Chesterton on Islam

 

The effort of the Crusades was sufficient to stop the advance of Islam, but not sufficient to exhaust it. A few centuries after, the Moslem attacked once more, with modern weapons and in a more indifferent age; and, amid the disputes of diplomatists and the dying debates of the Reformation, he succeeded in sailing up the Danube and nearly becoming a central European Power like Poland or Austria. From this position, after prodigious efforts, he was slowly and painfully dislodged. But Austria, though rescued, was exhausted and reluctant to pursue, and the Turk was left in possession of the countries he had devoured in his advance.

And Vienna is under siege again from Islam with “with modern weapons and in a more indifferent age.”  This is of course the history of the relationship of Islam to the West.  And the modern weapons today include those “useful idiots” of the media.  And how more indifferent can Europe be to the siege?Š

I Love the Aussies

 

From Australia:

Muslims are “perfectly entitled” to criticise the Pope for linking Islam with evil and violence, but John Howard wants them to “move on”.

The Prime Minister said last night he was “disappointed” and “exasperated” that “whenever the Pope says something (it) provokes demonstrations”.

In defence of comments yesterday by the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, Mr Howard said Cardinal Pell “has a point” in criticising Muslims for reacting to the Pope’s comments with “demonstrations and threats of violence”.

“It’s a strange form of restraint to respond to words of disagreement with demonstrations and threats of violence,” he said.

Archbishop Pell said the nation’s Muslim clerics should address the links between Islam and violence instead of sweeping them under the carpet.

He also said the reaction of Muslims to comments made by Benedict XVI – in which the Pope quoted a Byzantine emperor using the words “evil” and “inhuman” in reference to the prophet Mohammed – showed the link in Islam between religion and violence.

That is the point exactly.  A  historical reference in a scholarly speech results in the killing of Christian religious people and the burning of churches.  If it is not true that elements of Islam have fostered evil and violence (historically and presently), why all the evil and violence on the part of those who invoke the name of Allah?