Where is the Gandhi of Islam?

Telegraph ^ | 09/07/2005 | By Charles Moore

[Mrs. Don-o]

This author compares (inevitably) the Islamic fascists with the brutal Catholic laddies of the IRA; but there are some prety huge reasons why "the roots of violent aggression in Islam" and "the roots of violent aggression in Christianity" are very, very different things.

To sum it up in as few words as possible: the aggressive Muslim is a "good" Muslim; the aggressive Christian is a bad Christian.

The IRA "Christian" terrorists got ZERO support from:

• the example of the founder of the Christian religion

• the commandments of the founder of the Christian religion

• any pope, cardinal, bishop, or other religious official, either in Rome or in Ireland

• any document, declaration, broadcast, or publication, at any time, associated in any official way with the Catholic Church.

(In fact, the predecessors of the IRA--- the Fenians and the IRB --- were secret organizations whose members swore an oath, before God, to take their orders from the Brotherhood. This led to problems with the Catholic Church who went so far as to excommunicate members who took such an oath. Later on, IRA-Provo's and their supporters --- including, admittedly, the occasional sympathetic priest --- were told that they should not receive communion; they should effectively "excommunicate themselves.")

By way of contrast, the Islamic terrorists operate with the support of:

• the example of the founder of religion of Islam

• the commandments of the founder of the religion of Islam

• hundreds of religious officials, in Britain and in dozens of Islamic countries

• countless documents, declarations, broadcasts, and publications, officially produced and distributed by Islamic institutes, Universities, mosques, madrassas, "fraternal" and "charitable" groups.

And here's something to think about: Clerics (deacons, priests, bishops, etc) are forbidden by Canon Law to bear arms. And anyone, clerical or lay, who dies while in possession of arms, is by that very fact excluded from consideration as a "martyr."

The Catholic idea of "martyr" is almost the diametrical opposite of the Islamic idea. You'll notice that none of the warriors of 2000 years of Christendom --- not Charlemagne, not Charles Martel, not Baldwin, not Raymond, not Tancred, not Don John of Austria, not Philip of Spain not Jan Sobieski of Poland--- not one of them is honored by the Catholic Church as either saint or martyr.

Only two warriors I can think of, offhand, who were canonized were St. Joan of Arc and St. Louis IX of France...and the latter was not lauded for his prowess or success at war, but for his justice and charity.

The ethics of Christianity. Interesting. And so un-Islamic.