Jerry Falwell Apologizes for Mohammed Criticism

Society Religion & Philosophy
1

Jerry Falwell Apologizes for Mohammed Criticism
Sat Oct 12,10:24 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. preacher Jerry Falwell apologized on Saturday for calling the prophet Mohammad a terrorist, saying he meant no disrespect to “any sincere, law abiding Muslim.”

Reuters Photo

The apology came after top Iranian and British officials condemned the remarks, which Falwell made last week in an interview on the CBS new show “60 Minutes.”

“I think Muhammad was a terrorist,” Falwell said in the interview. “I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and – non-Muslims, (to know) that he was a – a violent man, a man of war.”

The comments angered Muslims around the world, triggering Hindu-Muslim clashes in western India on Friday and Saturday that left at least nine people dead. Earlier in the week, there were protests in Kashmir (news - web sites), the disputed province at the heart of a military standoff between India and Pakistan, and outside the offices of CBS News in New York.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday condemned the remarks as encouraging violence.

“What this American priest said encourages war among civilizations and also increases crises and it should be confronted,” Kharrazi said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who was in Iran to seek Tehran’s support for a tough U.N. resolution on Iraq, said he regarded Falwell’s comments “as much an insult to me as a Christian as they are to Muslims.”

Falwell, a conservative Baptist and a leading voice for the Christian right in America, said in a prepared statement that he was sorry for the hurt feelings caused by his comments.

"I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine made during an interview for (the Oct. 6 edition of) CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’ were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims.

“I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim,” he said.

Falwell said his error came from answering a “controversial and loaded question” at the end of an hour-long interview.

“That was a mistake and I apologize,” he said.

2

What a sorry-faced idiot. I hope this Falwell dude dies in a gutter. Mardood!

3

Jerry Falwell is a Baptist minister, not a priest. I knew he would appologize, too. He had to take his "shot" at the the Islamic Prophet, just once. This is his logic.

4

May you live an eternal prosperous life in hell Falwell. Ameen.

5

how come there was no protest in pakistan..mullahs too busy with elections?

6

I just saw Fox and Friends Sunday and they say the Iranians ahve issued a fatwa against this kafir! Allah O Akbar, I hope some one shoots this satan.

7

Iranian cleric calls for Falwell’s death

By Seattle Times news services

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Shiite Muslim clerics in Lebanon and Iran have reacted with rage at the Rev. Jerry Falwell for calling Islam’s prophet a terrorist, with an envoy of Iran’s supreme leader reportedly calling for the American minister’s death.
Iranian cleric Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, addressing weekly Friday prayers in the northwestern town of Tabriz, said Falwell was a “mercenary and must be killed,” the Farsi-language daily Abrar reported yesterday.

“The death of that man is a religious duty, but his case should not be tied to the Christian community,” Shabestari, a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying.

In an interview broadcast last week on the CBS program “60 Minutes,” Falwell said: “I think (Prophet) Muhammad was a terrorist.”

The conservative Baptist minister said he has concluded from reading Muslim and non-Muslim writers that Islam’s prophet “was a violent man, a man of war.”

Falwell apologized yesterday for his comments, saying he meant no disrespect to “any sincere, law-abiding Muslim.”

Falwell said his error came from answering a “controversial and loaded question” at the end of an hourlong interview. “That was a mistake, and I apologize,” he said.

In Lebanon yesterday, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah called on Muslim countries to respond to Falwell who, he said, had “infringed on the prophet (Muhammad’s) dignity.”

Fadlallah, however, cautioned against resorting to “physical violence,” saying Islam is “a religion of mercy and love.”

Not all Islamic clerics took such a hard line against Falwell.

“Although (Falwell’s) opinion is insulting, he can be answered through dialogue so that all ambiguities in his mind are cleared,” Iranian Ayatollah Hussein Mousavi Tabrizi said.

Tabrizi refused to compare Falwell to British author Salman Rushdie, against whom the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the Iranian revolution, issued a death verdict in the 1980s for blaspheming Islam in his book “Satanic Verses.”

Meanwhile, four more people died yesterday in India as Hindus and Muslims clashed in the western Indian town of Solapur in continuing violence triggered by Falwell’s remarks. Five people were killed Friday in the textile town 280 miles from Bombay.

The violence exploded when Hindu businesses refused to honor an economic shutdown called to protest Falwell’s statements.

8

He wanted the $$$ from the interviews...hes probably in his new mansion laughing.

9

[quote]
What a sorry-faced idiot. I hope this Falwell dude dies in a gutter. Mardood!
[/quote]

[quote]
May you live an eternal prosperous life in hell Falwell.
[/quote]

[quote]
I hope some one shoots this satan
[/quote]

Don't you people take it too far? I have seen as much blasphemy against Christianity on this board without the Moderator's sensure. Maybe Falwell will get all you people wish for, but the feelings from your hearts does not pose well for yourselves - hate only destroys the hater...

10

i wish i could shoot the a$$ hole my self… :mad:

how dare he insult our beloved Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam).

11

If you people espouse violence towards this Falwell guy, arent you just playing into his hands, by proving Muslims are mindless terrorists?

12

We should calm down? :<

I'm sorry but what the kafir thinks of me and my love for the beloved of Allah doesnt concern me-he should be put to death, and if that makes me a terrorist then Allah o Akbar I'm ready for the consequences.

13

Stop acting like spoilt children. Who cares what Falwell said about the prophet? Muslims always are so emotional over non issues.

14

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Imdad Ali: *
Stop acting like spoilt children. Who cares what Falwell said about the prophet? Muslims always are so emotional over non issues.
[/QUOTE]

good point! we should concentrate on eradicating those animals in Pakistan who actually go in churches and kill innocent people and think that they are doing great service for Islam!

15

I can understand the reverence Muslims have for Mohammad when they do not tolerate negative comments made about him, but would Mohammad approve of this exultation of his standing, placing him quite high on a pedestal? Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all had association to violence of extreme nature. Judaism and Islam, it appears, attacked pagan societies, for at least the purpose of ensuring the belief in the same Supreme Father. Christianity did not suggest this mode, but did so, never the less. There must have been wise men from all three faiths that cautioned in matters of martial affairs.

16

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Degas: *

good point! we should concentrate on eradicating those animals in Pakistan who actually go in churches and kill innocent people and think that they are doing great service for Islam!
[/QUOTE]
Well said. No matter what garbage Falwell may have said, he at least has not told his followers to kill Muslims. Our religous leaders do not even have that decency.

17

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
What a sorry-faced idiot. I hope this Falwell dude dies in a gutter. Mardood!
[/QUOTE]

Aameen! sumaa Aameen!

18

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Imdad Ali: *
Well said. No matter what garbage Falwell may have said, he at least has not told his followers to kill Muslims. Our religous leaders do not even have that decency.
[/QUOTE]

Our religious leaders havent called Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus terrorists, pedophiles, or maniacs....like Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has been called. So why should we show decency against them when they make fun of our prophet with such baseless lies?

19

there is a saying in hindumythology "vinash karya vipreet budhi" which means when you are heading towards destruction you loose your mind
thats exactly what the americans are heading for
its very much the way the sikhs and muslim rulers clashed.
today the americans are blind with power they cannot supress the muslim anger and the dedication for long. usa will pay a very heavy price for pampering israel.
the arab and the muslim world has a large young population which is overwhelmingly anti america and the recent election results in pak also proove it. i think americans should be foresighted and change its foreign policy

20

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by mo_best: *
I just saw Fox and Friends Sunday and they say the Iranians ahve issued a fatwa against this kafir! Allah O Akbar, I hope some one shoots this satan.
[/QUOTE]

errm... just like someone shot Salman Rushdie??

If you call u'rself a 'sunni' or have 'love for the Prophet' .. just sit down and think for a minute on the lines of "What would Jesus do".. and in this case.. "What would Prophet Muhammad do"??