Italian nun shot dead by Somali gunmen

[PiKA2001]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Italian nun was shot dead at a hospital by Somali gunmen Sunday, hours after a leading Muslim cleric condemned Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks on Islam and violence

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060917/...lia_nun_killed


How unfortunate for this to happen. I hope the "brave" and "honorable" men that shot a unarmed nun in the back pay for what they did.

[Kevin]

Kind of proves the emporer who Benedict quoted's point, doesn't it?

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Kind of proves the emporer who Benedict quoted's point, doesn't it?

Ironically, yes it does.... if you've read the whole of the Emporer's discussion - and his fear that the Crusades have introduced a propensity for violence into the Muslim faith, and changed 'Jihad' from holy struggle to holy war.

The Emporer and the scholar were in discussion of what changes had been wrought in the Muslim faith since the writing of Sura 2, 256: ""There is no compulsion in religion", and how violence as a compulsion to conversion had been introduced into both Christian and Muslim faiths.

It was both a theological and practical debate, as the Byzantine Empire was rapidly falling before the advance of the Ottomans. The Emporer was musing whether or not Christianity had wrought it's own distruction in the East.

[Kevin]

Where are the moderate Muslims here? You'd think that if they were so against these acts of violence that they'd hold some counter-demonstrations, or things of that nature. Any GC Muslims want to weigh in on this?

[_Opi_]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Where are the moderate Muslims here? You'd think that if they were so against these acts of violence that they'd hold some counter-demonstrations, or things of that nature. Any GC Muslims want to weigh in on this?

I'm here. I'll weight on this one. This is a first I've heard of the nun, and it's despicable what the militia did---it's sickening. I have to read the article more.

On the whole Pope thing. Personally, I've seen it discussed on CNN ad neasum. To be honest with you, I'm just satisfied that the pope did apologize, but I don't think it was rally-worthy cause. Yes, it did hurt that the Pope would say something like that because the muslim community and the Pope had a good interfaith relationship. Now, I don't know anyone who's gone and rallied, but most people I know just brushed it off--which is something we've been doing alot of lately.

PS: I don't speak for the "moderate" muslims (and there is no designated moderate muslim leader that does speak for them FYI). So I can't tell you what you want to hear, unfortunately. Just my POV.

[mulattogyrl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Where are the moderate Muslims here? You'd think that if they were so against these acts of violence that they'd hold some counter-demonstrations, or things of that nature. Any GC Muslims want to weigh in on this?

There are Muslims that did accept the apology. It's acceptable to me. That's all I can say though, I can't speak for all Muslims.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by mulattogyrl

There are Muslims that did accept the apology. It's acceptable to me. That's all I can say though, I can't speak for all Muslims.

Could you perhaps explain why there are no counter-demonstrations sending a message such as "Stop embarassing us you jackasses" to the extremists? Is it because moderates are not really organized? Or is it because moderates fear retribution themselves?

[_Opi_]

Originally Posted by RACooper

Ironically, yes it does.... if you've read the whole of the Emporer's discussion - and his fear that the Crusades have introduced a propensity for violence into the Muslim faith, and changed 'Jihad' from holy struggle to holy war.

I don't know why people don't understand that there's nothing "holy" about war.