Interreligious Incompetence

Celebrated German-Iranian scholar of Islamic Sciences, novelist, essayist and journalist Navid Kermani was denied Hesse’s highest cultural award, the Kulturpreis. As he tells us, he was second choice anyway after Professor Fuad Sezgin, Director of the Institute of Arabic-Islamic Sciences at Frankfurt University, who had been nominated first, had already declined; allegedly because of some statements made by Salomon Korn, Vice President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and another laureate, on Israel’s war in Gaza.

After Kermani had accepted the award, definitely too quickly but bona fide, the other two awardees, Karl Cardinal Lehmann and the former President of the Protestant Church of Hesse-Nassau Peter Steinacker declined next, owing to Kermani. Allegedly, because he (Kermani) had described his emotions when contemplating a painting of the crucified Christ by Guido Reni (d. 1642) in such a positive way that one indeed may doubt his good Muslim faith. However, of course is the crucifix the main reason for the schism in monotheism. Of course must Muslims consider worshipping the crucified Christ as idolatry. This is THE DIFFERENCE. What one faction considers the holiest expression of piety is for the other pure blasphemy. By definition.

Nothing is wrong with the decisions of these honorable men, except the insistence on fundamentalist religious dogmas and childish bossiness. One might advise these ignoble laureates to scrutinize their own level of tolerance first before frivolously accepting awards which they might not really deserve.

 

See also on this blog

Almost a Revelation. Some thoughts after reading Navid Kermani’s Der Schrecken Gottes.

Swine Flu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt had experienced several deaths caused by the highly virulent H5N1 (“birds’ flu”) virus. However, culling pigs might be the most stupid action in fighting the developing pandemic. No pig has so far been infected by the H1N1 virus. It is a human virus. When the Egyptian government had ordered the other day slaughtering all 400’000 pigs in the country this should in fact be regarded a hostile and discriminating act of inhumanity against the some 500’000 Christians in the country. While pigs are considered unclean by most Muslims so are to one degree or the other the other “People of the Book” as well.

The Egyptian government has promised to pay compensation for the culling which is said to be a preventive measure for avoiding any panic among the Muslim majority in the country. One has to ask the question, what does panic mean here, anew pogroms among Christians? Education of the masses might be a better investvent in the future of any Muslim country. Pigs are not less clean than other animals. Not to talk about human beings.

 

See also on this blog

The book review of Daniel Tsadik’s study about anti-Semitism in 19^th century’s Iran.

Pope Benedict

Pope Bededict’s remark on his first Apostolic Journey to Africa (Cameroon and Angola) that the continent’s fight against HIV/AIDS is a problem that “cannot be solved by the distribution of condoms: on the contrary, it will increase it”, has led to a fierce editorial in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. Irrespective of whether the Pope’s error was due to ignorance or because of a deliberate attempt to exact Catholic ideology, it had led to sharp criticism among several European governments and international health organizations. Now the scientific community condemns disastrous remarks as well, in particular as the Vatican is not withdrawing the devastating message but maneuvers with different versions and interpretations.

 

What can be found on the web site of the Holy See looks, in fact, a bit different than what had been reported at first:

 

Q. – Your Holiness, among the many ills that beset Africa, one of the most pressing is the spread of Aids. The position of the Catholic Church on the way to fight it is often considered unrealistic and ineffective. Will you address this theme during the journey? Holy Father, would you be able to respond in French to this question?

 

A. – I would say the opposite. I think that the most efficient, most truly present player in the fight against Aids is the Catholic Church herself, with her movements and her various organizations. I think of the Sant’Egidio community that does so much, visibly and also behind the scenes, in the struggle against Aids, I think of the Camillians, and so much more besides, I think of all the Sisters who take care of the sick. I would say that this problem of Aids cannot be overcome merely with money, necessary though it is. If there is no human dimension, if Africans do not help [by responsible behavior], the problem cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics: on the contrary, they increase it. The solution must have two elements: firstly, bringing out the human dimension of sexuality, that is to say a spiritual and human renewal that would bring with it a new way of behaving towards others, and secondly, true friendship offered above all to those who are suffering, a willingness to make sacrifices and to practice self-denial, to be alongside the suffering. And so these are the factors that help and that lead to real progress: our twofold effort to renew humanity inwardly, to give spiritual and human strength for proper conduct towards our bodies and those of others, and this capacity to suffer with those who are suffering, to remain present in situations of trial. It seems to me that this is the proper response, and the Church does this, thereby offering an enormous and important contribution. We thank all who do so. (Emphasis added.)

 

Did the Pope talk about condoms or what is meant by prophylactics? Does he weaken his first condemnation of condoms or is he rather worsening the message by referring now to ‘prophylactics’? Difficult to tell, indeed. The script on the web page of the Holy See of his infamous lecture in Regensburg in September 2006 now contains also numerous rectifying footnotes diluting the rude and insulting first remarks on Islam and its Prophet which has led to outrageous reactions in the Muslim world and the death of at least one nun in Somalia.

 

It is a pity that the 81-year-old Pope, a professor of Catholic Theology with an immense reputation, has proved again and again that he had not effectively changed since the times of Joseph Ratzinger: a merciless exponent of the former Roman Inquisition. As a matter of fact his pontificate has been a series of scandalous speeches, remarks and deeds; a rather recent and especially incomprehensible example being his pardon (later withdrawn upon international pressure) of Holocaust denier Richard Williamson.

 

The Lancet’s condemnation today will not lead to a change in the Vatican’s policies. Life is shed with and without an organization which might vanish in due time anyway.

 

 

See also on this blog

 

Out of Control.  Pope Benedict’s scandalous pardon of Holocaust denier Richard Williamson.

 

 

 

Out of Control

When the Holy Father recently (in fact, immediately before the so-called Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27) rehabilitated and welcomed back into the Roman Catholic Church the confessing holocaust denier Richard Williamson it was only another provocation of the German Pope. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, a well-known hardliner and actually Prefect of the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei (formerly the Holy Office of the Inquisition), liked and likes to push the limits. One has to remember, for instance, Benedict’s infamous lecture in 2006, when he visited Regensburg University und insulted millions of Muslims by quoting the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos in a discussion with Persian scholar (probably in 1391 CE in a winter camp at Ankara):

 

„Zeig mir doch, was Mohammed Neues gebracht hat, und da wirst du nur Schlechtes und Inhumanes finden wie dies, daß er vorgeschrieben hat, den Glauben, den er predigte, durch das Schwert zu verbreiten.“

 

He later distanced himself from the quotation when he added footnotes to the text of his speech, which had not been there when it was published at the Vatican’s web page. Particularly revealing might be the following:

 

„[3]Controverse VII 2c; bei Khoury S. 142/143; Förstel Bd. I, VII. Dialog 1.5  S. 240/241. Dieses Zitat ist in der muslimischen Welt leider als Ausdruck meiner eigenen Position aufgefaßt worden und hat so begreiflicherweise Empörung hervorgerufen. Ich hoffe, daß der Leser meines Textes sofort erkennen kann, daß dieser Satz nicht meine eigene Haltung dem Koran gegenüber ausdrückt, dem gegenüber ich die Ehrfurcht empfinde, die dem heiligen Buch einer großen Religion gebührt. Bei der Zitation des Texts von Kaiser Manuel II. ging es mir einzig darum, auf den wesentlichen Zusammenhang zwischen Glaube und Vernunft hinzuführen. In diesem Punkt stimme ich Manuel zu, ohne mir deshalb seine Polemik zuzueignen.“

 

 

This is Pope Benedict’s typical strategy. As a scholar, even Professor in Theology, he certainly knows or should know [1] the potential explosive force of his words and deeds in a world right now struggling in a so-called War on Terror, which in fact is about religion, and, in particular, Islam [2]. It was a purposeful provocation, especially when considering the time he was talking about. In the 14^th century, the Byzantine Empire was in agony and the Islamic world had been shaken by the Mongolian conquests. There had been centuries of war in the region. Manuel’s quotation was completely taken out the context. Benedict’s main intention was rather to point to the inevitable connection of Faith and Reason. He wants to make the point that God acts, of course, su logw, with logos, meaning rationality. A bitter irony of Benedict’s argument is that, at that time, Science and Art reached its climax in the Islamic world, not in Christianity, which was still bound in the dark middle ages.

 

What Pope Benedict XVI thinks when he commits highly symbolic acts, is not really known. I am afraid he is a hypocrite. When he visited Istanbul later in 2006 (annoyingly, he talked about ‘Constantinople’ in the preparation of his visit of senior Muslim, Catholic and Greek Orthodox clerics) he paused at Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the ‘Blue Mosque’) together with Muslim clerics and in fact seemed to pray in the Makkah direction.

 

Pope Benedict should make very clear that anti-Semitism is not compatible with the message of Christ the crucified Jesus Christ and has no place in any Christian church. The above-mentioned bishop should be brought to justice rather than being welcomed back into the Catholic Church, almost an accolade. Everything else would only very badly reflect on a German Pope who might have not understood his lessons from history well.

 

 

 

Notes

 

[1] Maybe he doesn’t. In his Regensburg speech he refers to verse 2:256 in the Qur’an stating that “[T]here is no compulsion in religion …” was an early verse when the Prophet Muhammad was supposed to be powerless. In fact, the second Surah is one of the latest in the Qur’an, revealed after the hijra (622 CE) in Madinah, at a time when the Muslim state had established itself for the first time.

 

[2] There were some public protests in the West Bank where Christian churches were set on fire. An Italian nun was killed by Somali gunmen.

 

 

The DIFFERENCE

Being fascinated by the DIFFERENCE in culture of Western and Muslim societies, I find the study of differences as much as important as the study of similarities in understanding what separates us. These days see, once again, an almost coincidence of the holiest Muslim and Christian holidays. Only a couple of days ago, two to three million pilgrims assembled in Makkah to perform hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, which every Muslim is supposed to perform at least once in his or her lifetime if physically able and can afford to do so. Only ten days later, Shi’a Muslims commemorate the designation of his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as the Prophet Muhammad’s successor. In Iran, Eid-e Ghadeer is even more important than Eid-e Ghorban, the Festival of Sacrifice.

 

Christians, on the other hand, celebrate and count right now the weeks until Christmas by lighting candles on an advent wreath. It should be a quiet time of contemplation, some spirituality, and with a thorough and thoughtful review of the past year. Impatient kids would perceive these four weeks usually as too long. But the hunt for Christmas gifts may result for adults in more stress than usual as well. The same procedures as every year, I suppose.

 

What I experience right now in my self-imposed arctic solitude is Christmas overkill. This is a winter-wonder-Christmas country with all houses over and over decorated and illuminated. A true Christmas Disney World with Santa Claus, reindeers, jingle bells, blinking and twinkling tinsel town. People get crazy about Christmas here. The rather depressing darkness for more than two months may be one explanation.

 

Legend holds it that Santa Claus, or Father Christmas as he is called here (are they really the same?) is living at the North Pole, I was told. The 4^th century bishop of Myrna in modern-day Turkey, well-known for his secret support for the poor, namely Saint Nicholas (d. 346 CE), has been transformed into sort of a dwarf with a red suit and a pointed cap. One has to remember that Norwegians, if religious at all, are mainly belonging to the Lutheran Church. The great reformator Martin Luther had invented another peculiarity in the 16^th century. Since Catholics distributed their gifts on the anniversary of St. Nicholas’ death on the 6^th of December, he had created an equivalent for Protestants, the Christkind, whose actual role and function has always been difficult if impossible to understand. It doesn’t play a big role here.

 

Christmas has been completely trivialized when commerce highjacked it especially after World War II. For so many years the whole country’s economy now more or less depends on business on the four Saturdays before the Holy Night. Christmas is celebrated in Japan and China. Santa you may find even in the Sultan Center in Salmiya in Kuwait, and Arab children are keen sitting on his lap.

 

I suppose that this is exactly the way how to make one of the more strict Monotheisms with a, sad to say, bad history of crusades and manslaughter (not really better than Islam) in fact harmless. In reducing its main holidays to kitschy and childish symbols in a secular society, its teeth are altogether pulled out at once. Jesus’ message (love, peace) has vanished, too. And, a majority of people living, for example, in Germany do not really know what is celebrated on Easter, not to mention Pentecost.

 

Yesterday someone told me a joke. We should not forget that Christmas is not only gifts and presents, Christmas tree and tinsel, goose, cookies and chocolate. It is also the Birth of Santa.

 

Merry Christmas!