Monday, September 18, 2006
MPAC Condemns Murder of Nun, Welcomes Pope's Apology
Salam/Peace:
The Muslim Public Affairs Council today condemned the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia, which reportedly took place as a result of Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam last week.
MPAC also welcomed the apology offered by the Pope today, in which he said that he was "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction to his recent remarks about Islam, which he said came from a text that did not reflect his personal opinion. Pope Benedict sparked the controversy when, in a speech Tuesday to university professors in his native Germany, he cited the words of a 14th century Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." On Sunday, he stressed the words "were in fact a quotation from a medieval text which do not in any way express my personal thought."
The Italian nun was shot in the back in the Somali capital of Mogadishu by two gunmen. The nun's bodyguard and a hospital worker were also killed, doctors said. In the West Bank, two churches were set on fire.
MPAC unequivocally condemns any violence in response to the Pope's remarks as being antithetical to the teachings of Islam.
On Friday, MPAC reached out to American Catholic leaders urging them to convene a dialogue between Catholic and Muslim leaders.
In a letter to Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Los Angeles Archdioces, MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati and Senior Advisor Dr. Maher Hathout, stressed the need for the Vatican and Catholic leaders to clarify and explain the remarks. The letter states in part: "In this spirit of dialogue and understanding that we continue to further, we would like to call for a meeting and dialogue regarding the recent comments made by Pope Benedict XVI. We do not want to allow for those individuals who call for divisiveness at such volatile times to speak on behalf of our communities. We pray that our continued dialogue will bear fruit and that this issue will be clarified in the most appropriate manner."
MPAC representatives appeared on national news programs on Friday to respond to the Pope's remarks. SEE: "Should Pope Apologize?" feat. National Director Ahmed Younis (MSNBC's "Tucker", 9/15/06) Under "More Tucker Carlson", click on "Video: Should Pope apologize?" to view video. SEE: "Pope vs. Muslims" feat. Communications Director Edina Lekovic (Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor", 9/15/06) http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html Click "Video" then select "Pope vs. Muslims" to view video. Founded in 1988, MPAC is a public policy and service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive relationship between American Muslims and their representatives.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council today condemned the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia, which reportedly took place as a result of Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam last week.
MPAC also welcomed the apology offered by the Pope today, in which he said that he was "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction to his recent remarks about Islam, which he said came from a text that did not reflect his personal opinion. Pope Benedict sparked the controversy when, in a speech Tuesday to university professors in his native Germany, he cited the words of a 14th century Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." On Sunday, he stressed the words "were in fact a quotation from a medieval text which do not in any way express my personal thought."
The Italian nun was shot in the back in the Somali capital of Mogadishu by two gunmen. The nun's bodyguard and a hospital worker were also killed, doctors said. In the West Bank, two churches were set on fire.
MPAC unequivocally condemns any violence in response to the Pope's remarks as being antithetical to the teachings of Islam.
On Friday, MPAC reached out to American Catholic leaders urging them to convene a dialogue between Catholic and Muslim leaders.
In a letter to Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Los Angeles Archdioces, MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati and Senior Advisor Dr. Maher Hathout, stressed the need for the Vatican and Catholic leaders to clarify and explain the remarks. The letter states in part: "In this spirit of dialogue and understanding that we continue to further, we would like to call for a meeting and dialogue regarding the recent comments made by Pope Benedict XVI. We do not want to allow for those individuals who call for divisiveness at such volatile times to speak on behalf of our communities. We pray that our continued dialogue will bear fruit and that this issue will be clarified in the most appropriate manner."
MPAC representatives appeared on national news programs on Friday to respond to the Pope's remarks. SEE: "Should Pope Apologize?" feat. National Director Ahmed Younis (MSNBC's "Tucker", 9/15/06) Under "More Tucker Carlson", click on "Video: Should Pope apologize?" to view video. SEE: "Pope vs. Muslims" feat. Communications Director Edina Lekovic (Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor", 9/15/06) http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html Click "Video" then select "Pope vs. Muslims" to view video. Founded in 1988, MPAC is a public policy and service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive relationship between American Muslims and their representatives.
