 Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, has been released from a Turkish prison, nearly 30 years after the assassination attempt in St Peter's Square in Rome. Agca waved to journalists on Monday as he left the prison in Ankara, the Turkish capital, where he had served out a separate sentence for crimes committed in Turkey. On his release, he was reportedly taken to be assessed for compulsory military service, although a 2006 military hospital report said he was not fit to serve because of a "severe anti-social personality disorder". "I am expecting him to be released after the military hospital check-up," said Gokay Gultekin, Agca's lawyer. Agca's lawyers said earlier that the military authorities still considered him to be a draft dodger and required him to undergo the examination. There have been long-standing questions about the 52-year-old's mental health based on his frequent outbursts and claims that he was the messiah. Following his release from prison, Agca issued a handwritten statement through his lawyers in which he claimed the world would end "this century". "I proclaim the end of the world. All the world will be destroyed in this century. Every human being will die in this century," he said in his statement. "The Gospel is full of mistakes," he said, apparently referring to the Christian religious texts. "I will write the perfect Gospel." He signed the paper as "The Christ eternal, Mehmet Ali Agca". Agca served 19 years in an Italian prison for his attack on the pope, before being pardoned on the pontiff's initiative in 2000. But he was extradited to serve a sentence in his home country for other crimes, including the 1979 murder of a newspaper editor. The pope, who died in 2005, met with Agca in Italy's Rebibbia prison in 1983 and forgave him for the attack.
Agca's motives for shooting and wounding the pope remain a mystery. Some people believe he was working for Soviet-era eastern European security services alarmed by the Polish pontiff's fierce opposition to communism. In a statement issued last week, Agca said he would answer questions on the attack in the next few weeks, including whether the Soviet and Bulgarian governments were involved. Al Jazeera 
 The comment by a Vatican spokesman followed criticism from across Europe. On Sunday voters in Switzerland voted yes to a referendum which bans the building of minarets on top of mosques used by the country's small Muslim minority. Earlier on Monday the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said he was "scandalised" by the Swiss decision and said it represented a "show of intolerance" by France's neighbour. He said it was a "negative" move because banning the construction of Muslim mosque towers amounts to "oppressing a religion". He told France's RTL radio: "I hope that the Swiss will go back on this decision rather quickly." Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as anti-Islamic. In staunchly secular France, legislators are holding discussions that could lead to a ban on the burka - the face-covering Islamic veil. Telegraph
 Following are excerpts from a sermon by leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, who heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS). The sermon aired on Qatar TV on October 30, 2009. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2267.htm. To view the MEMRI TV page on Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm . "No Pope Has Ever Apologized to the Muslims for What Happened To Them in the Crusader Wars" Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: "We halted this Islamic-Christian dialogue. We were preparing for the third summit, when the new pope came into office and delivered his famous speech, affronting Islam, the Prophet of Islam, the Koran, the Islamic nation, and the history of Islam, without justification and without any preliminaries. He alleged that the Prophet Muhammad did not make any contribution other than spreading Islam by the sword. This is an utter lie. "Therefore, we, in the International Union of Muslim Scholars, demanded, on more than one occasion, that he apologize, in one way or another, or else we would halt the dialogue with the Vatican. Indeed, I'm sad to say, the man did not utter a word of apology. Even if some Muslims tried to say it's enough if he says I-don't-know-what... He did not say anything straightforwardly. "The Vatican apologized to the Jews, who said that Christ was a liar, that he was the son of a prostitute, that his mother was not a virgin, and that he was fathered by Joseph the carpenter. They absolved the Jews, who organized and took part in his killing. They exonerated the Jews of the spilling of the blood of Christ. "No pope has ever apologized to the Muslims for what happened to them in the Crusader wars, which were hostile wars. They came to our countries from Europe, and did what they did in the nine Crusades. Therefore, we have halted our dialogue with these people, with the Vatican." "We Recognize Christianity... But These [Christians] Do Not Recognize Us" "Let me tell you, with regard to the Christians, in general, there is a problem, which I raised at the third conference, held in Doha, as well as at the interfaith dialogue conference in Mecca, convened by the Saudi monarch a year and a half ago. "I said: Brothers, the problem is that [although] we recognize Christianity, and we recognize Christ, his holy book, and his religion... A Muslim's faith is not complete unless he believes in this, because it is incumbent upon him to believe in every book that was sent down and in every prophet who was sent [by God]. 'And what was given to Moses and Jesus and other prophets from their Lord - we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.' "But these [Christians] do not recognize us. [They say]: “Muhammad was a liar. The Koran is a fabrication. They created the Koran and attributed it to Allah.' "These things have practical implications. We were at a conference in Cairo, called The Christians of the Middle East. I wanted to say, in the closing statement: 'The people of the divine religions agreed...' But [the Christians] said: 'Stop!' I asked: 'What is it?' They said: 'We do not recognize Islam as a divine religion. It is not a divine religion.' They agreed to say all kinds of things, but not that Islam is a divine religion. I wanted to include another sentence, about 'Godly values.' They said: 'No, we do not recognize Islamic values as being Godly. They are human values, brought by a guy who claimed to be a prophet.' I exploded and said: 'So what are we convening for? If you do not recognize our religion and our values as divine, what are we meeting for? Go away.' And I left the meeting." I Cannot Find "One Practical Thing That These Conferences Have Achieved for the Benefit of the Islamic Nation" "Brother, there is a problem with our dialogue with these people, who look at our Prophet, our Koran, and our nation this way, while we flock to them, and do not achieve a thing. Give me one practical thing that these conferences have achieved for the benefit of the Islamic nation. I cannot find a thing." MEMRI
 Nick Pisa in RomeThe Vatican has surprisingly welcomed a proposal to teach Islam in Italian schools. Adolfo Urso, an ally of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, said the subject should be taught for an hour a week to "avoid Muslim youngsters being drawn to the ghettos of madrasse (Islamic schools) run by fundamentalists" and was backed by deputy prime minister Gianfranco Fini. Cardinal Renato Martino, of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: "This would avoid radicalism and should be considered - obviously with some form of control." But the proposal rocked Fini's Right-wing coalition and was slammed by the anti-immigration Northern League. Source: The Evening Standard H/T: WomenAgainstSharia
 Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi launched a spirited defense of Afghanistan's hardline Taliban in a rambling address to the UN General Assembly. 'Why are we against the Taliban? Why are we against Afghanistan?' he asked leaders of more than 120 nations attending the annual General Assembly debate. 'If the Taliban wants to make a religious state, okay, like the Vatican. Does the Vatican constitute a danger against us? No,' said the Libyan leader, addressing the 192-member body for the first time in his 40 years in power. 'If the Taliban wants to create an Islamic emirate, who said they are the enemy?' he added. The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is now at its deadliest since a 2001 US-led invasion ousted their extremist regime. Winning the war in Afghanistan is one of the priorities of the new US administration. Gaddafi went on to attack the United Nations Security Council in his first appearance at the world body criticising it for failing to prevent 65 wars around the world since it was founded in 1945. Gaddafi's called for reform of the Security Council either by abolishing the veto power of the five permanent members or by expanding with extra member states to make it more representative. He says it shouldn't be called the Security Council but would be better named the 'terror council'. Source: SkyNews
 POPE Benedict XVI arrived in Jordan today on his first visit as pontiff to an Arab state, kicking off an eight-day Holy Land pilgrimage fraught with religious and political challenges. King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania were waiting to give a red carpet welcome to the pontiff at Amman's Queen Alia airport, where hundreds of Christians, many sporting T-shirts bearing the portraits of the king and the pope, had also gathered.
Jordan's elite royal guard and army forces were posted along the road to the airport, 30 kilometres south of the capital, where the pontiff was later to travel for the first stop on a crowded itinerary, a visit to the Regina Pacis centre for the handicapped in Amman.
The capital itself was festooned with Jordanian and Vatican flags while television stations ran live coverage of the arrival.
Benedict, who has said he is going as a "pilgrim of peace", is to divide his visit between Jordan and Israel, with a stop in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday.
But while the pope has described his first trip as pope to the Holy Land as a spiritual pilgrimage, there are also high political and diplomatic stakes.
Some political and religious groups in the region have already made it clear that they expect more than platitudes from the 82-year-old head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
In Jordan, where Christians number around 200,00 of a total population of about six million, the opposition Islamic Action Front party again said the pope was not welcome unless he apologised for remarks he made in 2006, which they say targeted Islam.
"What we want is a change in his policies, so that it is in harmony with the teachings of Jesus about love, peace, justice, equality and condemnations of crimes and Zionist terrorism," party chief Zaki Bani Rsheid said.
In the speech in question, the pope quoted a medieval Christian emperor who criticised some teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman".
He subsequently apologised for the "unfortunate misunderstanding".
Bani Rsheid said Muslims were expecting a fresh apology from the pope.
"We will not organise any demonstration to denounce the pope's visit but we stick to our ... demand that the Jordanian government requests his apology," he added.
Jordan's Latin Church has urged Islamists to participate in welcoming the pope, saying they should "not be on the margin of this important event".
Benedict is to pay a courtesy call on the king and queen at their royal palace in Huseinyeh west of the capital later today.
Tomorrow he will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II in 2000 with a stop in Mount Nebo, where the Bible says God showed the Promised Land to Moses.
On Sunday he will celebrate mass at the Amman International Stadium, where he will bless around 2,000 Jordanian children.
The pontiff concludes his visit to the kingdom with a prayer at Wadi Kharrar on the east bank of the River Jordan, where many Christians believe Jesus was baptised, before leaving for Tel Aviv on Monday morning.
Israel too is expected to roll out the red carpet for Benedict, counting on the visit to help rebuild its image following its December-January offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas that killed more than 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
 WAM Abu Dhabi, Nov 28th, 2008 (WAM): The US Department of State has lauded the religious tolerance and cultural coexistence found in United Arab Emirates.
The International Religious Freedom Report 2008 released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour affiliated to the Department of State, surveyed the life in the UAE to establish that the country keenly protects freedom of faith and encourages tolerance among the followers of various religions.
The recent edition of the report cited several efforts being made in the country to boost interfaith understanding.
Among them was a symposium organised by the Centre for Information Affairs in Abu Dhabi, on 'The Role of the Vatican in Spreading the Principles of Coexistence in the World and the Religious Tolerance in the United Arab Emirates'.
The key speakers of the symposium held earlier in May this year included Archbishop Mounged El-Hachem, the Papal Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates and Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar for the entire Arabian Peninsula and Bishop of St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral.
The report noted that the constitution of UAE provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs.
Earlier in June 2008, President Khalifa's Religious Affairs Adviser Al-Sayed Ali al-Hashemi hosted an interfaith gathering at his residence, to which he invited the Apostolic Vicar of Arabia and Roman Catholic Bishop of Abu Dhabi, Paul Hinder, and the local Coptic Church patriarch to deliver homilies to a gathering of Muslim scholars, clergy, and foreign (including non-Muslim) diplomats, the report noted.
On April 15, 2008, the President received the credentials of 13 ambassadors, including a new envoy from the Vatican. The Vatican envoy passed to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan the greetings of Pope Benedict XVI, who paid tribute to the country's leadership for its care for cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. He touted the country as a model in its support for and advocacy of tolerance and respect for cultural diversity and cross cultural interaction. President Khalifa reaffirmed the country's determination to foster dialogue among cultures and civilizations and tolerance among various religious groups, the report cited.
In March this year, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister HE Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan opened a new Evangelical Church building in Abu Dhabi, which will house 21 congregations in larger accommodations than were previously available to them. The church inauguration coincided with Easter celebrations. Sheikh Nahyan congratulated Christians for Easter and the inauguration of the church, adding that 'the Evangelical Church building in Abu Dhabi reflects once more that the country is tolerant and respects the beliefs of others'.
The report also noted that there are temples shared by Sikhs and Hindus in Dubai, and Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs conducts religious ceremonies in private homes without interference. Source: WAM
 Muslim converts to Christianity ask religious experts at Vatican meeting for religious freedom
An appeal by 144 people calls on experts engaged in talks not to forget the difficult predicament in which Christians live. Often treated as “outsiders and outcastes”, they urgently demand protection for the right to change religion.
Rome (AsiaNews) – A group of 144 Christians, including 77 Muslims who converted to Christianity, have launched an appeal to Muslim and Catholics scholars who are currently meeting in the Vatican not to forget Christian minorities and new Christian converts living in Islamic countries. The petitioners, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestants from North Africa and the Middle Eat, want the meeting in the Vatican to agree to the following points:
1. that Islamic law does not apply to non-Muslims;
2. that dhimmi (or second class) status be abolished;
3. that the right to change religion be recognised as a fundamental right.
The appeal that was sent to AsiaNews was also published on an Algerian Christian site, Notre Dame de Kabylie (in French).
Those who signed the appeal are happy for the steps taken in the last few years and for the Letter signed by 128 Muslim scholars which many see as a sign that “Islam is not anti-Christian.”
They stress however that the minority condition endured by Christians in Muslim countries, already influenced by the unbearable status of dhimmi (group protection extended by Islamic rulers to their non-Muslim subjects in exchange for paying a tax, which in effect denies them equal treatment in society), has worsened lately as a result of the rise of militant Islamism.
“As for new Christians or converts, they are denied the right to express their new religious identity unless they are prepared to run the risk of being called apostate, which, if they can, effectively forces them into exile,” the appeal said.
Those who signed the appeal want the meeting between the Vatican and Muslim scholars to focus on “three urgent topics”:
1. that Islamic law not be applied to non-Muslims;
2. that dhimmi status, which marginalises Christians and turns them into outcastes, no longer be acceptable and be abolished instead because like slavery it offends human dignity;
3. that the right to change religions be recognised as a fundamental right since it comes from God who does not force anyone to worship him.”
To buttress its arguments, the appeal also points out that in the Qur’an there verses that are in favour of religious freedom even if some hadith call for the death of apostates.
“Sadly, some states have incorporated the latter in their constitution (ex. Mauritania), which they enforce despite the 1948 Universal declaration of Human Rights.”
In reaffirming the need for an Islamic-Christian dialogue, the signers of the appeal urge the experts “to take into account Christian communities who live in the said ‘Muslim’ world, or who hail from there. Leaving us out or forgetting about us can only be a sign of ignorance or a deliberate attempt to avoid the issues that cause problems. It is sad to say that current news reports unfailingly show that Christians in the Muslim world are in grave peril.” Source: Asia News
By Nina Shea Already dogged by a reputation for promoting religious extremism abroad and repression at home, the government of Saudi Arabia now faces growing resentment at the soaring price of oil. As is their custom, Saudi rulers have responded with a public relations campaign. It's a campaign built on deception. On May 8, Saudi royals placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Times of London, and other papers proclaiming that a charity founded by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, a nephew of King Abdullah and the world's 13th-richest person, had been honored by the pope. Directly under a Koranic passage on tolerance, the headline declared: "Alwaleed bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation, representing Kingdom Foundation, awarded the Pontifical Medal by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican." Read more ...Source: The Weekly Standard
 |
|
|
Copyright Muslims Against Sharia 2008. All rights reserved.
E-mail: info AT ReformIslam.org
|
|
|
Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, has been released from a Turkish prison, nearly 30 years after the assassination attempt in St Peter's Square in Rome. 
Posts
