Jihadist Violence Validates Pope Benedict's Words

As most of us probably have already seen in the news, Pope Benedict recently inflamed Muslims worldwide when, in a speech in Germany, he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who declared Muhammad's teachings "evil and inhuman", particularly the command to spread the faith by the sword.

Of course, many Muslims immediately called this a heinous insult, and demanded an apology. The pope, however, has stuck to his guns, expressing regret that the statement caused offense and differentiating it from his personal beliefs, but still stopping short of genuinely repudiating it.

So who is correct? Was the Pope's use of quotation appropriate, or are Muslims justified in their opposition? I'd venture to say that fundamentalist Muslim actions in the event's aftermath largely answer the question.

In response to the comments, jihadist groups have plotted to kill the Pope himself, murdered a nun, bombed multiple churches, threatened entire Christian populations, and begun preparations to wage war on the Western world (something which, to a large extent, has already been happening for years). And that's only what was reported in the news. Just as the Pope strongly condemned Islam's propensity for violence, Muslims themselves have all but confirmed the necessity to do so.

Now do Muslims have a right to be offended? Of course. The Pope's quote did indeed insult their religion; the words were very harsh, and even quite exaggerated, as certainly not all of Islam is evil or inhuman.

But feeling hurt by no means whatsoever gives them the right to act violently and commit murder. This is not remotely debatable; such barbaric reactions to a mere verbal insult can indeed be described only as evil and immoral. And yet fitting the Pope's quote to the letter, many Muslims clearly felt religiously justified in acting as such. Furthermore, most Islamic leaders have refused to condemn the violence, which certainly hints that they silently condone it.

As much as Muslims want to deny Pope Benedict's statement, too many of them have succeeded in validating it. If they truly wish to prove the pontiff wrong, they can begin only by renouncing such violence and responding in a civilized manner. If this were to genuinely occur, I can imagine the Pope would be happy to retract his statement. Otherwise, forget about it.