12-04-2006, 02:47 AM
Even as Pope Benedict was behaving like a good dhimmi and appeasing Moslems delicate sensibilities, Turkey shows us that infidels are to be reviled.
Let’s remember that the Pope was in Turkey for the purpose of soothing the outrage that gripped the Moslem psyche when he quoted Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and used terms such as "jihad" and "holy war." While the Pope was excusing himself for being alive, some others weren’t fairing quite as well. Protestant missionaries face nine years for insult to Islam
Quote:When Hakan Tastan wanted to amend the religion on his Turkish identity card, his enthusiastic championing of Christianity exasperated the official barring his way. Eventually, the official gave up trying to oppose the controversial change. “Change this heathen’s religion and make him go away,” the devout Muslim told his clerks.
More than ten years later, the missionary zeal of Mr Tastan and his fellow Christian convert, Turan Topal, has led to much graver things than being called names.
They face up to nine years’ jail after going on trial last week for “insulting Turkishness” during their religious work, under the notorious Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. It is the same law that put Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel literature laureate, in the dock, and which the European Union wants amended.
The case against two members of the tiny Turkish Protestant community has attracted criticism from the EU and cast a shadow over Pope Benedict XVI’s visit this week.
Mr Topal and Mr Tastan, who are charged with illegally gathering information on people and “insulting Islam”, have faced public anger in Turkey, where a mistrust of Christians has been growing, fuelled by the Iraq war, the EU’s critical attitude, the Pope’s comments linking Islam with violence and the Danish cartoons row. [<i>basically, it's the Infidels fault that moslems hate anything and anyone not Islamic. —ed.]</i>
At last week’s hearing, a friend was punched and bystanders told them to leave the country if they didn’t like it. ...
The three plaintiffs, young men aged 16, 17 and 23, contacted them through a friend saying that they wanted to find out more about Christianity. After two meetings, charges were filed.
Say what? Islamists getting violent? Using scare tactics in a cynical ploy to coerce those who don't tow the party line? I find this shocking, just <i><b>shocking</b>!</i>