TALKING TOLERANCE: The chairman of Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Hasyim Muzadi (left), and Indonesian Bishops Conference head Julius Cardinal Darmatmadja (right) address the media Monday at NU headquarters in Central Jakarta. The two called for an end to the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's recent statements on Islam.***
Nadhlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi called on Indonesian Muslims on Monday to accept Pope Benedict XVI's apology for offending Muslims, saying it was "an obligation" according to Islamic teachings. "As long as it (the Pope's remarks) was made out of negligence, we are obliged to accept the apology," Hasyim said on the sidelines of a religious leaders conference at the NU office.
The conference, held by the Indonesian Conference for Religion and Peace (ICRP), was also addressed by Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI). Hasyim said the regret was "enough" and further resentment from the Muslims would only justify the pope's statement. "If the rage continues, perhaps what the pope said is true," he said. The pope in his address at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany, quoted a medieval text linking Islam with violence.
Quoting a 14th century Christian, Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, the pope said everything the Prophet Muhammad brought was evil, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The Vatican issued a formal statement Saturday, announcing the Pope's "sincere regret" over his remarks and the reactions of the Muslims around the world. The pope stressed Sunday that the medieval quotes he used in his speech address did not reflect his personal views. The speech was about the importance of reason, and not violence, in one's faith -- something he said many Christian and Muslim scholars agreed on.
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ISLAM is not Terorism
MOSLEM is not Violence
ISLAM is not Terorism
MOSLEM is not Violence
