Muslim protest turns violent in Athens

24/05/2009
ATHENS, Greece -- More than 1,000 Muslim protesters clashed with police in central Athens on Friday (May 22nd), causing havoc in the streets. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters. At least 14 people, seven Muslim immigrants and seven policemen, were injured, and 46 people were arrested. More than 70 cars, ten stores and one bank were damaged. The protest was prompted by a police check in a coffee shop Thursday, when a policeman allegedly took a Koran from a customer, ripped it apart, threw it on the floor and stomped on it. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
In other news Saturday, attackers threw firebombs at an Athens shop used as a Muslim prayer centre for immigrants, injuring at least three people. The assailants smashed the shop's windows and set it ablaze, police said. Police are investigating whether the arson attack is linked to the Muslim protests. (DPA, AFP, Reuters, DW, Kathimerini, Mina - 23/05/09; ANA-MPA, Reuters - 22/05/09)

Muslim clerics in Indonesia

Facebook, religion, social media
A group of 700 Muslim clerics in Indonesia gathered together yesterday to ponder the possibility of forbidding followers from engaging in illicit activities--such as flirting on Facebook, the most visited site in that country.
Indonesia, which boasts the world's largest Muslim population, claims about 831,000 Facebook users, which is a 645 percent increase over last year. That number will likely continue to increase exponentially, given that only 0.5 percent of the country's population is currently connected to the Internet thus far.
"People using Facebook can be driven to engage in distasteful, pornographic chatting," Amidan, an attendee of the conference told The Associated Press.
While the decisions of the conference wouldn't have any legal weight, Facebook still spoke out against the negative connotations. Said Facebook spokeswoman Debbie Frost:
People are typically using Facebook to connect with their friends, family or learn about local and world issues and events. We have seen many people and organizations use Facebook to advance a positive agenda.

Pope Benedict XVI

During his historic visit to the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI, the self-described “pilgrim of peace,” took the golden opportunity and spent a lot of time to strength frayed ties with both Muslims and Jews.Many Muslim leaders have forgiven the German-born pope for remarks made during a speech in his native land a few years ago.Pope Benedict has to be commended for undertaking this visit to the Middle East.By all standards, his visit was not only highly successful, but it also speeded up the healing process.During his papacy, the present pope has infuriated both Muslims and Jews. First it was the pope’s speech linking Prophet Muhammad to violence.Pope Benedict also angered the Jews with when he lifted the ex-communication of a Holocaust-denying bishop.A Vatican spokesman, commenting on the pope’s visit to the Middle East, said the trip was a sign of hope that the pope can contribute to reconciliation in the Middle East.The stop in Jordan was Pope Benedict’s first visit as pope to an Arab country, although he visited predominantly Islamic Turkey three years ago.The pope’s itinerary for Jordan surprised many, both in length and substance.Pope Benedict spent three days in Jordan.Included in the visit was a major address at a mosque built in honour of the late King Hussein of Jordan.There is no doubt Pope Benedict is trying his best to mend relations with Muslims and Jews.The pope puts a lot of stress on the importance of Christian-Muslim relations for the 21st century.Pope Benedict is most eager to renew his message to the Islamic world.That message has four aspects:1. Mutual respect between Christians and Muslims2. Religious liberty for all3. Shared witness to religious witness to religious values against secularism4. The importance of reason for all believers.During the visit to Jordan, Pope Benedict was full of praise for Islamic faith and culture.He did not issue another apology for his 2006 Regensburg address, which raised questions about the status of violence within Islam.His remarks were met with anti-Christian riots throughout the Muslim world.However, the pope insisted that Christians and Muslims must live together in mutual respect and harmony.The pope appealed to Christians to “build bridges” with other religions and cultures.The same message is also being spread by many other moderate Muslim leaders.Since he became the pope, Benedict has surprised many with his attempts to improve dialogue with the Muslim world.The pope has already said he was “deeply sorry” over the reaction to his speech.It is time to move on.The pope has been encouraging Christians to build new bridges to enable a fruitful encounter of people of different religions and cultures.Others have to do the same if we are determined to enrich the fabric of society.And, during the trip to Jerusalem, the pope called for the establishment of a Palestinian state as Israel’s new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused to endorse the idea, sat silently a few steps away.This was a bold statement from a highly respected pope.United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also called on Israel to fundamentally change its policies on settlements and prove its commitments to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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