Antichristlicher Backlash?

Einen wöchentlichen Newsletter aus Rom schreibt John L. Allen Jr., Ratzinger-Biograph und Korrespondent des eher liberalen National Catholic Reporter. In seiner neuesten Ausgabe stellt er zur Frage des islamisch-christlichen Zusammenpralls fest:

"To find out if this clash of cultures was actually happening, I contacted Christian and Muslim leaders in places where relations between the two faiths were already strained: Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Palestine. I have been in regular conversation with Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of the Latin Rite Catholic Church in Baghdad. I’ve also consulted with people who track anti-Christian persecution from both Rome and Washington.

So far, there simply is no anti-Christian backlash.

In many places, observers say that Muslim/Christian ties have never been so strong, as followers of both religions make common cause against what they see as an American, rather than a Christian, war. All sources concur that a principal factor has been the strong anti-war line of John Paul II, which has received extensive coverage in the Arab press and praise from Islamic leaders. (...)

Yet most observers believe John Paul’s role has been decisive. Muslim leader Mohammad Sammak, who lives in Beirut, told me that the pope’s statements on the war are being translated into Arabic there and are proclaimed from the mosques during Friday prayers. (...)

The pope, he said, has so far managed to wrest control of religious language away from both Islamic extremists and Christian supporters of the war.

I’ve reported before, based on conversations with senior Vatican diplomats, that the Holy See realized early on that its interventions would probably not stop the war. They kept up the pressure, however, because President George Bush was not their only interlocutor. They were also speaking to the Islamic street, trying to minimize the harm a war might cause."

Sein Schlußsatz zum Thema ist weniger optimistisch: "As the war goes on, it won’t fail to show its devastating impact", zitiert er Erzbischof Migliore, den vatikanischen UN-Beobachter.