Mick Hartley

Those Muslims writing to the Pope – a letter to the Times from Sameh El-Shahat:

A more useful missive by these gentlemen could have been directed at extremist radicals in their midst, or at openly condemning Islamic extremists in their countries and abroad. Openly condemning Osama Bin Laden wouldn’t go amiss either.

Muslim intellectuals are happy to write to the Pope because he is safe to write to and, unlike intolerant Muslims, will not issue a fatwa against them. This letter just goes to show the gaping chasm in the Muslim world between moderates and Islam on the street. It is safer for these Muslims to talk to Christians than to other Muslims.

It is not the Pope’s job to do their dirty work for them.