I just got mad when I heard the Pope's remarks (quoted or not) about Islam. Raised as a catholic and knowing a lot about European history I know quite well how many times Christianity had been used to incite war on, well, virtually anyone. Christianity sometimes - not always, of course - had been spread by the sword, as Islam had been; this is nothing new. Religions had been used repeatedly for political or economic ends, it seems to be a universal principle among the human race.

So what the Pope said is just hypocritical. We all know that there are some passages in the Koran which are not clear about the use of violence in religious matters, but likewise there are passages in the Bible who talk about holy war. So what's the Pope's point in pointing the finger at Islam? He's such a hypocrite! It does not only matter what's in the texts, it matters what people do with it, how they interpret it.

Now, the pope says he's been misunderstood. May be. But if he really wanted to open an inter-religious discussion his attempt was incredibly dim-witted. And given the ongoing stupid, reactionary and false discourse about a "clash of civilizations" between "the West" (can anybody tell me what this is?) and "Islam" (which one, exactly?), his words become dangerously irresponsible.

What likewise made me sick were the reactions of some authorities in the "muslim world", how a Somali Imam called for the Pope's killing (to prove that Islam isn't violent, I guess), and how it was completely obvious that a lot of the reactions were intended to be exploited politically or expressed under political pressure. I mean, just look at Pakistan, just look at it: a member of the military junta becomes a defender of Islam. Oh me, oh my, it's so ridiculous that one could cry.

If it wouldn't have its serious repercussions on the societies involved it would actually be really funny.