Comments: Let us be rational

More such analyses should be encouraged from all intellectuals, regardless of their religious denomination.

R Agastya, India 

Where is Islam’s sense of irony? Cannot those who reacted so rabidly to the pope’s quotation and the Danish cartoons, for example, see how their enemies use their reactions against them?
Bill Glidden, Australia

In my opinion pope had done it knowing the kind of reaction it would spark in the Muslim world. Quite truthfully I think that pope alongside with the Catholic Church is very much opposing entire Islam. However, not only Catholics but the entire Christian world had shown its ignorance and prejudgment towards Muslims.

We have to see it clearly and try not to justify the wrongdoing. What the pope had done was wrong and he should not only apologise but also try to show understanding of what he had done.
Paul William, Canada

There are elements in Western societies who do indeed want to spread Islam by force into these societies, for example the so-called hate preachers who can be found in major European cities. I assume that these people aren’t exactly the brightest lights in Islamic scholarship, though.
M Buelow, Germany

Just once I would like to read an editorial where the author states the crimes that have been committed in the name of every religion, including the author’s own religion.
Simon Parham, Canada

I humbly appeal to all fellow Muslims to embrace intellectual discourse and constructive criticism with non-Muslims or even between Muslims from different sects (Sunni, Shia, etc), so we can live in peace.
Bubacarr Sankanu, Germany

It is nice to finally find a Muslim answer to the comments of the pope. This is a way to start the discussion. I was missing that during this whole “pope-comments-scandal”. You know that was what I wanted to know, to have a well-articulated denial of the arguments. It is sad that there was some violence though.
Miguel, Switzerland