This is my first post in this forum, and in any Islamic forum ever. First of all I am not a Muslim. I'm in fact a Traditionalist Catholic, or at least I strive to do my utmost to be so in a corrupt world.
My initial comment to the topic at hand is that I cannot agree more with the editorial, in this point:
"Muslims deserve an apology. And they seriously need to learn how to contain their emotions and express their displeasure using non-violent means."
Without debating theological and interreligious questions, I would like to state that what the Editor exclaimed above is reasonable, rational, and just for any person witholding any position in relation to religion in general. The problem is that the actions of violent Muslims invalidate the requirement for an apology in the eyes of many people. In the meantime, the Roman Catholic Chuch has condemned the offensive depictions.
I have not examined the actual papers that printed mentioned cartoons, although I've seen them online. If such spirit was used in insulting Christ, I would pray not to be enraged enough to act illegally against the offenders.
However, the offensive cartoons, were probably not printed by Christian newspapers but by secular areligious ones indulging in a liberal induced freedom of expression. I can only say something about these type of people and institutions, they are baseless and overtly materialistic. They disdain Christ and the Church repeatedly, which in most cases have been the guiding lights of their ancestors. Unfortunately if people like me protest I'm termed a "fundamentalist", a "retrograde", et cetera. So as much as some Christians inspired by rage and lack of adequate knowledge of the political situation and their own religion, might bash Muslims indiscriminately, I would like to ask this:
There are various examples of Muslims in Europe who have disdained aspects of Christianity, an example which comes to mind is the "Italian" (how a person with a Scottish father and an Egyptian mother is Italian is a mystery of naturalization procedures in relation to citizenship but they do not ascribe a change in nationality) Adel Smith who called the Crucifix "un cadaverino appeso a due legnetti" (a small cadaver on two small pieces of wood).
The man suffered no substantial repurcussions from Catholics, and in particular from the Italian state due to the fact that he is safeguared by the principle of freedom of expression. I personally would not tolerate him and his activities on Italian soil. He uttered such a grave insult in the context of his call to remove Crucifixes from public places in Italy on the basis that it offends Muslims but legally because Italy is officially a secular state. How would you comment on his action?
Moreover, menaces of terrorist attacks had been in the past been handed by Muslims offended by the depiction of Mohammed in hell in the (I think) medieval Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, Italia. Would you condone such attacks?
Last question, would you prefer a liberal secularized atheistic materialistic Europe or a truly Catholic/Christian Europe? This is an either/or question, no alternative answers, please.
P.S. Post edited due to error in typing, edited bit is red font.






extremely seriously. 

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