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the should have been upbraided by Muslim The Pope WAS Wrong, activists. Historically, there was a time when a But He WasnÕt Talking rationalistic school of thought was very prominent in Islam. That school, known as the MuÔtazila, rose To Muslims in the 8th century and ßourished until it lost out to the dogmatists by the end of the 9th. The MuÕtazila by Timothy Fallis stressed that the teachings of Allah and a connection to Him spiritually could be ascertained through the On September 12, 2006, the recently elected Pope rationalistic method and Òthat reason and revelation Benedict XVI presented a speech titled ÒFaith, Reason, were complementaryÓ (Denny 181). They used Greek and the University: Memories and ReßectionsÓ at the texts as a starting point in creating a synthesis of University of Regensburg. The reaction to this speech reason and revelation. in many parts of the Muslim world, including the Today, there are two main views in Sunni Islam Middle East certainly but by no means exclusively, (90% of the worldÕs Muslims are Sunni [Benedetti]) was very angry. The lines that offended were quoted on the relationship between faith and reason. The from a medieval source and seemed to insult Islam. more common view is that of the AshÕari school People rioted in the streets, both religious and secular which is classically Þdeistic, meaning that faith based leaders demanded an apology and retraction, and at on scriptural revelation always trumps reason. The least one man declared that Òthe Pope must dieÓ for other view, represented by the Maturidi school, is that what he had said (Doughty and McDermott). I would reason independent of revelation can legitimately like to argue that this reaction was inappropriate come to the same truths. Both schools are considered for two reasons. One, while I agree that the PopeÕs equally orthodox and correct. In addition, the ShiÕa selection of quotation was very poorly chosen, his have always emphasized the rational basis of their worst mistake regarding Islam was entirely different beliefs. It is an error, therefore, to reductively portray from the one for which he has been chastised. Two, I Islam as being entirely based on faith in the absence contend that the target of the speech, the religion the of a rational dialectic, just as it would be an error to Pope intended to throw the gauntlet down to, was not ignore the contributions of such thinkers as Aquinas Islam really but Protestant . or Kierkegaard and portray Christianity as based In his speech the Pope drew from a dialogue solely on the Bible. recorded by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II It is particularly ironic that the Pope chose Paleologus, a dialogue between himself and an to make his (erroneous) point by using the writings educated Persian. The passage that inßamed the of a Byzantine Emperor, when it can be argued that passions of many Muslims was thus: ÒShow me just at the time of his rule Western civilization was in what Mohammed brought that was new, and there decline precisely because it had turned its back on you will Þnd things only evil and inhuman, such as the Greek rationalism which it is now so proud to his command to spread by the sword the faith he include. In his important historical work Muruj preachedÓ (Benedict, ÒMeetingÓ). The Pope should adh-dhahab wa maÕadin al-jawahir (Òthe Meadows have realized that this quote would be provocative of Gold and Mines of GemsÓ), the great historian al- and chosen something else, surely. However, taken MasÕudi argued just that, claiming that this decline in the context of the rest of the speech, it seems clear was due to the fact that the West had decided that that his reason for using it was not to say that Islam is Greek learning was incompatible with Christianity Òevil and inhumanÓ; his purpose was to highlight the and so let science go by the wayside (alÕ MasÕudi). idea that Islam has not brought anything new to the At that time, it was Muslims who had built on the discussion of religious rationalism. He was pointing translational work done in Baghdad and were mining this out for reasons I will address a bit later, but the Greek philosophical texts, and some of the Þnest point I want to make now is that the contention he philosophical work of the time was done by Muslim was making about Islam is incorrect. Islam has a long scholars like Avicenna (Abu ibn Sina) and Averroes and ongoing history of rationalistic religious thinking, (ibn Rushd) who worked from this scholarship. In and it is for misrepresenting this that, if anything, blunt terms, it was Muslims who had successfully 59 integrated Greek rationalism into their theology, and stage in world history, like so many others before the Catholics who had been left behind. The Pope it, just such a dialogue is essential in order to come used the words of a 14th century Emperor, whose to understandings that can undergird international church had abandoned the basis of rationalism, peace, tolerance, and prosperity. to accuse modern Islam, who in the 14th century The other problem the Pope has with this was alone preserving that same Greek tradition, of separation of Western civilization from rationalism abandoning rationalism. This isnÕt just ironic, it is is that it lends itself to (what he sees as a) disastrous revisionist and dishonest, and it is this that Muslims embrace of postmodern relativism. In 1996, Ratzinger had cause to get up in arms over instead of the said as much when he spoke in Guadalajara: speciÞc meaning of the words the Pope quoted and ÒRelativism has thus become the central problem for did not himself avow. the faith at the present timeÓ (Ratzinger). As George The other point about the PopeÕs speech is, Weigel argued in the L.A. Times, postmodernism again, that it was not primarily directed at Islam would have us believe that there is Òyour truthÓ and but instead at . While the Òmy truthÓ but nothing so bold and deÞnitive as Òthe Church, which still has larger membership than all truthÓ. I agree when he says that with this philosophy, other Christian denominations combined, relies very or lack of one depending on how you look at it, heavily on its history of Aquinarian rationalism, leaves the West unable to defend itself in a conßict of Protestant churches have for the most part eschewed ideas. Divine scripture does not provide reasons why religious philosophy in favor of biblical revelation. the WestÕs usual commitments to tolerance, human Although the certainly bases its rights, equal justice, civility, and the rule of law are religion on the revelations of the Bible, it does not worth defending; only rational argument can do that teach literal absolutism in regard to it. Instead, it (Weigel). relies on biblical revelation informed and interpreted Ultimately, the Pope selected an inßammatory through the lens of rationalism. quote to provide an example of a contrast between It is this absence of the rational/philosophical Christian and Islamic attitudes regarding rationalism in the Protestant tradition that the Pope meant to that does not exist, in order to make a point about scold, because he sees it as an abandonment of the how the West needs to embrace its (supposedly but principles that make the Western tradition unique not actually) ÒuniqueÓ rationalism, so that it will be from the Eastern and the Islamic. This Pope is an able to both hold a dialogue with the East and defend educated scholar (he used to teach at the University itself philosophically against it. He could have made of Regensburg) and cherishes reason; in his view his point a lot more clearly and simply and saved the Protestantism, especially in the U.S., has become world a lot of trouble. If, and it is a big If, this speech absolutist in its intolerance of other faiths precisely is ever widely understood for what it was really because it relies entirely on doctrine without reason. trying to say, it could indeed serve as a starting point In the PopeÕs view this is a problem on two counts. for an important dialogue between East and West; According to Benedict XVI, the Þrst is that however, it is so difÞcult to unpack and so loaded without the understanding of moral duty that ßows now with the baggage of its initial reception, such a from rational philosophy, Western civilization is dialogue seems very unlikely. ungrounded in its convictions. The Pope has said: ÒÉ Christians have lost conÞdence in the Christian claim to universal truth, and the validity and life has gone out of ChristianityÓ (Chummar). Without those convictions that make Western civilization what it is, it cannot make a useful contribution to a dialogue between cultures. Any such dialogue cannot be based on faith, since there is little common ground to be found in conßicting assertions of divine revelation. As the Pope said 10 years ago when known by his personal name Joseph Ratzinger, ÒReason will not be saved without the faith, but the faith without reason will not be humanÓ (Ratzinger). Only a mutual understanding that human beings can come to know the truth of things rationally has a chance of providing the framework for a workable discussion. At this

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ÒalÕMasÕudiÓ. Brittanica Online. Encyclopedia Brittanica Inc. 2 March 2007 http://www.brittanica. com/eb/article-9051339/al-Masudi

Benedetti, Christine, ChristineCrabb, Kelly Machel, and Lisa Ro. ÒFundamental DifferencesÓ. University of Washington. 4 March 2007. http:// courses.Washington.edu/com361/Iraq/ethnic_ diferences/differences.htm

Chummar, Paul C. ÒIn Which Direction Does Pope Benedict XVI Steer?Ó CUEA. February 2007. Catholic University of East Africa. 9 March 2007. http://www.cuea.edu/news/Pope%2 Benedict%20steer- ACS%202006.pdf

Denny, Frederick Mathewson. ÒAn Introduction to IslamÓ. Second ed. New York, Macmillan, 1994.

Doughty, Steve and Nick McDermott. ÒThe Pope Must Die, Says MuslimÓ. DailyMail 18 September 2006. The Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Ltd. 4 February 2007. http://www.dailymail. co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_ id=405622&in_page_id=1770

Pope Benedict XVI. ÒMeeting with the Representatives of ScienceÓ. Vatican September, 2006. Roman Catholic . 4 February 2007. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/ speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal. ÒRelativism: The Central Problem for Faith TodayÓ. EWTN. May, 1996. Eternal World Television Network. 9 March 2007. http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/RATZRELA. HTM

Weigel, George. ÒCalm Down & Listen, The Pope is RightÓ. LATimes 20 September 2006. . 5 February 2007 http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/ latimes/access/1130131161.html

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