and sensibility, whom interpret differences among faiths well, and dare to stand together punting hands in hands, despite of the differences, and try to solve real problems and decrease the radius of tension’s circle, which is almost tangent to every place.

I can not end this post without stopping by the quoted words @ the speech. Well, if Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) was weak at the beginning of his message, can anybody explain for me, why did he release all the people of Mekka - who were infields and not people of the Book � despite of being surrounded by 10,000 soldiers in their shining armour! Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) had forgiven them telling them: “Go, You are Free” and ordered not to kill anybody, and this was the 1st application for what is called today “Ethics of War”, which is hardly applied nowadays, and ask History of Mankind.

If Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) had ordered to spread Islam via sword, can anybody explain for me, why did Qur’an order us not to force people to enter Islam? (Holy Qur’an 2:256) + not to kill innocent souls (Holy Qur’an 4:92)

Islam does not need any kind of defend. Yet, some Muslims didn’t understand Islam right, but this is something wrong within applying, not due to an error within the ideology itself. I’d told this before in one of my articles published via I-MAG, which is titled “Islam, between Ideology and Application.”

It’s really the apathy that while Islam is calling + urging Muslims for respecting the others, Muslims on the contrary can not find the same from them!

I’d mentioned this before in many articles via I-MAG; either the one titled “The Others; Who hate Who” or “Behind the Enemy lines: an Extraordinary Mission.” We are all Humans; who were created by One and only One, the Creator, ALLAH (swt)/GOD and descend from one father, Adam + one mother, Eve.

Despite of being united in the origin, people are different in culture, colour, and faith. That�s normal, and because of the same origin, we are called to look for what I call ‘meeting points”; where we can communicate, interact, and co-operate for the welfare of humanity, if we still care about. That what Islam call us for, and that what Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) told us to do.

Out of the subject but close
Did you read Victor Hugo’s greatest novel, “Les Miserables”? Well, I like this novel very much. You know why? Because the main character, Mayor M. Madeline - who were in the past ‘Jean Valjean’ (the thief) - had decided to face his destiny as a Man. He made the choice to be responsible towards his acts which caused an innocent man to face a trial that could end with his death.

Thus, he made his trip to catch the trial, despite of meaning that he will loose all what he had done as a Mayor. Hard decision, I know, and it came after long - but great - self dialogue in his room.

Well, that kind of men who we count on for the welfare of Humanity. Yes, as I always believe that no utopia @ planet Earth. We are neither Angles, nor Devils, however we are just Humans.

Very funny when people ignore things and highlight on other ones.

Very funny when people ask the sun to dis appearers because they do not like the beams it radiate!

Finally, I quote the following words by Saint Jerome
“Do not let your deeds belie your words, lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself, ‘Why do you not practice what you preach?’.
- - - Saint Jerome, Letter
- - - Church Father & Saint (374 AD - 419 AD)

PS: for more info about His Holiness, Pope Bendecit click here

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• I-MAG

Salaam,
Hicham

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