Broadening the Scope of Pope Benedict XVI

Broadening the Scope of Pope Benedict XVI

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem)

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, wa sallallahu ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam tasliman kathira.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Introduction and Ramadan Greetings

This is our third podcast and I want to first just welcome and congratulate everybody on their Ramadan and this is a time Allah has blessed this ummah in particular with an adherence to their tradition that hasn't diverted or deviated and so Muslims are fasting all over the world between the daylight hours. It's a great blessing. May Allah give us the reward of that.

Understanding Fitna as Social Inflammation

First thing I want to talk about was inflammation. Inflammation is a response of the body when you have a foreign invasion of protein or even like a sliver will cause some slight inflammation. So inflammation is actually a healthy response from the body to something that's threatening the integrity of the body.

But what happens when the integrity gets overwhelmed is the inflammation can actually do the opposite. Instead of actually helping the body, it actually starts killing the body. The Arabic word for tribulations that occur in societies is fitna and fitna is like an inflammation of the social body.

So when you have, for instance, I'll give you an example. If you remember the cartoons in Denmark, the cartoons are still there. They're on the website. They're probably more widespread than they were at the outset. But is anybody jumping up and down? Is anybody tearing anything down? Is anybody screaming and shouting? No, because the inflammation has subsided. The fitna has subsided.

And so one of the natures of fitna is that you have to be aware of it and what it is so that you react appropriately. You understand what it is. If you allow it to take over, it's a disaster.

The Quranic Guidance on Responding to Harm

And that's why there's so many verses in the Quran about being patient, about being forebearing, about recognizing. The Quran says that you will hear from the people of the book, the Jews and the Christians, and the polytheists, much harm. You'll hear things that are really bothering.

You know, you'll hear much harm. And then it says, but if you're patient and you adhere to taqwa, to this piety, that is the essence of this matter. In other words, the actual exciting factor is a test to your

social body, how you respond.

Do you allow it to create a septicemia that actually destroys your body? So your own response is what destroys the body. Or do you isolate it and are able to contain it? And so your inflammation is measured. Because you have to respond if you're human. There has to be some response. But what type of response? Is it a beneficial response? Or is it a harmful response? That's the real question.

The Pattern of Instigation

So we've had all these fitna. It's just one after another. And they line them up. And what's amazing to me is what I see happening is a lot of this is in fact instigation.

Wittingly or unwittingly. I'm not going to get into the hearts of people. But that's what in essence, that's what's happening. People are being instigated. But they fall right into it. And it's about time the Muslims wised up. Really. It's about time they really started thinking a little deeper about what's going on. About how we address these issues.

The Pope's Remarks and the Reality

So what I wanted to talk about a little bit is what I'll call broadening the scope of the Pope. One of the recent major issues, fitna, that happened is the Pope made some remarks. And then suddenly everybody's up in arms.

Well, the reality of it is not everybody was up in arms. In fact, a very small group of people were up in arms. Usually hooligans.

Like in this country, if you have somebody, we had recently a sniper went down to a mosque and shot at Muslims praying tarawih at night. So in the Middle East, there weren't all these papers, Americans attacking mosques. It was an isolated incident. That's all it was. It was an isolated incident. It's evil. And it should be dealt with. And we hope that the proper authorities take it seriously and do that.

But my point is that you don't blow that out of proportion to make it like every American is threatening the well-being and safety of Muslims. Because that's not the case. We're living here. I'm living here. You're living here. We're in America. And we're generally as secure as you can be in America.

I mean, we get hassled at the airports and things like that. But generally, people walking around, you're not going to have somebody attacking you. Some of our women, unfortunately, get some looks that aren't pleasant. Not from everybody. From some people. There's ignorant people everywhere.

My point is that when this idea that the whole Muslim world blew up at the statements of the Pope. No. People in Jeddah or Cairo, they're drinking their tea. Whatever. I mean, they'll make comments over the breakfast table or something like that. But they're not out destroying the Coptic churches or going crazy. And their Christian friends are still their Christian friends.

The Response of Patriarch Ignatius IV

And that's why it was very beautiful the response of Ignatius IV, who's the patriarch of Antioch. And we put his letter up on the Zaytuna website. And the reason we put that letter up there was because we felt that it was a beautiful Christian response. And what he basically said is, look, we've lived with the Muslims for centuries in mutual respect. And that's something the Pope needs to ask himself.

Because Muslims are in Europe now, but they're not historical communities. Whereas Christians are in the Muslim world as historical, unbroken communities since the time of Christ. How is that possible? If it wasn't for Muslim tolerance.

Montgomery Watt on European Distortion

So I want to look here at something that... And I'm not going to quote from Muslims because people can say, oh, well, they're just biased. This is Montgomery Watt, who's a Christian, but a fair, I think, reasonably fair scholar. And one of the things he talks about is the distortion of the image of Islam among Europeans.

And he talks about how Europeans use this as a war of light and darkness. So he comments, the war of light and darkness sounds well, but in this post-Freudian world, men realize that the darkness ascribed to one's enemies is a projection of the darkness in oneself that is not fully admitted. So, in this way, the distorted image of Islam is to be regarded as a projection of the shadow side of European man.

The distorted image of Islam is to be regarded as a shadow side of European man. I mean, to me, that's a profound... I love honesty. I love unbiased people. I love people that are disinterested, that are able to just call a spade a spade and tell it like it is. I like people like that, that don't waffle over things, that don't prevaricate, that don't dissemble, that don't lie, that don't speak with a forked tongue. Just be fair and upright.

If it's against you, say, you know what? I'm clearly in the wrong. Somebody called me on something the other day. I said, you're absolutely right. I don't want to get defensive. And if I get defensive, because we're human, I like to look at that. Okay, why am I getting defensive? Is this getting a little close to the truth here? You know, why is this irking me? Why is this vexing me? I have to ask that question.

So, when Montgomery Watt says that this is a projection onto the other, that's a man who's a Christian and a committed Christian, but who spent his life studying Islam. So, what he's saying is, we need to look a little deeper here.

Analyzing the Pope's Address

So, I want to look a little bit at the Pope's address. Because I think this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Now, the Pope, this was a university address. It was, interestingly enough, entitled Faith, Reason, and the University: Memories and Reflections.

So, he's remembering what his experience was. Obviously, I read the paper in its entirety. He's a very intelligent man. Apparently, he loves Goethe. He's an accomplished pianist. Anyway, in this talk, he's talking about faith and reason. Very interesting subject.

But, in the talk, he brings up, he said, I'd like to bring up a conversation that occurred somewhere during the siege of Constantinople. This is very important. Because he's using a historical reference to a very significant event in European history, even though technically Constantinople is bridging Europe and Asia.

The Emperor Manuel II and the Persian Scholar

But, he brings up this so-called debate between Manuel II, who was considered to be a very brilliant Byzantine emperor, and this Persian scholar that we don't know who it is. So, in this seventh conversation in a newly edited book by Professor Khouri, the emperor touches on the theme of the Holy War.

The emperor must have known that Surah 2, verse 256, reads لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ )Quran (2:256) there is no compulsion in religion. According to the experts, this is one of the surahs of the early period. Which experts? It's not a surah of the early period. Baqarah is one of the later surahs.

Now, what he says is Muhammad was still powerless and under threat. But naturally, the emperor also knew the instructions developed later and recorded in the Quran concerning Holy War.

The Fallacy of the Power Argument

So, this what he's indicating here is when he was powerless and in weakness, he said there's no coercion in religion. Well, that's very interesting because there's no meaning to that verse if you're powerless. How do you coerce somebody if you don't have power? So, why would he even say that? There's no coercion in the religion. If he's powerless to coerce anybody into the religion. I mean, that verse is an applied verse.

There are scholars that say that the verse is abrogated. There are scholars that say that and I don't deny that because I like calling it fair. But, they have been rejected by the overwhelming body of Muslims throughout the centuries of Islam. So, there are some scholars that that verse was abrogated by what's called Ayat al-Sayf.

But, all of the ulama are in agreement. And what they mean is if you're in state power, you can force people to pay Zakat if they're not paying Zakat. But, nobody's ever said you can force a non-Muslim to embrace Islam in the history of Islam. Nobody has ever abrogated the verse from that meaning in the history of Islam.

But, what they mean is you can use coercive power in a state to implement the religion. But, not to force anybody to follow the religion. Nobody has ever said that in the history of Islam. So, I don't know which experts he's relying on to give him that information because it's not correct information.

The False Claim About Spreading by the Sword

So, then he goes on to say that this Manuel says, quote, show me just what Muhammad, peace be upon him, he

are the Spanish Muslims that were in Granada in 1492 when Granada was lost to the Catholic Church where are all the historical Muslim communities? They don't exist so when you say coercion and forcing and then you're going to quote from somebody from the Middle Ages to buttress your opinion, I don't know.

But let's look at Manuel II. Manuel II from 1400 to 1403 the Byzantine Emperor himself was touring the power centers of the West in hopes of drumming up money and support against the Muslims so why is he quoting from somebody who's noted historically to be a man who toured the European nations to drum up support against the Muslims.

In fact he arrived in Venice in April 1400 shortly after Chrysoloras had left Florence from there Manuel II went to Padua, Vicenza Pavia, Milan where he and Chrysoloras celebrated their reunion he goes on, he went to Paris he spent a year with King Charles VI, he went to London he was a big hit in the English capital where King Henry IV and his subjects gave him a magnificent reception and on and on.

So why is it that he's quoting from somebody who went around Europe to drum up support against the Muslims out of fear of the Muslims and that to me that's something to think about and he ends the quote with Manuel he ends his whole talk with Manuel II.

The Pre-Modern World Reality

So why is he bringing up this historical character who was the last serious Byzantine Emperor that was trying to stop the encroachment of the Muslims on what was left of the Byzantine Empire now the Arabs have a saying the Byzantines are such if you don't fight them they fight you so during that period that was just what was going on that's the pre-modern world and we have to accept that, that is the pre-modern world that's the way pre-modern peoples are they were fighting over territories they were very different from the modern people who don't fight over territories and natural resources and things like that we're enlightened civilized people we don't resort to violence as a way of achieving our aims and objectives so that's a distinct difference between the two but anyway that was the pre-modern world so it's very important for people to think about what this means.

The Irony: Where Did Faith and Reason Compatibility Come From?

Now the irony of ironies to me in the whole talk is what he's saying is faith and reason are compatible where did that idea come from? The fact that he quotes and tells us that Islam gave nothing good he quotes a man who says Islam brought nothing good only evil well that idea of the compatibility of faith and reason comes from in the Catholic Church from St. Thomas Aquinas.

Because before St. Thomas Aquinas Tertullian and others, the theologians of the Catholic Church did not have a reconciliation of faith and reason you believe because it was absurd it was a super rational reality what St. Thomas Aquinas did was he reconciled between faith and reason well where did St. Thomas Aquinas get that idea of reconciling between faith and reason well that's very interesting.

Islamic Influence on St. Thomas Aquinas

If you look at the Cambridge companion to Aquinas on the chapter Aquinas and Islamic and Jewish thinkers they give you a very accurate historical presentation of the fact that St. Thomas Aquinas was heavily influenced by Ibn Rushd of Cordoba the Muslim philosopher.

So if you look here the influence of Farabi exerted on medieval writers can be seen by a study of the work of Albertus Magnus 13th century theologian philosopher and teacher St. Thomas Aquinas was among those who attended Albertus lectures so Albertus St. Thomas Aquinas made it his goal made it the goal Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas Aquinas and this is from Eugene Myers Arabic Thought in the Western World listen to this quote Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas Aquinas made it the goal of their lives to reconcile Aristotelian and Muslim philosophy with Christian theology.

Now St. Thomas Aquinas is that is the adopted philosophy of the Catholic Church and he was heavily influenced by I mean you know I didn't make this stuff up I you know if the Pope needs some book references I can give him some good book references but I didn't make this stuff up.

Montgomery Watt on Islam's Influence

So to end this is Montgomery Watt again when one keeps hold of all the facets of the medieval confrontation of Christianity and Islam and Islam it is clear that the influence of Islam on Western Christendom is greater than is usually realized not merely did Islam share with Western Europe many material products and technological discoveries not merely did it stimulate Europe intellectually in the fields of science and philosophy but it provoked Europe into forming a new image of itself because Europe was reacting against Islam it belittled the influence of the Saracens and exaggerated its dependence on its Greek and Roman heritage.

That's exactly what this this talk was about is how Greece is this is our heritage totally rejecting any contribution of Islam and in this 21st century for a Pope to do that is a grave disservice to interdependence, to harmony, to mutual respect, to an ability to live together, to actually appreciate and respect the various contributions, Europe has made immense contributions to human civilization but to completely deny the contributions of the Muslim world and ultimately of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

A Fair Christian Scholar's Assessment

So that's what he says so today an important task for Western Europeans as we move into the era of the one world is to correct this false emphasis and to acknowledge fully our debt to the Arab and Islamic world that's a Christian who's fair and unbiased and that's all we're asking of the Pope.

And I miss John Paul II because he was reaching out, he kissed the Quran you know when he was in Syria he kissed the Quran and they gave him flack for that that was just an act, it was a charitable act charity comes from karitas which means love it's interesting that the Pope talked about love in that talk I didn't see much love

towards the Muslims and the average person doesn't have to love us but Christ said love your enemies so even if you see us as enemies Christ commanded you to love us.

Dostoevsky said the reason that's such a powerful injunction is because it's easy to love your friends anybody can do that I mean a dog loves his master but to really reach out with an open heart to people that might not be like you or think like you or see like you.

Call for Muslim Reflection and Prophetic Character

So I would just say to Muslims we have to think at a deeper level the Quran tells us to be patient the Quran tells us we're going to hear things but we need to explain to them who we are, what we are what we're about, what our religion is about we need to behave like the Prophet we need to take up his sunnah and the Prophet was a gentle soul he was haleem he was forbearing he was meek he was a lion in battle and that's undeniable but when the battle ended the largest he always showed the people he conquered brought them to tears that's why they became Muslim.

He fought those who fought him and he was given that permission he was never aggressive not an aggressive person he was never vengeful so I think it's very important that Muslims really think at a deeper level.

Europe's Identity Crisis

But I'll end this by saying Europe's in a crisis and the Pope's very aware of that crisis it's a crisis of identity who are we as Europeans well there's a historical fact and the fact is that Europe's identity historically revolves around two essential facts the first is that they were Christian so they have a Christian identity the second is that their serious threat and enemy was Islam that's Christian identity.

Now they're in a post-Christian era so how do they maintain their identity well the other historical cohesive factor in their history is an antipathy towards Islam if they want to do that as a way of trying to congeal their society and hold it together it's a failed project.

Muslims Are Your Neighbors

The Muslims aren't at the gates of Vienna they're treating your children they're your pediatrician they're the green grocer down the road they're picking you up at the airport the guy in the taxi, that guy right there, Abdul he's a Muslim he's not going to hurt you he'll take you to where you're going hope to get a tip from you they're the curry houses of London, that's where English people if they want a good meal, they go to curry houses in London, those are Muslims they're not poisoning your food they're not threatening your existence those are Muslims.

Conclusion: Living Together

So we need to live together we're here and we're here to stay the world's not getting any bigger may Allah guide

us all to what's right and true and may Allah bless our Ramadan Inshallah.

Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.