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September 16, 2006

Commentary: The Papal Error that Wasn't

I present to you commentary from our reader "Archimedes"; my own commentary will follow. Ruth Gledhill is Times Online religion correspondent, the article in question is this one, which was quoted in this Western Resistance article.

Here is "Archimedes":

"I think Ruth Gledhill is making too much out of this statement from Benedict: "...surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat..."

Benedict's phrase "early period" and Gledhill's phrase "middle period" are both vague. Gledhill cannot claim Benedict is wrong unless Benedict had said something more specific. Also, Gledhill's statement seems like a case of fallacy of precision, since the business about when such verses were revealed is guesswork.

I believe Benedict was simply alluding to the point that 2:256 must be taken into account in light of later verses when Mohammad was in power (or had more power--he did not have much power when 2:256 was revealed, even if in Medina). The verses which many scholars believe abrogated 2:256 come very late, e.g., 48:16, 9:5, 9:73, etc., when Mohammad's power was much greater. Because "early" is not specific and is relative (i.e., relative to late), I can't see how Gledhill can claim this is incorrect.

The fact that Gledhill did not address the stronger claims (e.g., Islam was spread by the sword) says a lot."

Well said. I would only add that Gledhill's claim that "Muhammad was in Mediana and in control of a state" is false. (He was in Medina, but not in control of the city-state.) That is part of Islamic mythology, e.i., that the Jews of Yathrib had agreed to have Muhammad rule over them. The Jews themselves only agreed to a defensive treaty with him. Muhammad only took control of Medina when he either exiled or slaughtered the Jewish tribes. Muslim commentators believe that Sura 2 "came down" when Muhammad was arguing with Jews and Christians in Medina, before he destroyed them.

It would be interesting to know whom did Ms. Glehil consulted before writing that cowardly attack on the Pope.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at September 16, 2006 2:12 PM

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