Through Force or Faith? — Page 85
Chapter 1 — Analysis of the Papal Lecture 85 is the heinous concept that the Pope has maliciously attempted to ascribe to the God of Muslims. 4. In order to substantiate this belief that he has ascribed to Muslims, he has referred to a book of Professor Khoury in which he has quoted from a book by another writer, Arnaldez, who recorded a quote from Ibn H azm, ‘God is not bound even by His own word, and that nothing would oblige Him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practice idolatry’. (Here it is relevant to confirm whether Ibn H azm even said it or not and if he did, what did he exactly say?) After constructing his theory on a spurious assumption, the Pope draws the final conclusion that: 5. ‘The belief that God does not act contrary to ration- ality and such belief in God as based on the Bible, there is perfect concordance’. In other words, the conclusion is being drawn that the teachings of Christianity are strictly in accordance with rationality and those of Islam are just the opposite. It is quite obvious that the Pope has deliberately criticized Islam indeed; and then, to support it, he has leaned on quotations of other people.