Author: James Taranto
Publication: Opinion Journal
Date: October 14, 2002
"Sectarian violence in India's Solapur
city, triggered by a protest over comments by US Baptist minister Jerry
Falwell against the Prophet Mohammed, has left eight dead and over 90 injured,"
Agence France-Presse reports. "Police had used gunfire Friday on crowds
of rioters of Muslim youths who clashed with groups of Hindus as the protest
against Falwell's remarks turned violent."
We have no brief for Jerry Falwell,
who frequently says idiotic things. But let's think this through, shall
we? Here are Falwell's remarks to "60 Minutes" that "triggered" the "protest":
I think Mohammed was a terrorist.
I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and non-Muslims,
that he was a violent man, a man of war. . . . I do believe that Jesus
set the example for love, as did Moses. And I think that Mohammed set an
opposite example.
Now, maybe this is a slander against
Islam. Certainly Falwell's use of the term "terrorist" is unfortunate,
if for no other reason than that it seems to endorse the extremists' interpretation
of Islam, which many Muslims dispute. But if Falwell characterizes Islam
as a violent religion and Muslims respond by taking to the streets, rioting
and killing people, aren't they sort of making his point?
