Her murder comes after a Somali Muslim leader demanded jihad against the Pope. From the AP:
MOGADISHU, Somalia - An elderly Italian nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in Africa was shot dead by two gunmen at a hospital Sunday in an attack possibly linked to worldwide Muslim anger toward Pope Benedict XVI.
Sister Leonella, 65, was shot in the back four times by pistol-wielding attackers as she left the Austrian-run S.O.S. hospital at lunch time after finishing nursing school for trainee medics. Her bodyguard was also slain.There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which came just hours after a leading Somali cleric condemned the pope's remarks last week on Islam and violence.
The head of security for the Islamic militia that controls much of southern Somalia, Yusuf Mohamed Siad, said one man had been arrested and the second was being hunted. He said the killing might have stemmed from the uproar over the pope but stressed he didn't know for sure.
"They could be people annoyed by the pope's speech, which angered all Muslims in the world, or they could have been having something to do with S.O.S.," he said. "We will have to clarify this through our investigation."
The Vatican called the killing a "horrible episode," and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano denounced it as a "horrendous crime."
"A woman who had dedicated her life to the service of the weakest, the most defenseless and the neediest, beyond any ethnic or religious distinction, has been hit," Napolitano said.
And Muslim leaders are still not satisfied with the Pope's most recent apology:
VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday that he is "deeply sorry" his remarks on Islam and violence offended Muslims, but the unusual expression of papal regret drew a mixed reaction from Islamic leaders as the Vatican worried about a backlash of violence.
Some Muslim leaders accepted the statement. Others said it wasn't enough, but urged Muslims to avoid violence after attacks on churches in Palestinian areas and the slaying of a nun in Somalia.Benedict said he regretted causing offense with his speech last week in Germany, particularly his quoting of a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman" and referred to spreading Islam "by the sword."
He said those words did not reflect his own opinions.
"I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect," the pope said during his weekly Sunday appearance before pilgrims.
It was an unusual step for a leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Benedict's predecessor,
Pope John Paul II, issued a number of apologies during his papacy, but they dealt with abuses and other missteps by the church in the past rather than errors on his own part.Vatican officials had earlier sought to placate spreading Muslim anger by saying Benedict held Islam in high esteem and stressed that the central thrust of his speech was to condemn the use of any religious motivation for violence, whatever the religion.
While Benedict expressed regret his speech caused hurt, he did not retract what he said or say he was sorry he uttered what proved to be explosive words.
The Pope shouldn't retract what he said. Muslim radicals have proved over and over again that they are violent barbarians.
Rick Moran has the best description of the rioting throngs of radical Muslims: unappeasable.
Update: Claudia Rosett comments:
It's a good rule of thumb that there is no one more easily offended than your average despot and surrounding acolytes. Tyranny by nature requires grand fictions, and when anyone dares point out that the emperor has no clothes, or the emperor is living it up while dressing his minions in suicide belts, or the emperor is murdering his own subjects and honing technologies and methods to blackmail, subjugate or kill anyone else in reach, then the emperor and his cohorts take huge offense. If you happen to live under their sway, they chuck you in prison. If you are outside the immediate reach of their secret police and terror squads, they do what they can to maneuver the debate onto their terms. They -- who apologize for nothing -- demand apologies.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Update II: Andrew Bostom writing at The American Thinker has more on the 14th Century Emporer quoted by Pope Benedict XVI
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Comments (15)
Yep, that's that religion o... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Bob Jones | September 17, 2006 9:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yep, that's that religion of piece at work there. Ya' know, the non-violent one that gets violent when they get offended at the slightest thing. Yeah, the "religion" that says submit, die, or pay a tax and live as a sub class person. Yep, the "religion" that has it's own moderate scared to speak up and condemn the atrocities committed in the name of allah and is pedophile in chief, mohammad.
What a bunch of BS. I'm so tired of it and no one but a few people have the balls to call these savages on it.
1. Posted by Bob Jones | September 17, 2006 9:00 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:00
2. Posted by Justrand | September 17, 2006 9:18 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The worldwide condemnation of this murder by all Muslim clerics will begin soon!! [crickets chirping]
Uh, maybe they're busy condemning the fire-bombing of the West Bank church yesterday?!? [crickets chirping]
OK...maybe they're SO "peaceful" they can't even condemn!!! Ya, that's it...I'm, uh, sure...
2. Posted by Justrand | September 17, 2006 9:18 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:18
3. Posted by MikeSC | September 17, 2006 9:36 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Benedict's "apologies" are only going to make this worse.
They're are simply proving that their faith is the violent joke that it is viewed as by many, many people.
-=Mike
3. Posted by MikeSC | September 17, 2006 9:36 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:36
4. Posted by The Argus | September 17, 2006 9:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"Methinks he doth protest too much."
Muslims commit violence in protest of being accused of being violent. I just can't understand why anyone would accuse them of being violent.
4. Posted by The Argus | September 17, 2006 9:37 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:37
5. Posted by Bob Jones | September 17, 2006 9:47 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
islam is a cult and its leader is a lying, murdering, raping, pedophile. Submit or die.
It is OK to lie to infidels, moohamid says so. It's called taqyia, so you can't believe a word from the folks from CAIR, the front for hamas, an islamic terrorist organization.
5. Posted by Bob Jones | September 17, 2006 9:47 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:47
6. Posted by Rodney A Stanton | September 17, 2006 9:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
You would think after all this The President would abandon the ROP phrase he initiated back in 02; that the MSM/DNC has become so enamored with. But no; he used it again this weekend. When will Bush figure out what is going on in the world?
His ROP is in the real world the R of violence, murder and rape! How can my President not get it?
6. Posted by Rodney A Stanton | September 17, 2006 9:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 21:57
7. Posted by Ric | September 17, 2006 11:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
ROP at it's highest. Write your Congressman (or "Congressperson" for the politically correct that are tuned in) and tell them not pass up the buggers when they are in the cross hairs. Even if they are in a graveyard.
7. Posted by Ric | September 17, 2006 11:24 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 17, 2006 23:24
8. Posted by 914 | September 18, 2006 12:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Seems to Me the popes remarks were right and He need not apologize to anyone..
8. Posted by 914 | September 18, 2006 12:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 18, 2006 00:01
9. Posted by Palmateer | September 18, 2006 8:20 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I doubt if we'll ever see a Somalian nun murdered in Italy.
9. Posted by Palmateer | September 18, 2006 8:20 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 18, 2006 08:20
10. Posted by anonymouslyanonymous | September 18, 2006 10:36 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Look, muslims condemn such acts, whether you believe it or not. Why don't you ask your media why they never show that side of muslims? Don't we not hurt like you when 911 happened? How do you think we feel when the corrupt few and the undereducated murder for a false cause. There is nothing holy about war.
two, mogadishu is a very unstable, lawless part of Somalia. No government, no law enforcement. She was not safe to be there to begin with. Senseless killings happen in that part of the country all the time.
10. Posted by anonymouslyanonymous | September 18, 2006 10:36 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 18, 2006 10:36
11. Posted by terrorfree | September 18, 2006 1:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
New Pope Shows Spine
Islamonazi CAIR Is Not Impressed
http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/videos/MS091506.php - video
Please Call The Vatican Embassy In Washington, DC at (202) 333-7121 to Express Your Support!
11. Posted by terrorfree | September 18, 2006 1:00 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 18, 2006 13:00
12. Posted by sanssoucy | September 18, 2006 2:03 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The most dispiriting thing is that every time these crowds of bearded bozos with their little pinched-up angry Muslim faces come out and rage about something someone said...
...that person promptly apologizes.
Fuck, but I'm sick of that. Just once, I like to hear the Pope, or Bush, or some newspaper editor say:
"You ragheads wanna riot? Then RIOT, you useless fuckers. Go ahead and prove what we all suspected, that you're a bunch of worthless murderers who're so fucking insecure about your fucking killer religion that you go bananas the moment somebody disses your numbfuck book or shitheel prophet.
But I said what I said, and I stand by it. So burn some more flags, kill each other, and start your usual shit. I don't give a flapping fuck; the last thing I'm gonna do is apologize to a bunch of penny-ante crackpots with towels on their heads. Fuck you."
Or words to that effect.
SS
12. Posted by sanssoucy | September 18, 2006 2:03 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 18, 2006 14:03
13. Posted by 914 | September 19, 2006 2:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I second that!
13. Posted by 914 | September 19, 2006 2:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 19, 2006 02:37
14. Posted by BigCatGirl | September 19, 2006 6:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
anonymouslyanonymous,
"Look, muslims condemn such acts, whether you believe it or not. Why don't you ask your media why they never show that side of muslims? Don't we not hurt like you when 911 happened? How do you think we feel when the corrupt few and the undereducated murder for a false cause. There is nothing holy about war."
Would it suprise you that a number of Muslims on the West Bank in the Middle East as well as in a few Muslim areas in the USA were partying and celibrating on the day of the September 11th, 2001 attacks? There has been documentation to proved it did take place so there cannot be any deniels. They were even giving the children candy as part of the celibrations. In other words, they were happy that the attacks took place. Every September 11th in London, UK, those 19 jihad hijackers are celibrated as heros. The moderate Muslims are few and far between. There have been a few moderate voices, but it is still too little, too late.
The pope was simply citing the historic record, that cannot be denied.
As far as that nun-martyr is concern, God Bless her soul and memory for being another Christ to the people that she ministered to. She is truly a martyr-saint, not the ones who put on bomb jackets in order to blow themselves or others up.
14. Posted by BigCatGirl | September 19, 2006 6:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 19, 2006 06:44
15. Posted by Said | October 19, 2006 8:06 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The Islamist that rule Mogadishu have inprisoned the murder and he isnt getting a life sentence but the death penalty and that means a bullet through your forehead.
That isnt peaceful but you can see that the UIC doesnt support these retarted radicals that call themself muslims
15. Posted by Said | October 19, 2006 8:06 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 19, 2006 20:06