By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Threats by Muslim extremists in the UK to infiltrate the Pope’s open air Mass scheduled to take place in Birmingham during his upcoming visit have officials concerned for his safety.
Fox News is reporting that an Islamic website has put out a call to Muslims living in the city of Birmingham to “tell the pope just what they think of him after his insults against the Prophet Muhammad” when he visits the city on the last day of his visit to England in September.
The call, published in the Islamic Standard, asks Muslims to speak their mind to the Pope about statements he made during a 2006 visit to Regensberg that were considered by some Muslims to have been offensive to Mohammad.
The missive also suggested that having the Pope in Birmingham would give local Muslims access to over 80,000 Catholics from all over the UK who are expected to attend the open air Mass.
“We hope Muslims can be there to meet him as well and to also call people away from the shirk of worshipping the dead like the Catholics do, calling out to them for help and intercession…The Birmingham event however brings the pope and who worship him into direct contact with the large Muslim population of Birmingham and offers them the perfect chance to learn about Islam and for the Muslims to forbid the Munkar of worshipping dead men and following the dictates of the sodomite child molesting Church of Rome…”
Khalid Mahmood, a member of the British Parliament, fears that this call may be an incitement to violence.
“These supposed Muslims are doing all they can to incite violence,” he told the British press. “Sadly, if Muslims do turn up and preach at Catholics it could easily turn to violence…The police should look at the comments on this site because they can only serve to increase tensions and perhaps even cause riots on the day.”
Commenting on the situation, Matthew Archbold of the National Catholic Register said the news is especially worrisome in that, according to YNET news, eight residents of the city of Nazareth were recently arrested on weapons charges and discussing murdering Jews, soldiers, and the Pope.
“Let’s hope and pray that all turns out well for Pope Benedict XVI in England,” he writes on his blog. “Anyone else starting to think that ‘Post-Christian Europe’ might actually mean ‘Anti-Christan Europe?’”
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