Earlier this week the Pope sparked outrage in the Islamic world when characterizing jihad as reprehensible in the eyes of God. The pope also quoted a Byzantine emperor who noted that the Prophet Muhammad called for the expansion of Islam through armed violence if need be. For this the Pope has been vilified from Tehran to Turkey. Not a single utterance during the Pope’s speech this week, however, was absent of fact.

Exactly what did the pope say that was false? The Islamists have called for everything from an apology to threatening the pope. Such reaction’s highlight the fundamental intolerance and hatred that is clearly evident amongst radical Islam. Lest we forget, in the Islamic world, the free exchange of ideas, especially critical ones, are met with gunfire, not discourse.

This hypocritical outrage also showcases the double standard with which Muslims hold for the west. Where is the outrage for radical Islamic terror, responsible for the deaths of thousands around the globe? Where was the outrage for September 11th or hundreds of other terror attacks committed from Rome to Riyadh?

Perhaps these Islamists are most outraged because their efforts to spotlight Islam as a peaceful religion have gone awry, largely due to over 1900 years of almost continuous savagery in the name of Allah, all of which was and is fully condoned by their prophet and his holy book, the Koran. While the Vatican has assured the Islamic world that the pope meant no offense, the reality is, a true characterization of Islam, such as that given by Pope Benedict XVI is inherently offensive to all freedom loving people everywhere.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5349578.stm