The furore among Muslims worldwide over the reported remarks of Pope Benedict during a lecture delivered at a University he taught in, demonstrates how hyper-sensitive people have become to the question of religion. Any remark, even made in the spirit of scholarship or inquiry, evokes instant anger and violent response and accusations of larger conspiracies.
The worst that can be said about the Pope’s speech — which, incidentally, was also critical of secularism — is that it was a diplomatic gaffe. The Pope is not a mere religious head; he has a far more significant profile.
Besides, he has a reputation of being academic and scholarly. By invoking a 600-year-old reference by a Byzantine Emperor about Islam, the Pope and his advisors should not have failed to anticipate that there would be some kind of backlash, especially in these somewhat incendiary times.
Yet, the outcry and violence, in which churches have been burnt down, is an overreaction. Let us keep apart the Pope’s right to air these observations as also the fact that anti-Christian and anti-Judaism remarks are often made in Muslim countries. The bigger point is that there is a civilised way to confront and oppose such remarks. Regrettably, many Muslim organisations and individuals chose not to pursue that way.
Instead, they saw conspiracies where perhaps none exist. There is a growing feeling in the Muslim mind that the Judeo-Christian world has ganged up to wage a crusade of sorts against Islam. The result? A conflagration every time an incident perceived as offensive to Islam takes place.
To be sure, Muslims, especially in Europe and the Levant, have seen Pope Benedict as being sceptical of any kind of dialogue between Christianity and Islam, unlike the previous Pontiff. Yet, this is the same Pope who has accepted an invitation from the Turkish government to visit the country later this year.
In any case, with the regret statement issued by the Vatican and the Pope, this matter should now die down. However, it appears that some groups are still intent on making capital out of the entire episode and will not rest until they have milked it dry.
This is a pity, because it further hardens positions on all sides. Even those not directly connected with this controversy get drawn into it. What we need now is some good sense and reason; what we are getting is another burst of madness.
