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Falwell Apologizes for Anti-Muslim Remarks
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"I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim," Falwell wrote.
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WASHINGTON,
October 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. Baptist minister
Jerry Falwell
apologized Saturday October 12, for calling the Prophet Mohammed “a
terrorist”, after his anti-Islamic remarks had caused an uproar
throughout the world.
"I
sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine made during an
interview for the September 30 edition of CBS's "60 Minutes"
were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims," he said in a
statement issued in Lynchburg, Virginia, reported the Agence
France-Press (AFP) on Sunday October 13.
"I
intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim,"
Falwell added.
The
apology followed an angry outcry that Falwell remarks caused in
several parts of the world.
Police
in the Indian city of
Solapur
said violence triggered by the minister's comments had already left
eight dead and more than 90 injured.
Violence
in Solapur erupted when a crowd of Muslim youths gathered in the city
on Friday October 11, to protest the remarks.
"I
think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough by both Muslims and
non-Muslims, (to decide) that he was a violent man, a man of
war," alleged Falwell in the CBS interview.
In
presenting his apologies, Falwell said that in his more than 50 years
of Christian ministry, he had never preached a sermon on Islam or
written a book or pamphlet on the subject.
"I
have always shown respect for other religions, faiths and
denominations," he said.
"Unfortunately,
I answered one controversial and loaded question at the conclusion of
an hour-long CBS interview…That was a mistake and I apologize."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Wednesday October 8, branded
Falwell's comment as "outrageous and insulting".
Speaking
during a visit to
Iran
, Straw sought to play down the affair by asserting the evangelist was
"not important".
"If
it has been reported accurately I regard his remarks as outrageous and
insulting," Straw said.
"I
am told that this man is well known in the
U.S.
and also that he is not important," Straw added, saying that the
comments were insulting for both Christians and Muslims.
Commenting
on Falwell's statements, Shaikh Mohammad Sayed Tantawi, Grand Immam of
Al Azhar, the highest religious authority in the Islamic Sunni world,
stressed that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), was the
personification of peace.
A
terrorist is the one who assaults civilians, their property, their
freedom and their human dignity; demolishes their houses; besieges
their villages; confiscates their earnings; and destroys everything he
can put his hands on, Sheikh Tantawi elaborated.
Persecuted
by his people, Prophet Mohammad spent 13 years exhorting them to
believe in one God and never resorted to violence, he recalled.
He
founded the Islamic state on the bases of peace and only raised arms
against enemies who sought to destroy his fledging state, Sheikh
Tantawi said.
Even
at times of war, Prophet Mohammad also preached Muslims not to assault
women, children or elders; not to scoop up trees and not to attack
non-Muslim worship places, he said.
Ever
since the beginning of Islam, Christian and Jewish places of worship
have been protected in countries with Muslim majorities.
Falwell's
comments have drawn widespread wrath in several Muslim countries, with
neighbor
Iran
calling upon members of the 55-nation Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) to speak out over the matter.
"This
insult of the holy Prophet Mohammed by a Christian priest is part of a
propaganda war by the
U.S.
mass media and the Zionists," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal
Kharazi said on Sunday.
Speaking
during a meeting with OIC Secretary General Abdul Wahed Belqeziz,
Kharazi said Falwell's comments were "proof that the
U.S.
wants political, cultural and military domination of the world,"
official Iranian media said.
"Islamic
countries, and above all the OIC, must not stay silent in the face of
such unashamed accusations, and must not permit this clash of
religions and civilizations sought by the expansionist and aggressive
Zionists," he added.
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