The Pope endorsed a myth of Islam’s inherent 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

Categorization

• XREF: The Inquisition-as-genealogy irony recurs from the Bruno passage (loc 189) — same myth, doubled dismantling. — connects to: Luther portrayed Islam as a faith that spreads only by violence — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 151; Lewis argued Islam inherently tends toward fundamentalist violence.; The papacy manufactured Muslims as a holy-war enemy to unify Christian Europe — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 93 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Van Gogh’s murder reinforced the stereotype of Islam’s inherently violent nature #exemplifies (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 387
• The Van Gogh murder seemed to confirm Islamophobia narratives about Muslim violence. #corroborates (0.65) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 379
• Medieval elites first linked Islam and Muhammad to violence and sexual deviance #complicates (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 66