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Pope in Jordan, begins ME tour

kaya'08

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Pope Benedict XVI stressed his "deep respect" for Islam as he arrived in Jordan to begin a Middle East visit.

The Pope described religious freedom as a fundamental human right, and said he hoped the Catholic church could play a role in the Middle East peace process.

The eight-day tour - in which the Pope describes himself as a "pilgrim of peace" - is his first visit to the Middle East as pontiff.

After Jordan, his tour also takes him to Israel and the West Bank.

The pontiff was met at the airport by Jordan's King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Muslim and Christian leaders.

A Jordanian army band with bagpipes and drums played the Vatican and Jordanian national anthems before the Pope and King Abdullah inspected the honour guard.

The Pope's tour of the holy places of Christendom is aimed at encouraging the minority Christian community in the Middle East, and creating a better dialogue with Muslims and Jews.

'Death threats'

However, Jordanian Islamist leaders have demanded that he apologise for a speech in 2006 that linked Islam and violence.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Pope begins Mid-East pilgrimage
 
However, Jordanian Islamist leaders have demanded that he apologise for a speech in 2006 that linked Islam and violence.

He still hasn't apologised? The cheek of the man :rofl
 
He still hasn't apologised? The cheek of the man :rofl

Lol i think he much rather have his dignity get in the way. At least he has the guts to tour the ME. Its hardly a save haven for popes these days, so for that he should be respected.
 
He did apologize that people took his words out of context and did not understand what he was trying to communicate.

You do realize i was not serious right?

:2wave:
 
Lol i think he much rather have his dignity get in the way. At least he has the guts to tour the ME. Its hardly a save haven for popes these days, so for that he should be respected.

I'll give him props for that.
If i were him, i'd rather be locked up behind Vatican walls than stepping foot into the minefield which is the Muslim world.
 
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I'll give him props for that.
If i were him, i'd rather be locked up behind Vatican walls than stepping foot into the minefield which is the Muslim world.

If the muslims start today, by erradicating extremism, and show the west they are moderate by changing there policies and having zero tolerance with these terrorist criminals, and begin to introduce to there society the benefits and advantages of secularism to all peoples aswell as respecting the bill of rights to there highest decree through democracy, then 10-15 years from now, the ME will be far from a minefield. But a place of prosperity. Unfortunately however, many leaders insist on saber battling with us, and they continue to insist that adopting human rights, being secular and becoming peaceful and using democracy as a tool of true prosperity, is bowing down to the west and essentially loosing. Which is far from true. We are asking them to win, because in the end the Taleban and the Al Quaeda are the true loosers, and all they bring down with them. Imagine if this was true today. There wouldnt be this huge cloud of resentment amongst our society in the west regarding many muslims in the ME. At least most western muslims are exactly that; modern, open minded and respectable. At least thats my view.
 
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Being secular may be the way to go for some countries but it is not as perfect in the Muslim world. They will want to recognise their country is founded upon Islam and use it as a state religion. That is something that will be a problem and cannot be removed by just saying 'we are now secular'.
If Muslims actually got their act together then maybe but the divisions are very deep. There is no one to turn to for the answer on Islam and that is part of the problem. The lack of heirachy means that anyone can claim to speak for Islam, arab countries in particular do not seem to be taking Taliban very seriously either. If they all got involved, are we saying extremism wouldn't be eradicated? Ofc it would but they are unwilling or unable to get involved.
Denial is the most important issue. Anyone saying anything critical about Islam or even a Muslim pointing out problems in the Muslim world, we will almost literally cover our ears and put our middle finger up.
The dislike from the west on Muslims are based on the sterotypes - Not many westerners know much about Islam; they base it on the media. I doubt they could name our 5 pillars and as a result they view all the females as oppressed and behind bars and the men as women beaters and having more than 4 wives. Its slightly amusing.
 
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Being secular may be the way to go for some countries but it is not as perfect in the Muslim world. They will want to recognise their country is founded upon Islam and use it as a state religion. That is something that will be a problem and cannot be removed by just saying 'we are now secular'.
If Muslims actually got their act together then maybe but the divisions are very deep. There is no one to turn to for the answer on Islam and that is part of the problem. The lack of heirachy means that anyone can claim to speak for Islam, arab countries in particular do not seem to be taking Taliban very seriously either. If they all got involved, are we saying extremism wouldn't be eradicated? Ofc it would but they are unwilling or unable to get involved.
Denial is the most important issue. Anyone saying anything critical about Islam or even a Muslim pointing out problems in the Muslim world, we will almost literally cover our ears and put our middle finger up.
The dislike from the west on Muslims are based on the sterotypes - Not many westerners know much about Islam; they base it on the media. I doubt they could name our 5 pillars and as a result they view all the females as oppressed and behind bars and the men as women beaters and having more than 4 wives. Its slightly amusing.

Im no expert on Islam, and i cant name the 5 pillars of your religion. But im also not willing to buy the fact that Islam is an evil religion. Otherwise a large proportion of the worlds population wouldnt turn to it as there way of life. But i do know its possible for muslims to practise secularism. Ataturk taught Turkey. I know the Arabs have the potential to do the same and move away from the typical stereotypes. They just need a revolutionary leader with an enlightened mind, and a cult of personality so that the population can look up to this leader and say, "we'll follow you to the grave defending and keeping your ideology alive". Its pretty much what Ataturk done during his authotarian rule before he established the full democracy of an elected leader (whereby he was elected and placed as President and died during his term in office). He had to bring politicians together and ask them personally to set up party's in the government because everybody was so taken away by this mans magnificence, and believed so much in him and his ideology for Turkey; a modern, secular country, that they didnt want to form there own parties but rather just join his.
 
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Im no expert on Islam, and i cant name the 5 pillars of your religion. But im also not willing to buy the fact that Islam is an evil religion. Otherwise a large proportion of the worlds population wouldnt turn to it as there way of life. But i do know its possible for muslims to practise secularism. Ataturk taught Turkey. An enlightened mind can teach the arabs in the ME. :2wave:

I agree, but we have no one to enlighten the Muslim world unfortunately.
I heard Turkey's military is very secular and ensure it is upheld. Muslims armies are probably the opposite.

But nvm, can you lend us some of your secular politicans? :2wave:
 
I agree, but we have no one to enlighten the Muslim world unfortunately.
I heard Turkey's military is very secular and ensure it is upheld. Muslims armies are probably the opposite.

But nvm, can you lend us some of your secular politicans? :2wave:

Sure, all of our republicans are secular, but the current ruling party, the Justice and Development party, regardless of there huge reforms to join the EU bloc, insist on being slightly muslim orientated secretely (hence the crazy rage PM Erdogan went into at Israel in Davos, the fool). Regardless Laila, look at mankinds past. You will notice a pattern. In times of great desperation and misery, a leader is formed. And usually, that leader is for the best. Its desperate times for the muslims, and its only a matter of time before somebody will step up to the platform and make the changes the Arabs have been waiting for.

Ataturk needed to make sure that when he was dead and gone, his ideals for secularism would stay. He knew if an unsecular leader was to take his place after his time, they would have the power to change the country back into its ottoman-era days (they where very religiously tolerant the Ottomans, but not secular). He knew if the people we're to revolt to protect his ideology, they would fail and be defeated by the state. So he built up the army and made it very powerful in Turkey. He used the military to keep secularism in place, and gave them a powerful say in politics (not enough to distort a democracy, but enough to ensure that Turkeys politics will always remain secular). And till this day, it continues (though the military have more power than originally wanted. This does not account for todays Turkey, because of the constitutional reforms for the EU). The military have over-thrown at least half a dozen governments since his death in 1938, in the name of secularism (part of the constitution). The constitional court has banned at least 5 ruling governments. The AKP (Justice and development party), the current leaders, also escaped a narrow closure last year for anti-secular activities (Erdogan has a criminal record for trying to sabotage politics and the constitution).

The Arab countries can use his example as a beacon of hope. A final, last chance for saving there people and boarders from secretarian violance. I know it is possible. The army is a powerful institution to have and can be manipulated to ensure a country stays secular. The Ayatollah in Iran used a similiar approach. When the Shah was overthrown, he had the people on his side, but he also changed the constitution so that there must be a President in Iran but a supreme leader (the Ayatollah) too, to ensure Iran stays an Islamic nation after and beyond his death. Obviously this example is the opposite of what i advocate, but the Arabs have shown they can establish and keep Islamic countries going strong many years after there founding. Which begs the question, do they even want to be secular? Maybe if they tasted the freedom that we have here, just once, they would want it to stay?
 
Which begs the question, do they even want to be secular? Maybe if they tasted the freedom that we have here, just once, they would want it to stay?

I'm not sure i am comfortable in giving armes power to overthrow Governments and banning of parties. Hardly democratic imo.

I doubt it.
Cultural difference.
They may want democratic laws and polls have shown this but they do not want Islam basically eradicated in many aspects of their lives.
You can be free without resorting to the same tactics Turkey does to ensure it stays secular
 
I'm not sure i am comfortable in giving armes power to overthrow Governments and banning of parties. Hardly democratic imo.

I doubt it.
Cultural difference.
They may want democratic laws and polls have shown this but they do not want Islam basically eradicated in many aspects of their lives.
You can be free without resorting to the same tactics Turkey does to ensure it stays secular

Well Turkey cannot resort to those tactics any longer, unless the constitutional courts see that the government is violating the constitution repeatedly. Its very undemocratic, your right. But anything is better than the mess the arabs have got themselves into.
 
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