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January 23, 2006
The Pope And Islamic Reform: Where's The Discussion?
Diana West draws a deep breath and makes some pointed observations about the large white elephant sitting in the corner. The elephant in question was led in by Pope Benedict XVI, in the form of his recent statements (which I noted here) concerning the immutability of the Koran and the resistance of Islam to reform. West wonders about the media's silence on this potential bombshell:
But this is one bombshell that has yet to explode because no one wants to touch it. Hugh Hewitt posted the extraordinary interview online, a couple of blogs picked it up, and Middle East expert Daniel Pipes wrote a short piece taking exception to it, but, as the Asia Times Online columnist Spengler noted (in a column called "When even the pope has to whisper"), "not a single media outlet has taken notice." Posting the Spengler column at The Corner at National Review Online, Rod Dreher wrote: "Spengler is amazed by the silence from the Western media over this remarkable statement attributed to the current pope ... and he suggests that we shrink from acknowledging it because the consequences of the pope being right about this are too horrible to contemplate." Indeed, with one exception, NRO Corner regulars failed to comment on the pope's putative words -- noteworthy, given the magazine's tradition of a Catholic identity.
This is silence built upon more silence: the silence of the our western media in discussing the pope's comments, and the continuing lack of prominent discussion by Moslems concerning the relationship of Islam to the modern world.
And West makes the important observation that if the Pope is correct--that is Islam cannot be reformed (that is, to adapt itself to a modern world)--then it is not our responsibility to "solve" the problem by changing Western culture to ease the conflict. In other words, if Saudi princes (whose wealth flows directly from modern technology) want to talk on cell phones and work on laptops while flying modern jet aircraft to the US for the the best (western) medical treatment--all while funnelling millions of dollars to Wahabi fundamentalists--then so be it.
But we in the west must make policy decisions in our own best interest.
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