A twenty-first-century pope recycled the Orientalist trope linking Islam to irrationality and violence.

Evidence

The Pope’s speech is deeply rooted in Orientalist myths; it presents a particular vision of a rational and enlightened “West” while obscuring Christianity’s own history of violence. He quotes the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, who said, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” It is ironic that Joseph Ratzinger—who was elected Pope Benedict XVI after serving as head of the Vatican office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Inquisition)—could denounce the spreading of religion through violence and face little or no criticism. This is in no small part due to another deeply entrenched myth: that Islam is at its core a violent religion. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 190 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A pope resurrected the Orientalist equation of Islam with irrationality as recently as 2006; A sitting pope repeated the Orientalist equation of Islam with irrational violence; The Pope endorsed a myth of Islam’s inherent violence. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 190 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• A sitting pope repeated the Orientalist equation of Islam with irrational violence #corroborates (0.98)
• The Pope endorsed a myth of Islam’s inherent violence. #corroborates (0.93) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 190