The Pope's infallible stupid

William Rees-Mogg in defending the Pope states that “nowadays Islam is the only major religion in which violence is a serious doctrinal issue.” But Islam is under threat, or it’s followers perceive it to be, not from Christianity but from secular Western culture; and exporting violence is very much a serious part of that culture. The US/UK led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel in Lebanon are secular wars by primarily secular states against a specific religious Islamic enemy. Couched in those terms then Islamic violence might just be a reasonable response. As for suicide bombers, let’s not forget that Christianity is based on an act of premeditated self killing – look above any church altar and what do you really see, murder or suicide? Finally, the model of western democracy, the culture we seek to impose on Islamic states, is not one of a religious society. Islam may well be spreading the word of God in an evangelistic and intolerant way into a religious vacuum, but I’m not certain God would entirely disapprove given his record.