Islamic Standard (UK) provokes protests against Pope

At the National Catholic Register (the Catholic paper), Matthew Archbold has the following.

My emphases and comments:

Is the Pope In Danger?

by Matthew Archbold Monday, July 19, 2010 6:02 AM Comments

I’ve been saying recently that Pope Benedict XVI is heading into enemy territory in “Post-Christian” England. Sadly, I may be more right than I imagined.

A member of British Parliament says he fears violence at an open air mass with Pope Benedict XVI after an Islamic publication called Muslims to attend the Mass to convert Catholics and “tell the Pope in no uncertain terms what Muslims think of his evil slanders against the last Prophet of God and his message.”

I think it’s the “in no uncertain terms” that’s making some a little nervous. Oh, the same publication also called the Pope “evil.”

The Islamic Standard writes:

    “A change of venue gives Birmingham Muslims a chance to tell the Pope just what they think of him after his insults against the Prophet Muhammad… As well as this chance to challenge these evil words of this evil Pope, [Imagine what would happen were The Catholic Herald to write something along that line about even the least of Imams in, say, Little Whinging.] over 80,000 Catholics from all over the UK are also expected to attend the open air ceremony….We hope Muslims can be there to meet him as well and to also call people away from the shirk of worshipping the dead like the Catholics do, [I thought even Muslims believed that Christ was … oh… never miiiiind….] calling out to them for help and intercession…The Birmingham event however brings the pope and who worship him into direct contact with the the large Muslim population of Birmingham and offers them the perfect chance to learn about Islam and for the Muslims to forbid the Munkar of worshipping dead men and following the dictates of the sodomite child molesting Church of Rome…  [How old was their Prophet’s wife again?]

    We at the Islamic Standard hope the Muslims of Birmingham take this duel opportunity to give Da’wah to these 80,000 travelling disbelievers, [I believe the less fashionable word is INFIDEL!] whilst at the same time telling the Pope in no uncertain terms what Muslims think of his evil slanders against the last Prophet of God and his message.

MP Khalid Mahmood fears that this call may be an incitement to violence. He’‘s quoted in British newspapers saying: “These supposed Muslims are doing all they can to incite violence. Sadly, if Muslims do turn up and preach at Catholics it could easily turn to violence…The police should look at the comments on this site because they can only serve to increase tensions and perhaps even cause riots on the day.”

This news is especially worrisome in that, according to YNET news,: eight residents of the northern city of Nazareth were arrested on weapons charges and discussing murdering Jews, soldiers, and the Pope.

Let’s hope and pray that all turns out well for Pope Benedict XVI in England.

Anyone else starting to think that “Post-Christian Europe” might actually mean “Anti-Christan Europe?”

If anything in the least violent happens in regard to the Pope during his visit, I think this will backfire on the Islamicist fringe which provoked it.

Wise conversation with someone has brought me to the view that there is probably less tolerance in the UK than in the USA.  If there is violent protest against Pope Benedict, the average Brit will probably develop a softer spot for the old Pope of Rome.

Certain hard-liners are probably using this opportunity to raise some money.   It’s expensive running a fringe group, after all. 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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83 Comments

  1. Brian Day says:

    I see a disconnect between two of your statements: 1) …I think this will backfire on the Islamicist fringe which provoked it.; and 2) …I think this will backfire on the Islamicist fringe which provoked it.
    Oh there will be hand-wringing alright, but when the rubber meets the road, that is all the average Brit will be able to muster.
    (No offense to Jack Hughes and the other British readers of this blog, I think you guys and gals are way above the average Brit.)

  2. Brian Day says:

    Dang, where is the edit button?!
    2) Should be …the average Brit will probably develop a softer spot for the old Pope of Rome.

  3. Supertradmum says:

    Father,

    I should have looked at your blog earlier, as I just sent you this link. Moslems in England have been allowed to have some sharia law rights and also to have abusive demonstrations, which most Americans would find deeply disturbing. The call to violence to the Birmingham Moslem community must be taken seriously. Catholics in England are not used to large venues, such as open Masses, like the one celebrated by John Paul II when he visited. Catholics in England for the most part are less political and quieter than American Catholics, simply because they are the remnant of years of persecution. Is the Pope’s effigy still not burned in Lewes every year on November 5th? I, sadly, predict that there will be trouble and that the Moslems think that they have a duty to make trouble for the Vicar of Christ, the Christ who would be one of the “dead men” worshiped by Catholics, along, supposedly, with John Henry Cardinal Newman.

    This call to violence reveals the reality behind the so-called religion of peace. For Catholics, I highly recommend Daniel Ali and Robert Spencer’s book Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics, with a foreword by Fr. Mitch Pacwa.

    One of Mohamed’s wives, Aisha, was nine years old when he married her. I assumed he married a very young person in order to persuade her to his ideas about women.

  4. outis says:

    @supertradmum

    In fact it was the “bishop” of Canterbury (i.e. te head of the Anglican Church!) who asked for the shar’ia to be applied for muslims in UK.
    As for Aisha I was told by a muslim, that the prophet did not sleep with her before she was twelve- so everything is ok, isn’t it?

    @Father,
    Europe IS a antchristian place. About 10% of “christians” actually practise their faith here in Germany and they are the only minority that is allowed to be insulted permanently while muslim sentiments are permanently tiptoed around.

  5. Supertradmum says:

    Brian,

    I do not understand your comment, but let me assure you that to be a Catholic in England is a choice taken not lightly. Catholics are still a very small minority and have to prove themselves in the marketplace. Anti-Catholicism is open among some Baptist and even Methodist churches, as I myself have witnessed when living there for a long time.

    British people who are Catholic are a strong group who go against the tide and have done so for over 500 years. It is only since 1828 that the Test Acts were repealed and 1829 that Catholics had some emancipation. Convent schools and Catholic high schools were only recognized in the very late 19th century, and Catholic colleges followed.

    There has been always the suspicion in Great Britain that loyalty to the Pope and the universal Church makes a Catholic a less than perfect citizen, as the fear of some sort of take over remains, believe it or not.

    Muslim anti-Catholic activity could actually inflame old fears and prejudices.

  6. Supertradmum says:

    outis,

    Before the Archbishop of Canterbury’s famous faux pas, which was a plea for national sharia guidelines, legal jurisdiction in some parts of England included sharia law for the large minority populations. His comments were made in 2008 and at least since 2006 Muslims in certain areas were allowed to enforce sharia law in their areas.

    A wife of nine is a horrible abuse whether there were relations or not, as the girl would have been in a position of slavery.

  7. Ferde Rombola says:

    Fringe group?? Say what??? Is there a Muslim dominated society anywhere in the world that does not advocate violence against non-Muslims? I include England and their moronic politicians as ‘Muslim dominated.’ You can throw Germany in there, too.

  8. Supertradmum says:

    By the way, for the record, I was the first Catholic ever to live in Baptist College, which was established in 1679. I was studying Theology at the University of Bristol and needed late housing. Knowing the College Principal at the time personally, I had first-hand experience of both wonderful Baptist hospitality and excellent inter-denominational discussions, as well as, sadly, a few painful instances of prejudice. The staff and students were wonderful, but some of the speakers, especially the head of the Baptist Union at the time, who was very anti-Catholic and specifically, anti-Pope, held on to old prejudices and fears.

    Muslims can find their niche in some anti-Catholic circles, including the new atheists and the secularists. Violence can be in words as well as in deeds.

  9. outis says:

    supertradmum,

    thanks, didn’t know that.

    It is horrible, I agree, of course- but those monstrosities are presented to millions of twelve year old children as the deeds of the “most perfect human individual” that ever lived.

  10. Supertradmum says:

    outis,

    Thanks and I highly recommend the book mentioned above, as it helps Catholics unravel the mythology surrounding Mohamed and the inconsistencies of the Koran in a straightforward manner. I stand by the Regensburg Lecture, which was a call to a rational, and not emotional, response to Islam, including the response of the Islamic scholars as well. Our Pope, as the Pope of Unity, has his plate full in England in September.

  11. Leonius says:

    I hope it happens, something needs to happen wake up the Catholics in this country and stop their apathy, something like this might just do the trick.

  12. Leonius says:

    Of course it would help if the Chruch stooped trying to tell us Muslims worship the same God as us.

  13. Supertradmum says:

    Leonius,

    I agree with your last comment. The Muslims see calling Allah as “Father” as blasphemous, as Allah is totally transcendent, not even to be known in Heaven, but always mysterious and a Master, who seeks obedience, not a loving relationship. Why the confusion among Catholics, I do not know. JPII did not help on this point. The Koran and Muslim commentary/tradition, the Hadith, is clear that the Christian God is Trinitarian, and therefore, we are idolaters. The tradition/Koran is inconsistent regarding Christ as living or dead, or coming back and dying again.

    Allah is one.

    This is one reason for the acts of violence, as Catholics are seen as arch-blasphemers.

  14. EoinOBolguidhir says:

    “Muslims are doing all they can to incite violence.”

    “Is the Pope’s effigy still not burned in Lewes every year on November 5th? I, sadly, predict that there will be trouble and that the Moslems think that they have a duty to make trouble for the Vicar of Christ…”

    “Anti-Catholicism is open among some Baptist and even Methodist churches, as I myself have witnessed when living there for a long time.”

    There has always been a natural affinity of Protestants (who never had to defend Christendom from Moslem aggression) for Mohammedanism, from Elizabeth I’s parley with the North African enemies of Spain, to the Dutch cry “Liever Turks dan Paaps.” (Better Turks than Papists.) It should surprise no one that the Positivist, atheistic descendants of Luther and Calvin, representing reason which murders faith, and the Mohammedans, representing faith incompatible with reason, should further be in collusion against our Faith. Read again the Regensburg Address. His Holiness knows better than anyone how and why these forces should be aligned against him. (Why does no one remember the phrase, “a brusqueness we find unacceptable.”)

    By the way, “Liever Turks dan Paaps.” How’s that working out for you, Holland? Things okay in Rotterdam. Does the name Theo van Gogh righ a bell?

  15. Horatius says:

    Well said, EoinOBolguidhir!

  16. Supertradmum says:

    EoinOBolguidhir,

    Excellent points, and the irrational religions seem to appeal to the modern mindset for “simple answers” to complicated questions. Poor Theo van Gogh. There will be more such murders.

  17. momoften says:

    I RECEIVED THIS THE OTHER DAY FROM A FRIEND…IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE POPES VISIT PLAYS OUT. I AM RATHER WORRIED ABOUT IT. I BELIEVE IT COULD HAPPEN…ANYWHERE.

    Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
    Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
    Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.
    When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well..
    Here’s how it works:

    As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving
    minority, and not as a threat to other citizens.

    This is the case in:
    United States — Muslim 0..6%
    Australia — Muslim 1.5%
    Italy — Muslim 1.5%
    China — Muslim 1.8%
    Norway — Muslim 1.8%
    Canada — Muslim 1.9%

    At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among
    street gangs.

    This is happening in:

    Denmark — Muslim 2%
    United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
    Germany — Muslim 3.7%
    Spain — Muslim 4%
    Thailand — Muslim 4.6%

    From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

    Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
    Philippines — 5%
    Sweden — Muslim 5%
    The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
    Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8
    France — Muslim 8%

    At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The
    ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

    When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we
    are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to
    Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:

    Guyana — Muslim 10%
    Kenya — Muslim 10%
    India — Muslim 13.4%
    Russia — Muslim 15%
    Israel — Muslim 16%

    After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and
    Jewish synagogues, such as in:

    Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%

    At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

    Bosnia — Muslim 40%
    Chad — Muslim 53.1%
    Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%

    From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic
    cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

    Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
    Albania — Muslim 70%
    Sudan — Muslim 70%
    Qatar — Muslim 77.5%

    After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the
    infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

    Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
    Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
    Syria — Muslim 90%
    Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
    Egypt — Muslim 90%
    Jordan — Muslim 92%
    United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%
    Pakistan — Muslim 97%
    Iraq — Muslim 97%
    Iran — Muslim 98%
    Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
    Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
    Palestine — Muslim 99%
    Turkey — Muslim 99.8%

    100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ — the Islamic House of Peace. Here there’s supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

    Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
    Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
    Somalia — Muslim 100%
    Yemen — Muslim 100%

    Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by
    killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

    ‘Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against
    my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. — Leon Uris, ‘The Haj’

    It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations
    live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos.

    There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community
    at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in
    some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

    Today’s 1..5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world’s population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists,
    Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world’s population by the end of this century.

    Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat

  18. Horatius says:

    None too clear, nor too convincing. Little or nothing is gained by referring to Muslims in general, since Islam, like it or don’t, comes in varieties, freely granting they, as a whole, have a much higher birthrate than does the West. The terrorist Muslims who have taken and would take action against the U. S. at home is fairly well described and understood. Best not to become alarmist, inventing enemies or demons where none exist, when the genuine article is all too visible and understandable and, at least in the U. S., very much under control.

    One thing I will add, as an anecdote. A Muslim friend sent his son to his native land to learn Arabic and Islam: how many Catholics are prepared to send their children to a decent Catholic school let alone to Rome to learn Latin and Greek? Catholics: be fruitful and multiply. Raise your children as Catholics, fully aware of the languages and literatures which form the best part of the West, which is unthinkable without the Church, founded by Christ.

  19. Supertradmum says:

    momoften,

    So, the Pope is in more danger than we thought….we need to say many prayers.

  20. Supertradmum says:

    By the way, in the above article, why does the Muslim MP state two fallacies? One, that those who are advocating violence as “supposed Muslims”, and that if these Muslims preach to Catholics, there will be violence, heavily implying that the Catholics will respond in violence to supposed non-violent preaching.

    Obviously, purposefully, the media missed these logical fallacies….

  21. Horatius says:

    Had a look at the bio. of Dr. Peter Hammond, a Protestant missionary, it appears, in South Africa: it is not clear to me how a doctorate in missiology prepares one to write a book on the topics he has chosen, to say nothing of an honorary doctorate in divinity.

    Fr. George Rutler, the very opposite of an alarmist or historical light weight, often makes the excellent point that this is not the age for amateur Catholics, where all Catholics rightly should feel a serious threat to themselves and to their very faith. This lays the burden all the more squarely on them, on us, on me, to get our facts straight from reputable authorities.

  22. Our Holy Father isn’t ignorant of the potential dangers. One seems to recall the little matter of his predecessor getting shot by a Communist, Muslim Turk. Let us continue to pray for the pope, including his own request that the shepherd not run from the wolves.

    Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

  23. Andy Lucy says:

    “We at the Islamic Standard hope the Muslims of Birmingham take this duel opportunity to give Da’wah to these 80,000 travelling disbelievers…”

    Duel opportunity…. interesting typo.

  24. Horatius says:

    Let’s lobby in the U. S. to keep immigration quotas vanishingly small from Islamic countries.

  25. Supertradmum says:

    Horatius,

    I think it is unfair to state that a man who has studied Islam and has been in the field for many years is a “lightwight”. As to experts, many of the best are self-taught and have studied beyond their degrees. Many of our saints fall into this category of “amateur” as defined by the worldly, including Ignatius of Loyola, Anselm, Augustine, Catherine of Siena, Theresa of Lisieux, other doctors of the Church, and the list is endless.

    And, may I quote from a Christendom reference that ” Fr. Rutler recounted how, on September 11, 2001, as then-pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Manhattan, he spent most of his day at what’s now called Ground Zero, hearing confessions and administering the last rites to the many firemen who were to risk their lives for the many victims. In fact, he had been working right next to the one priest who was killed, Fr. Michael Judge. “Everyone who was there was very changed. After this, people began realizing that there is holiness in this world, and there is also evil. These are two things that people have neglected for a long time,” concluded Fr. Rutler.”

    Calling the Islamist attacks “evil” is hardly as copacetic as you inferred.

  26. Supertradmum says:

    sorry “lightweight”, not some medieval variate thereof…

  27. rakesvines says:

    @momoften: quite revealing and alarming. I posted your comments at http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/07/revealing-patterns-of-behavior-by.html It made me reflect on how this can be stopped and what I came up with is by living our Christian commitments to holiness first then to service, we can show the world the True God of peace. If we neglect ministering to gangs and prisoners, the Muslim will fill the void.

    Also, we can reverse the trend by helping people leave Islam safely. Here’s a link for contacts http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2010/04/leave-islam-safely.html

  28. Supertradmum says:

    Horatius,

    Hardly likely under the present POTUS and the new health care bill that Muslims will be discouraged from entry, especially as there is a doctor shortage in rural areas, where both Muslim doctors and Hindu doctors make up as much as 25% of general practitioner positions, as well as surgeons and other specialties, if not more.

    http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/11/countries_without_doctors

  29. Horatius says:

    Anybody who takes seriously the credentials of Dr. Hammond on Islam creates more problems for himself than already exist. Islam poses threats which are not, patently, addressed by the endless summary retailed here. Militant and terrorist Islam pose still other threats equally outside the competence of the good dr. These are simple, staightforward matters of common sense.

    There are plenty of genuine experts writing in the English language on problems with Islam in the modern world: Bernard Lewis, emeritus professor at Princeton, should be required reading for all Catholics; is a fine writer with a wide readership.

    “Islamist”–again, not a helpful word. Islamo-fascist is nearer the mark, but, again, the problem is complicated enough that nobody should be bandying labels and pseudo–statistics from doubtful sources at second or third hand.

  30. Obviously this Islamic mindset is real enough and pervasive enough, but…

    Even though the Register refers to “The Islamic Standard” as a “publication” (perhaps quoting the British MP Khalid Mahmood though it’s not clear)after poking around online a bit it looks to me like this is nothing more than a blog created by some cappi cazz’ (capisce?) with a laptop and an internet connection. Oh, and he “publishes” a “newspaper” that he will kindly deliver to those who provide an address…. an e-mail address, that is.

    Islamic hatred can be news, and by all means the topic deserves attention, but my impression is that this particular guy is best ignored and left unnamed by the MP’s and NCRegisters of the world. I can’t help but wonder if the blogger behind the “Standard” isn’t thrilled with the coverage he’s gotten.

    It’s a least debatable whether or not giving this fool any attention and the implied credibility is a good idea.

  31. Brian Day says:

    @ Supertradmum,
    The disconnect is this possible “backfire” on the Islamicist fringe. Backfire, what backfire? Developing a soft spot for the old Pope doesn’t seem to be much of a backfire.

  32. shane says:

    The Islamic Standard? Is that not just one man’s blog? I don’t think we should consider it representative of anything other than a tiny proportion of British Muslims. Most Muslims I know are far more respectful of Catholicism (appreciating its moral teachings and its opposition to liberal society) than the overwhelming majority of ‘Catholics’ I know. From my experience, there is no one as anti-Catholic as an ex-Catholic.

  33. boko fittleworth says:

    Looks like there’s some competition here for the credential “Head Dhimmi in Chief.” Mohammedans hate Christ, Christianity, and Christians. I have witnessed their hatred of Christ and Christians first hand in the Middle East, in England and France, and in the US. I attended a Muslim student conference at the University of Michigan. More anti-Christian hate-mongering than “Hey, isn’t it great to be Muslim!”

    You guys keep talking about what we have in common and trying to split hairs between the evil Islamo-fascists who want to kill us and the good mohammedans, who merely want to follow their religion in peace. And kill us.

    I’m gonna get a beer and a pulled-pork sammich.

  34. Davin says:

    Dear momoften,
    as an Indonesian Catholic, I’ll say that Indonesia is a very interesting case.
    Despite being a country with the largest Muslim population (>200 million), Indonesia has never been a Muslim country, and hopefully will never be, thanks to the Catholic Church.
    The church in Indonesia is very active in politics. A particular priest has been in the parliament by election for 20 years or so, fighting for the rights of religious minority in an unceasing fight to keep the balance between Islam and secularism. The Holy See is also actively involved in Indonesian politics, though mostly behind the scene. The church here speaks with action more than words.
    I know the nuncio in person, and he actually told me that Indonesian nuncio is the most undesirable job among Vatican diplomats because the job is hard, and unrewarding. He said that a community is established for the nunciature in Indonesia, so that they can hear directly the opinions of average catholics on things going on in the country.
    There are a few instances of conflict between the Church and the government.
    1. In 1998, during the riots, the students of a prominent catholic university in the country protested the government, asking the president to quit. The government reacted with an open fire, killing quite a few people. In protest, our cardinal decided to celebrate a requiem for them in RED. NB: The president will understand this clearly because his wife’s family, and some rumored even his wife, were Catholic.
    2. A few Catholic men have been gifted with gift healing, and the protestants there don’t like it. So they pay a few people to burn the mosque in the area, blaming them for the incident. The Catholic men were arrested, and in less than a year were sentenced to death. Receiving the news, the Pope sent rosaries to the men, and a letter to the president, asking not to execute these men, but they were executed in a mere 3 months, while it took 5 years to get the Bali bombers executed.
    FYI, Pope Benedict has asked to come to Indonesia at least twice, but both requests were rejected by the government, who are getting more Islamist by the day.
    Please pray for us in Indonesia.

  35. oratefratres says:

    I think we need to make it our duty to Pray to Our Lady of Victory or Our Lady of the Rosary for the safety and success of our Holy Father’s Apostolic Visit in England.

  36. MWindsor says:

    I don’t think we should consider it representative of anything other than a tiny proportion of British Muslims.

    Just as we should not consider the actions of Lee Harvey Oswald as indicative of anything more than a microscopic minority of American’s dislike of the Kennedy administration.

  37. Supertradmum says:

    Oh my goodness, if one does not think that Muslims are anti-Catholic, I am truly surprised. The MP quoted in the article from the blog is moderate compared to Shahid Malik, MP, who has publicly supports the idea of Britain going completely Muslim in religion and in sharia law. Sharia Law is anti-Catholic, anti-anything, but strict Muslim and particularly against women having basic human rights. Also, there have been tensions in educational institutions in England regarding Muslim children in music classes being withdrawn by parents from Christmas musicals. Freedom of religion allows these things, but frequently the language used by some of the Islamists is inflammatory,indicating that Christians are inferior because they have the National Curriculum for music in the schools. There has also been a move to insist on Muslim prayer rooms in English Catholic schools as well as places in the bathrooms for ritual cleansing. Note that in Birmingham, 36 of the 410 pupils in one school are Catholic and the vast majority are Muslim. Ironically, the school is named “English Martyrs”. Tensions in these schools are real. Catholic girls in one compulsory school visit to a mosque were forced to wear Islamic dress-albeit a veil or head covering. The politically correct educational system has caved-in to relativistic demands on Catholic schools to be likewise politically correct, and the Muslims are pushing this agenda for their own goals

    By the way, the vast majority of English MPs who are Muslim are from the Labour Party, which supports abortion. Not all Muslims are anti-abortion.

    And just in case you forget the response to the Regensburg Lecture, here is a link to show violent words in a demonstration just outside Westminster Cathedral in 2006. If you cannot read the signs, some state “May Allah curse the Pope” and “Pope, go to hell.” Another one reads, “Trinity of Evil, Western Crusade against Islam. http://catholiclondoner.blogspot.com/2006/09/very-rushed-post.html

  38. Supertradmum says:

    Hilaire Belloc predicted both the rise of militant Islam and the anti-Catholic nature of its tenants, which would again threaten the freedom of the Catholic Church. One quote out of many:

    Remember that our Christian civilisation is in peril of complete breakdown. An enemy
    would say that it was living upon its past; and certainly those who
    steadfastly hold its ancient Catholic doctrines stand today on guard as it
    were, in a state of siege. They are a minority both in power and in
    numbers. Upon such a state of affairs a steadfast, permanent, convinced
    simple philosophy and rule of life, intensely adhered to, and close at
    hand, may, now that the various sections of the world are so much
    interpenetrating one and the other, be of effect…

    There is no reason why its recent inferiority in mechanical construction,
    whether military or civilian, should continue indefinitely. Even a slight
    accession of material power would make the further control of Islam by an
    alien culture difficult. A little more and there will cease that which our
    time has taken for granted, the physical domination of Islam by the
    disintegrated Christendom we know.

  39. Horatius says:

    In short, as we see clearly thanks to Mr. Verrecchio: no credence need be given the story, since it comes, apparently, from a lone blogger, who is nothing like the voice of Islam.

    Otherwise, I really doubt the charity and reason–as in” the greatest of these is” and “faith and reason” departments–behind this prejudiced lumping of all Muslims into one bunch, the demonstrably weak appeal to dubious sources and methods, the rehashing of facts of which both the Vatican and most sensible Catholics are long and well aware, and the general tone of fear mongering and shabby name calling. All of that nutty stuff makes things worse, not better, for Catholics and their fellow men, who happen to include all Muslims, most of whom have never laid eyes on Catholics in their lives.

  40. “Oh my goodness, if one does not think that Muslims are anti-Catholic, I am truly surprised.”

    Just to be clear, for my part, I think that a dangerously large number of Muslims are anti-Catholic to the point of not only wishing us dead, but lighting the fuse that will make their dreams come true. But that said I don’t think it’s prudent to give every Catholic-loathing Muslim with a blog the credibility that comes along with having their publication named and quoted by a British MP or NCRegister. Some merit this kind of attention, others don’t.

    Again, I’m not certain how influential this “Islamic Standard” truly is. Maybe it’s well read in the British Muslim world. Then again, it may have had a following of 12 before now. Who knows? I’d like to know more about it, but one thing is fairly certain, it probably just got more influential thanks to the aforementioned publicity.

    In any event, I think it’s fair to wonder whether or not naming them was truly wise.

  41. Jaybirdnbham says:

    Archbp. Fulton Sheen once said that Mary is the key to the conversion of the Muslims.
    Rather than trying to analyze the exact nature of the threat of Islam, we’d spend our time better by praying the Rosary daily for the conversion of the Muslims as well as for the protection of the Holy Father.

  42. Supertradmum says:

    By the way, The Islamic Standard has this to say about us: “As Muslims lets reach out to the Christians who are suffering a crisis in faith in the Church by showing them the true message of Jesus Christ (upon him be peace), as a Prophet of God, a humble, simple man calling to the teachings of God, not the son of God, or a partner with God or part of God but a righteous man, a human being.

    Lets tell these Christians…

    Qul, hu-wallahu ‘ahad,
    Say, he is Allah – the one,

    Allahus-Samad,
    Allah the eternally besought,

    Lam yalid wa lam yuulad,
    He begets not, nor was begotten,

    Walam yakul-la-huu, kufuwan ‘ahad,
    And there is none comparable to him.

    (Quran, Chapter Ikhlaas)”

    If one is against Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, one is against Catholics. We are the Body of Christ.

  43. Horatius says:

    Jaybirdnbham, you seem to echo, in part, the sentiments of many. By all means, pray the Rosary. But you offer us a false dichotomy in suggesting we do just that, which smacks of pietism (a heresy). Actually, we need analysis, among a wealth of other uses of our God-given reason, even just to formulate the threats. Ora et labora, Jaybirdnbham, ora et labora.

  44. Supertradmum says:

    This comment was not just on the Islamic blog, but in the British newspapers and well as USAToday, all which gave the idea of violence credence.

  45. Horatius says:

    Were I Muslim, I’d be no more convinced by a Catholic quoting a translation of the Koran than I am now as a Catholic persuaded by a Protestant quoting from their translation of their Bible.

    While it is obvious that Catholics do not worship the same god as Muslims, neither do they worship the same god as Jews. We are Trinitarians. Both of them are Unitarians.

    Oddly enough, however, the passage quoted, while nothing more than a translation, does not even on the face of it support the view that Muslims are “against Christ.” They conceive of their god as impossible to reconcile with the Incarnation. So do the Jews. Unlike Jews, Muslims then say, wrongly, Christ was merely a man, a prophet, even as they pour blessings upon His name.

  46. Legisperitus says:

    Nobody’s mentioned Coptic priest Zakaria Botros yet, but if you Google his name and “sheikyermami” you’ll find some rather disgusting information about Mohammed.

  47. Horatius says:

    Like Hell’s Bible, USA Today is a tabloid, a muck raking kind or profit-making enterprise alive and well in the U. K., I seem to recall. Echoing the claims of a lone blogman for profit hardly qualifies as serious thinking or serious journalism, does it? Just more grist for the news cycle, which makes money no matter what.

  48. Supertradmum says:

    Against Christ as God…..

  49. Horatius says:

    No, they are not “Against Christ as God:” they don’t believe it, is all, as a matter of principle, just as we do not believe their notion, or that of the Jews, or that of the Mormons, or Christadelphians, either. Not to believe is not to be against.

  50. Jerry says:

    “Rather than trying to analyze the exact nature of the threat of Islam, we’d spend our time better by praying the Rosary daily for the conversion of the Muslims as well as for the protection of the Holy Father.”

    Precisely! And not just for this issue, but many of the other problems facing the Church today. Think of how much impact there would be if 50% — or even 10% — of the time we spend sitting at a keyboard arguing or pontificating about these things were spent on our knees instead. Not to mention how many fewer sins of detraction and calumny, especially against priests and bishops, would be committed.

  51. Let us pray to Our Lady for the protection of the Holy Father, to say Islam isn’t anti-Catholic is to ignore history.

  52. Supertradmum says:

    Horatius,

    The Muslims are against Christ as He truly is, the Incarnate Word, in four ways at least: one, that Christ is Love, and their god is not an embodiment of love; that Christ is not the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, as it is blasphemous to say so; that Christ is not the Word of God, only the Koran is the Word of God. Lastly, Christ is a “slave” of Allah. These things may be found in Suras 4,19, 23, and 43. He is called a Messiah, but this is not explained. He is also from a virgin birth, but only to show the power of Allah, that Allah can do such things as he wished. Mohamed took mangled versions of both Christianity and Judaism for his man-made religion.

    As to Christians quoting the Koran, that is a prejudice denying that we can try and study the book and teach it as well, as I have done at the college level more than once.

  53. Horatius says:

    Your way of thinking, and on the slightest, if any, evidence, demonizes not only Muslims but also whatever part of the world happens not to believe as Catholics do. By your reasoning, everybody, including Jews, are against Catholics because they happen not to share the same idea of divinity as we do. I suspect Muslims and Buddhists, too, no more trouble over the Incarnation than you or I do over Mohammed. Are we, as Catholics, against everybody not Catholic because our faith differs from their faiths? If so, what an oddly disturbing and alarmist point of view.

    It is much more productive to understand why Muslims believe what they do than to imagine they are against us. For starters, most of them have been plunged, even to this day, into an illiteracy all but inconceivable, and the vast majority of Muslims have no access to anything like Western literature, music, or art. The very origin of Islam, it has been demonstrated, no more evinces an understanding of Catholicism as it does of Judaism: Mohammed himself was illiterate. The religion itself, then, was born in a state of lamentable ignorance from which it seems never to have recovered. Muslims are to be pitied, not feared, converted by words and by deeds, not by the heresy of pietism.

    Creating enemies where none exist does not strike me as Catholic. Venting is easy. So are straw man arguments. “Anti-Catholic” is a weasel word. A new minority in the West, Muslims are in a state of vincible ignorance for obvious reasons. Demonizing them only makes matters worse. The Battle of Lepanto was won by Catholics, not by fear mongers.

  54. albizzi says:

    Our Holy Father is a courageous man who has no fear about the bloody threats of ffanatic islamists. I am certain that he is ready to be martyred since long.
    The murder of the Pope by islamists would be the best means to awaken and unite the Christendom against the religion of the “False Prophet” as it is named in the Revelation book.
    The radical muslims know that and I would be very surprised that they attempt anything agaisnt Benedict’s life for that reason.

  55. Supertradmum says:

    Facts do not demonize, emotions do. I merely point out facts as found by you or anyone. As to a group which works in a positive way with Muslim and Christian relations, I suggest the Christian-Islamic Forum. In Britain, there is the Muslim-Christian Forum, which is an ecumenical group with activities. I also recommend the video series from EWTN by Mitch Pacwa and Daniel Ali. Father Pacwa is an Arabic scholar. Another great scholar is Robert Spencer, whose book Onward Muslim Soldiers:How Jihad Still Threaten America and the West is available and he is also director of Jihad Watch, a site I visit frequently.

    As to the article above, I take it seriously.

  56. chcrix says:

    Wasn’t it Belloc who pointed out that Islam is actually best viewed as a Catholic heresy?

    Whether or not, I think there is a lot of truth in the view that Islam is the most successful of all heresies.

    It has the stigmata of extreme protestantism. Radical simplification in belief and worship. Absolute dependence on scripture. No sacraments.

    Oh, and I believe that Islam says that Issa (Jesus) will be at God’s right hand on judgement day – something that tends to support the idea that the Prophet originally may have thought he was restoring proper practice.

  57. Supertradmum says:

    Mohamed apparently was in the midst of both Christian and Jewish heretics, which caused some of his confusion as to proper versions and interpretations of Scripture. He did not think he was restoring proper practice, but wanted to create a unifying religion for the disparate Arab tribes, which had a long history of internecine warfare. Belloc points out the heretical influences. I personally do not see it as a heresy, but a totally new, syncretic religion created by a man who either had some type of false revelation, thinking it was from Archangel Gabriel, or a very clever military man who saw that the Arabs would only be a great nation by uniting under one religion-their own religion. Islam reminds me more of Mormonism than any other faith, as it is a national religion which became international, highly influenced by local myths and one man’s interpretation of private revelation.

    Of course, the most outrageous claim of Muslims today is that both the Christian and Jews changed the original Scriptures, which were the Islamic Scriptures, changing the wording to suit their revelation and destroying all the original Islamic texts, which supposedly existed before the Old and New Testament. This anti-historical view of the Scriptures ignores all extra-Scriptural evidence of truth, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus’ histories, etc. Of course, such a conspiracy theory is blatantly impossible, as at the times the Muslim scholars claim all the Jews and Christians conspired to get and destroy the original texts, the Torah and Bible had already been spread throughout the world and translated into many languages.

    Belloc’s claim that the religion is a heresy contradicts to my mind the definition of a heresy-which is the deliberate denial of a doctrine or dogma of the Catholic Church. Mohamed’s religion is really a new, conglomerate of Arab myths, the Torah, and the Christian Gospels, but not even canonical translations.

  58. Supertradmum says:

    One of my favorite quotations from one of my favorite priests may help us deal with anti-Catholicism in a practical manner:

    “There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the
    Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they
    wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a
    different thing.” — Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

    Same would be true in England. If one knows the Truth, one loves the Church.

  59. Leonius says:

    If you do not believe in a God that came down from heaven, was born of a virgin and died on a Cross then you do not believe in the same God as me so that rules out Muslims, Jews and a lot of other people to.

  60. Leonius says:

    And we have been at war with Muslims now for over 1000 years anyone who thinks we are suddenly all good buddies is an idiot.

  61. chcrix says:

    STmum

    “Islam reminds me more of Mormonism than any other faith”

    Very strong agreement there ST, and probably supports your thoughts about syncretism.

    “Jews and Christians conspired to get and destroy the original texts”

    Have you read any of the news articles about discovery of ‘original contradictory versions of the Koran’ that have been discovered and very discreetly researched during the last 10 years? Very interesting.

  62. momoften says:

    Very simply put, if you look around the world today, the Muslims are demanding their own Sharia Law within countries. They are not tolerant. Look at what happened in Dearborn Michigan recently.
    Four missionaries arrested at an Arab festival in Dearborn, Michigan, have been arraigned.
    The missionaries have appeared each year of the Annual Arab International Festival, but this year police moved in and arrested them and confiscated a camera from one member was using to film the arrests. They did not approach anyone, rather let people approach them. Do I believe the authorities in Dearborn are afraid of backlash from the Arab Community there? Yes. They have a different set of values/and laws which they want to impose on everyone else-even though they are NOT a majority in Michigan. I think it is prudent to be vigilant and to watch what is happening world wide with Muslims. Obviously some are not terrorists, but do we really know how many? Is it not scary what we are seeing in France with the headcoverings of Muslim women, the violence in Denmark, Sweden, and even France …all Muslim? Should the British authorities be alarmed, yes. We need to pray hard for his safety.

  63. Iconophilios says:

    The blogger of The Islamic Standard is an incredibly dishonest man. I posted a comment explaining why he was wrong in his bizarre claims of the Catholic Church and His Holiness, but he refused to publish it. I was not rude in any way.

  64. Supertradmum says:

    chcrix,

    Yes, I have seen those news articles, but some of the Muslims say these texts are the “corrupted texts”, ruined supposedly by the Christians and Jews. Of course, as you probably know, the “nullification theory” of Muslim scholarship, stating that Allah does not have to be consistent and that he can change his mind and his rules, such as seen in the contradictions in passages in the Koran, covers even the so-called “Satanic verses”, pieces of the Koran interjected by Satan, as the Muslims claim. In Sura 22:51, for example, Allah claims that Satan corrupts the prophets, therefore giving Allah the right to change things.

    Thank God for the Infallibility of the Pope and the Teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church, which is one reason why those who are irrational hate the Pope-the assurance of Truth outshines contradiction.

  65. Supertradmum says:

    chcrix,

    I forgot to mention that the Shi’ites have a different version of the Koran than the Sunnis, which is another reason why they, the Shi’ites are hated by the larger Sunni group.

  66. Horatius says:

    Hi, moms; a few points, first to STmom: sorry to say so, but the last thing Islam reminds me of is heresy, since, “the heretic always retains faith in Christ.” CE: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm#REF_I

    Then to momo; your story does not square with news reports, and, by the way, Muslims did not, evidently, arrest or accost the ‘missionaries:’ the Dearborn police did: “On Monday, four Christian missionaries were arraigned in Dearborn’s 19th District Court for disturbing the peace while handing out Christian literature at the city’s Arab International Festival last month, according to the Detroit Free Press.
    The missionaries, who are members of a group called Acts 17 Apologetics, said the charges violate their First Amendment right to free speech. Dearborn police said the situation was a public safety issue because the group caused a large number of people to gather in a small space, and members of the group were arrested for failing to obey commands of the police. Ann Arbor attorney Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center, entered a not guilty plea on the missionaries’ behalf. The article quotes Nabeel Qureshi, one of the missionaries from Virginia, saying, “We are praying the criminal charges will be dropped because we didn’t do anything wrong. … We allowed people to approach us and we weren’t looking for a confrontation.” According to the Detroit Free Press, the group caused a similar stir at the festival last year.” http://www.annarbor.com/faith/missionaries-charged-with-disorderly-conduct-at-dearborn-arab-festival/

    Back to Stmom: as these missionary folks are not Catholic, you can throw them in the heretical pit (material, rather than formal, heresy, I think). I wonder if the Dearborn police has either heretics or Muslims.

    Then again to momo: no, it is not scary, since veiling the face is outlawed in France–as it also is in, of all places, Syria.

    I wonder if the number of Catholics killing Catholics, in abortion and contraception alone, is far greater than the number of Muslims killing Catholics in the previous several hundred years. Today they clearly kill more of themselves than they kill us, but I wonder if all this bad palaver about them should not, perhaps, be filed under the beam in the eye department. Mired in ignorance, Muslims can be expected to misunderstand us. At the top of the material and intellectual heap, we in the West have no such excuse; least of all do Catholics, whose God is Love, and whose Apostles enjoyed the gift of the Holy Spirit of speaking foreign languages. Saint Paul also exhorts us to culture, which in the ancient mind included real history, if not current events.

    Retailing errors and faulty reasoning, incredible sources (Hillaire Belloc on Islam! HIMMEL!!!!), stereotyping of a grotesque sort, hasty generalizations, slanting news, inventing enemies and fabricating straw men; not only does all that wacky talk give Catholics and Catholicism a bad name, it works to fan the fear that does nobody, least of all our Holy Father, any good at all. Who are the people who have most destroyed the Church in the last decades? Catholics themselves.

  67. It shows the controlled double standard of publishing. If anybody published a similar tone about Islam, there would be fire-bombing and riots, along with all the liberal controlled press bemoaning the fact of such bias.

    I wonder what the Islamic Standard thinks of St. Francis de Paola’s (one of the incorruptibles until Protestants burned the body in 1562), prophecy about the end of Islam?

  68. DHippolito says:

    I find it highly ironic that Muslim activists wish to convert Catholics to Islam, yet Catholics — laity, clergy, prelates, “apologists” and whatnot — do not give witness to Muslims that Christ is the ONLY way to the Father, as He proclaimed Himself in the Gospels!! Instead, I find European Catholics allowing Muslim squatters to turn churches into de facto mosques, selling unused church properties to Muslims (instead of to Orthodox or Protestant fellow Christians?) or feeding Muslim immigrants literally (which is good) but not spiritually (which isn’t). I think this is fallout from Pope John Paul II’s active courting of Islam during his papacy as an ally against secularism, as well as a sense of tolerance that ignores legitimate — and irreconcileable — difference between Christianity as a whole and Islam.

  69. Supertradmum says:

    Horatius,

    I think you misunderstood me, as I clearly disagreed with Belloc on his assessment of Islam as a heresy. As to Hilaire Belloc: his was one of the greatest minds of is time and his books on Islam are classics, which are still in print and used in courses throughout the United States. I do not understand your fear of rational discourse on the views and beliefs of Muslims. We must understand from where they are coming both theologically and politically. Yes, we can have dialogue, as I do with a great Muslim friend from Turkey, but the differences cannot be either underestimated nor ignored.

    As to ignorance, I agree that the irrational approach of the madrassas across the globe to both the West and Western ideas, defining all by the Koran, is dangerous. That is why our dear Pope gave the challenge to the Muslims in Regensburg. They must develop theologies which help in dialogue and blatantly contradict the violence of jihad. This has not been done.

    Also, one cannot ignore the call of the Muslim faithful to create “the Nation of Islam”, a global theocracy of sharia law. This is not a myth, nor is it fear mongering. It has been stated clearly over and over in the press by Islamists, even on foxnews, when they have been interviewed, and on their own blogs and websites. See Islam4UK, for example and here is a link to an English article. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/6931212/What-is-Islam4UK.html

  70. Supertradmum says:

    Horatius,

    As to abortion deaths vs. those killed by Muslims, both horrific crimes, you may want to know that millions of Christians have been killed by Muslims in the 19th 20th, and 21st centuries. Some of these have been declared martyrs by the Roman Catholic Church. The Uganda Martyrs, who feast day we celebrated on June 3rd, were killed by Muslims.

    A few statistics–incomplete: 1.2 Million Armenian Christians, 0.6 million Syriac/Assyrian Christians and 0.3 million Greek Orthodox Christians by the Ottoman Turks alone. Today, Christians in Irag, Lebanon, Syria, the Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Serbia, and Croatia have all seen massive killings in the name of Islam. Check out the web for details. The Armenian genocide, the first documented genocide, is still considered the largest ever and done by the Muslim Ottoman Turks. Up to one and one half million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923.

  71. Supertradmum says:

    I say that the Armenian genocide is the largest Muslim genocide documented, not the largest, which must be either the Jewish Holocaust of Hitler, or the Russian purges of his own peasant people by Stalin.

  72. Supertradmum says:

    And just in case anyone does not think the Pope is in danger, here is a quotation of the Muslim Brotherhood, the terrorist group which is in America and Europe, as well as the MidEast: The Muslim Brotherhood “must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” — Mohamed Akram, “An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America,” May 22, 1991, Government Exhibit 003-0085, U.S. vs. HLF, et al. P. 7 (21).

    The leader of this group held a press conference in Birmingham, England in May of this year and the Brotherhood is active in that city,especially at the University of Birmingham. Scroll down to article on Hamas supporter at the University from the Brotherhood. http://globalmbreport.org/?m=201001

  73. Penguins Fan says:

    There are more than a few Catholics in the UK that are Polish. Certain parishes in the UK celebrate the Mass in Polish, and I have read a few English Catholics annoyed by the Polish Catholics. Well, tsk, tsk, tsk, isn’t that too bad for them.

    If I were in Birmingham to see the Pope, I would carry a sign. It would say “September 11, 1683”. On it would be a Polish flag.

    Centuries ago, Muslims formed strong and formidable armies. They do no such thing now. Queen Isabella, Don Juan of Austria, King John Sobieski – they knew how to deal with radical Islam.

  74. Charivari Rob says:

    albizzi – “Our Holy Father is a courageous man who has no fear about the bloody threats of fanatic islamists. I am certain that he is ready to be martyred since long.”

    I suppose you are right, at least when it comes to thoughts of himself.

    I also trust that His Holiness is also compassionate, sensitive and practical. In these large Mass settings and other public assemblies, with their rings of security, it is the masses of people who are (in many ways) more vulnerable than he is. Benedict (and more particularly, his security teams – both his own and the host nation) will treat any hint of a threat very seriously.

    “The murder of the Pope by islamists would be the best means to awaken and unite the Christendom against the religion of the “False Prophet” as it is named in the Revelation book.”

    On the contrary.

    The murder of the Pope would be merely a very good means to incite further violence.

    The best means to awaken and unite Christendom, on the other hand, is for Christians to live their faith fully, and be an example that draws others to the Faith. If we live more truly what our faith is for, it becomes easier to sort out who we’re against.

  75. Supertradmum says:

    As to “radical” Islam, there has only been one Islam since Mohamed and the writing of the Koran. Whether it was 1571 at Lepanto, or 1683 at Vienna, the call has been the same. We have two feasts in our liturgical year celebrating Mary, the Mother of God’s victories over the Islamists-September 12th (11th in the old calendars) and October 7th.

    “And thus Christ’s faithful warriors, prepared to sacrifice their life and blood for the welfare of their Faith and their country, proceeded undauntedly to meet their foe near the Gulf of Corinth; while those who were unable to join them formed a band of pious supplicants, who called on Mary and, as one, saluted Her again and again in the words of the Rosary, imploring Her to grant victory to their companions engaged in battle. Our sovereign Lady did grant Her aid.” [Pope Leo XIII, Supremi Apostolatus, 1883]

    Nothing has changed, except false political correctness…

  76. Woodlawn says:

    Fr. Marie-Paul,

    Where can we read St. Francis de Paola’s prophecy about the end of Islam?

  77. luiz says:

    They should read the history of Saint Pelagius of Cordova, martyr.

  78. Wayne NYC says:

    Pray always and often for our Holy Father.
    Thanks to so many people for a spirited
    discussion on Islam.
    I want to recommend the work of Fr Zakaria Botross
    a coptic priest living somewhere in the mid-east.
    Al queada has placed a 60 million dollar bounty on
    fathers head. Father Botross has a weekly broadcast
    viewed by millions of muslims around the world.
    The show is formally banned in Saudi Arabia and
    several other muslim nations and viciously denounced
    by Al Jazeera .His show is called Al-Haq (Truth Talk)
    it’s part of the Al haya Satellite TV station .
    Father uses the koran ,the hadiths, and original souces
    to fight Islam itself. He refutes Islam with his
    encyclopedic (and comic) knowledge of the canonical hadiths
    (the authenticated muslim accounts).He shocks muslims into
    looking honestly at their prophet and his ideology.
    Please google him…his program is not for the kids.
    Their is a great book on him written by Stuart Robinson
    “Defying Death Zakari Botross: apostle to islam

  79. RC2 says:

    The Pope is always in danger, but this seems to me more like an MP with his own reasons for wanting to spoil the papal trip making a “thing” of it than a threat from the group in question. If you read the MP’s comments, he’s not worried about an attack on the Pope so much as the two groups of believers getting into fisticuffs and having riots break out. Did you notice the story at protecthtepope.com about the feminists who also fear “heightened tensions” because of the Pope’s very presence?

    FWIW, the blogger at the Islamic Standard denies that they’re inciting violence in any way.http://theislamicstandard.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/1299/#comment-886

    I hope Catholics in Britain will be excited about the opportunity to interact with Muslim evangelists, and come prepared with appropriate apologetic literature.

  80. @Woodlawn,

    The full set of seven letters of St. Francis de Paola is in a book called The Christian Trumpet by Fr. Gaudentius Rossi, written in 1873, but the prophecies were in the 1400’s.

    It is available on Google Books online: (long URL)

    http://books.google.ca/books?id=UUnRRJf7VxgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%5BGaudentius+Rossi+%22christian+trumpet%22&source=bl&ots=tQsxpU2mK4&sig=4kRRArStG1jmU2ymcLxVbykZVbY&hl=en&ei=m9JFTK__MtD_nAfqvs2RBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

  81. Supertradmum says:

    foxnews online is now covering this story…http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/07/20/muslims-prepare-for-pope-visit-to-uk/?test=latestnews

    I still think the Muslim Brotherhood in Birmingham will, sadly, try something.

  82. Woodlawn says:

    Thank you, Fr. Marie-Paul.

    I have a duel interest in St. Francis de Paola. Not only are my ancestors from the lands of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies but I am a retired naval officer and, as I’m sure you are aware, St. Francis de Paolo is the patron saint of naval officers.

    Thanks again.

  83. Supertradmum says:

    http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4473.htm

    New correction on the age of Mohamed’s favorite wife, from an Muslim cleric himself,Saudi family affairs expert Ghazi Al-Shimari. Aisha was six years old and did not have marital relations until nine. This interview is astoundingly disturbing….and an amazing quotation–“Why are you so worried about the West? What has the West even given us, yet we bow to them and worship them? We honored them, yet they invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, and are wreaking destruction on Palestine. Brother, what has the West ever done for us?”

    Built Europe, civilization, law, educational institutions, the banking system, printing, modern medicine, etc….

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