Chairman of Tunisian Nahda Movement, Mr.Rashed el Ghanoushi, stated to Ikhwanweb that Pope Benedict XVI statements shocked Muslims worldwide at a time when the interfaith relations are tense due to the Western aggressions on the Muslims countries like Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan Palestine, and elsewhere.
Mr. Ghanoushi explained that the Pope was supposed to mediate among the followers of religions to help peace in the world, and condemn the brutalities perpetrated by the US and Israel, which are sometimes committed in the name of religion. “ But he (the Pope) is regrettably repeating the same notions of the Middle Ages, depicting Islam as a religion of fanaticism and its followers as narrow minded and violent”, Ghanoushi added, referring to message written by a Christian emperor centuries ago describing Islam as a bloody religion.
Mr. Ghanoushi added that such statements can add fuel to fire and deepen religious differences, in addition to the fact that they are groundless. He called on the Pope to look around him to witness millions of people in the West converting to Islam without armies or wars; recalling that people convert to Islam after they learn the truth about this great religion “I call on the Pope to praise Prophet Mohammed and Muslims just as the Koran praises Jesus and Mary, and their real devoted followers” he said.
The Pope had earlier this week preached in Germany on the Islamic belief, where some of his words raised such a controversy that he was counseled to renounce phrases offending the religion of Islam
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