In a controversial speech the head of the Catholic church Pope Benedict XVI was widely condemned for quoting a 700-year-old exchange between a medieval Byzantine emperor and a learned Islamic scholar "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". Did the Pope agree with this view or was the point he was trying to make valid but lost in 'headline' sound bites?
Can the head of a faith that has through the ages had hideous crimes carried out in its own name be in a position to judge other faiths? Can the Islam faith be self critical?
Participate in this weeks free survey Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?
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