Irony of the squeaky wheel

Is there a touch of irony in the headlines that followed Pope Benedict’s quoting an obscure medieval text that criticized some teachings of the Prophet Mohammed?

He referred in part to the Prophet Mohammad and his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached and added that violence in the name of religion was against God’s nature and to reason.

The Associated Press subsequently reported: “Muslim leaders … urged Muslims to avoid violence after attacks on churches in Palestinian areas and the slaying of a nun in Somalia.”
Pope Benedict said he is “deeply sorry,” but he stopped short of the full apology demanded by some Muslims for a speech they say portrayed Islam as tainted by violence.

From Tripoli in the English version of the Turkish Daily News:
“The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week’s apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.”
“If this person were really someone reasonable, he would not agree to remain at his post one minute but would convert to Islam immediately,” Gaddafi said.

Gaddafi, who heads Libya’s state-owned posts and telecommunications utility, said Muslims “should not look for charity from the infidel … but should fight Islam’s enemies who attack the faith and the Prophet Mohammed.”

Do the responses which made the headlines provide any validity to the obscure medieval text? Is the response reminiscent of two people having a “discussion” and one points out that the other is angry?

“I AM NOT,” the accused bangs the table and bellows.
The Muslim reaction certainly corresponds with that received after Denmark’s papers published a political cartoon depicting the founder of Islam. The furor that followed was so intense that “Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the controversy as Denmark’s worst international crisis since World War II,” according to Wikipedia.
This isn’t the first time that a pope has offended those of another religion.
In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” with statements that caused a definite reaction among Buddhists. The Buddhists boycotted his Sri Lanka address and meeting with inter-religious leaders – but they did not turn to violence.

In the past few decades, Christians have been subjected to an increasing barrage of degrading remarks and disparaging depictions of their founders, leaders and adherents of the faith. The most egregious perhaps occurred in 1989, when Andres Serrano won an art competition for a extremely offensive depiction of Christ on the cross. His life was not threatened, he was not asked to apologize and those who did object to his work were told to respect his right to freedom of speech … no matter how much it offended them.

Perhaps a bit more protest would have caught the ear of the public as the vehement reaction of the Islamic world has caught the eye and ear of world. It certainly worked on Pope Benedict. He addressed the issue more than once, including an explanation that the intent of his words were to “explain that religion and violence do not go together but religion and reason do.” He further said he hoped that the rage which followed would encourage “positive and even self-critical dialogue.”

In a world ever shrinking with immediate communications and a world-wide community of diverse viewpoints and beliefs, he puts forth a legitimate concern. We have to live with each other’s obstinate insistence and assumption that our own viewpoint is correct and that the other person lacks significantly for not adhering to the same.

No one likes to be told that their actions or words offend, but even the most gentle of reprimands affects future choices in actions.

An old proverb says that the squeaky wheel gets oiled. It certainly has been working that way for the Muslim community at large.

The squeak is drenched with oil. It is time to assess the real situation.

(Joan Hershberger is a reporter at the News-Times. She can be reached at joanh@everybody.org.)


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2 responses to “Irony of the squeaky wheel”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    What a refreshing post.

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    no thank you helpings

    A friend commented on this column and noted that her daughter-in-law insisted that her children take at least a “no, thank you, helping” of everything. Meaning they had to have a couple teaspoons or a tablespoon of everything offered at a meal. Not a huge serving, but a taste to check it out.
    sounds reasonable. you don’t learn to like food unless you try them.