MINISTER OF ISLAMIC AFFAIRS, ENDOWMENTS, CALL AND GUIDANCE SHEIKH SALIH BIN ABDULAZIZ AL ALSHEIKH EXPRESSED PROFOUND UPSET AS MUSLIMS ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE LISTENED TO WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH POPE HAS MENTIONED AT A GERMAN UNIVERSITY DEFAMING OUR PROPHET MOHAMMED (PEACE BE UPON HIM). IN A STATEMENT ISSUED HERE TONIGHT, THE MINISTER SAID THE POPE'S REMARKS SHOW A COMPLETE IGNORANCE OF THE REALITY OF ISLAM, NOTING THAT THE MOST SERIOUS MATTER IS THAT THE POPE'S STATEMENT LOOKS CAREFULLY PREPARED AND DRAFTED, LEAVING NO WAY FOR MISUNDERSTANDING OR MISQUOTING. DEFENDING THE PROPHET AS CALLING FOR TOLERANCE AND DENOUNCING VIOLENCE ALL THROUGH HIS LIFE, THE MINISTER CITED VERSES FROM THE HOLY QURAN AND EXCERPTS OF SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET. AL ALSHEIKH RECALLED THAT SEVERAL MEETINGS WERE HELD BETWEEN THE VATICAN AND MUSLIM WORLD LEADING INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THE UNIVERSITY OF AL-AZHAR AND MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE, MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN THE WAY OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE TWO CULTURES. THE MINISTER CALLED ON MUSLIM LEADERS AND SCHOLARS TO INTENSIFY THEIR CALL FOR ISLAM AND INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM USING TODAY'S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO REACH THAT END. NOTING THAT MILLIONS ADHERE TO CATHOLICS AS RELIGION, THE MINISTER CONSIDERED THE POPE'S REMARKS AS TRIGGERING WHAT HE CALLS CHRISTIAN FANATICISM AGAINST ISLAM. IF AN EQUIVALENT RESPONSE HAPPENED TO COME OUT FROM THE OPPOSITE CAMP OF MILLIONS OF MUSLIMS, THEN THE RESULTS COULD BE DISASTROUS, HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DEFUSE THE FLAMING SITUATION THE POPE HAS CREATED IS FOR THE VATICAN TO APOLOGIZE WITHOUT HESITATION FOR THIS PROFOUND BLASPHEMOUS DEFAMING OF OUR RELIGION AND PROPHET. THE VATICAN SHOULD INSTEAD VOICE GOOD WORDS ON ISLAM AND PROPHET MOHAMMED AND SHOULD MENTION THAT ISLAM NEVER APPROVES ANY KIND OF EVIL IDEAS OF CALLS IN THE WAY THAT CAME IN THE POPE'S SPEECH. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE MINISTER CALLED ON ISLAMIC INSTITUTIONS, PARTICULARLY THOSE BASED IN THE WEST, TO WORK HARD TO RECTIFY IN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES THE DEFAMED PROFILE OF ISLAM .
