I agree with many of the letters posted here that Bunting (and others who have responded similarly to Benedict's remarks) probably didn't read the entire text of his speech, or the subsequent clarifications issued by the Vatican. If so, she would clearly see that his almost academic lecture included the ill-fated quote not to endorse intolerance or link Islam with violence, but to illustrate the difficulty of reconciling very different perspectives. To suggest otherwise is absurd; as absurd as the violent reaction in the Arab street and elsewhere around the world where the remarks were indeed used for political purposes to incite hatred and turmoil. The irony of the whole sorry episode also seems largely lost amidst the opportunistic finger-pointing or, at the other end of the spectrum, navel-gazing; suggest that Islam has a serious problem with violence, and well, damn you, we'll kill you! Or at least burn down a few Churches to prove how wrong you are!

Bunting's ad hominem attach on Benedict does nothing to strengthen her case. Playing the Hitler Youth card is a rather cheap shot. Millions of young Germans cycled through the Hitler Youth during the Nazi years, and membership in a youth organization of a totalitarian state doesn't make you guilty of anything beyond having been young and unfortunate in the timing and placement of your birth. Or to cite a more recent example, should we kick out of the office the thousands of young democrats transforming the former Soviet-bloc countries of Eastern Europe? After all, they were all Young Pioneers (or the like) growing up.

Bunting's biggest and most inexplicable problem is her failure to suggest even a modicum of responsibility for the latest wave of violence to the rioting Muslims themselves. She states that the current anger of Muslims around the world is comparable to Jewish anger over Benedict's Auschwitz visit. Maybe, maybe not, but there's one obvious difference, isn't there? Namely, Jews didn't riot, burn down Churches and call for the murder of Catholics. But Bunting ascribes all of this-- the dead nun, Christian communities under siege, etc., to the Pope's "stupidity." She goes on to say that even the most cursory knowledge of Islam teaches us that criticism of Mohammad is "non-negotiable" and verboten. Quite true for practicing Muslims. But the same is true for Christians, isn't it? Jesus and the Bible's teachings are just as sacred to many in the West, yet rhetoric about Christian crusaders, infidels, murderers, and the Christ's perfidity (the original Zionist) appears in newspapers, schools, mosques, media, etc., every day of the year throughout almost the entire Muslim world and is powerful fodder for the Wahabi theology that created today's terrorism. The last time I checked, there were no pogroms planned against Muslims in the West or smoking Mosques.

Benedict may indeed have made a mistake. He's under a microscope as the highest-profile religious leader in the Christian world, and experience has shown that extremists will use any excuse to foment hatred and advance their agenda. But at a certain point, the West is going to have confront what Bunting's rant sadly illustrates-- the double-standard that exists in Western-Muslim dialogue, and the failure of Western citizens and institutions, on the left and right alike, to show the strength of their convictions and voice support for simple ideas like freedom of speech and expression, intellectual tolerance, and non-violent civil discourse.

The recent remarks need to be put into a context that few are talking about.

1) The growth of Christianity (especially Catholicism) is slowing.

2) The growth of Islam is accelerating.

The slowing of Christianity is largely due to the extensive scholarly criticism that has undermined the dogmas of the church. Fewer and fewer people beleive in (1) Original Sin, (2) the Trinity, (3) Salvation through Jesus. For over a century there has been a growing movement to take a critical look at official church history, most specifically, to try and remove the religion of 'Paul' from that of Jesus. What remains is sometimes called Jewish-Christianity, or Non-Pauline Christianity, or De-Hellenised Christianity.

What the Pope knows, but most western citizens do not, is that the process of removing the religion of 'Paul' from the religion of Jesus, leaves you with the Theology of Islam: i.e. There is one god, Jesus was a prophet, we are judged on our own merits. Certainly Islamic culture is foreign and frightening from a western perspective, but that is not essential to Islam (despite what some Arab muslims insist). Islam is growing because, theologically, it makes sense. The big problem, as someone here has also mentioned, is that Islam is still strongly rooted in Arab/Tribal culture (e.g. veiling of women). But Islam can be separated from Tribal culture - and it will be. What will remain is the five pilliars:

1) Believe in one God

2) Pray and give thanks to God regularly

3) Give to charity

4) Develop your self discipline by fasting each year

5) Connect with your faith by taking the pilgrimmage once in your life

The Pope know this. If you read his full speech you can see that he was addressing the trend of 'De-Hellenising' Christianity, because Islam stands to gain from this trend. The biggest thing slowing down Islam is ignorance of its essentials, and its association with violence. The Pope does not want to see the moderate voices of Islam drown out the Extremists. So what, as commander in chief, does he do? He provokes and raises those extremist voices.

A smart move by a smart man. But I can't help but believe that the simplicity of Islamic theology will continue to best the inscrutably mysteriousness and questionable authenticity of Christianity and its Paul-given dogmas.

Cheers!

None of the European religious laws are enforced

Europeans have, in practice, more religious freedom than here. Which brings up the point that even in secular Islamic societies there is lots of pressure to conform to the religion, which just reinforces the point that there isn't real secularism i.e freedom anywhere in the Muslim world.

-- anon

Uh, what? You mean, Britons, French, Spain and italian tax dollars are going directly to the anglican and catholic churches not because of a law?

Europeans have, in practice, more religious freedom than here.

I have no idea what you're talking about. They don't even want to give people time off for Yom Kippur, forget Eid-Al-Fitr. If you're Muslim, you're fucked in many countries, because there is a huge prejudice against muslims. imagine the US in the early 1950's, except against muslims and arabs instead of blacks. In france, women cannot wear hijabs to school, or work, probably, because doing so would get them into a lot of trouble.

TAx dollars in europe go to support not only churches, but religious schools as well.

You need to read up on this.