VATICAN CITY, March 22, 2008
Muslim Writer Baptized Catholic By Pope
Italian Newspaper Editor Magdi Allam Says That He Never Practiced His Birth Religion
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Magdi Allam, Italy's most prominent Muslim commentator, is baptized by Pope Benedict XVI during the Easter vigil mass in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, March 22, 2008. Allam, who has long spoken out against Islamic fanaticism and received death threats as a result, converted to Roman Catholicism. Allam, 55, is the deputy editor of the Corriere della Sera newspaper and writes often on Muslim and Arab affairs. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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An Egyptian-born, non-practicing Muslim who is married to a Catholic, Magdi Allam infuriated some Muslims with his books and columns in the newspaper Corriere della Sera newspaper, where he is a deputy editor. He titled one book "Long Live Israel."
As a choir sang, Pope Benedict XVI poured holy water over Allam's head and said a brief prayer in Latin.
"We no longer stand alongside or in opposition to one another," Benedict said in a homily reflecting on the meaning of baptism. "Thus faith is a force for peace and reconciliation in the world: distances between people are overcome, in the Lord we have become close."
Vatican Television zoomed in on Allam, who sat in the front row of the basilica along with six other candidates for baptism. He later received his first Communion.
Allam, 55, told the newspaper Il Giornale in a December interview that his criticism of Palestinian suicide bombing provoked threats on his life in 2003, prompting the Italian government to provide him with a sizable security detail.
The Union of Islamic Communities in Italy - which Allam has frequently criticized as having links to Hamas - said the baptism was his own decision.
"He is an adult, free to make his personal choice," the Apcom news agency quoted the group's spokesman, Issedin El Zir, as saying.
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Yahya Pallavicini, vice president of Coreis, the Islamic religious community in Italy, said he respected Allam's choice but said he was "perplexed" by the symbolic and high-profile way in which he chose to convert.If Allam truly was compelled by a strong spiritual inspiration, perhaps it would have been better to do it delicately, maybe with a priest from Viterbo where he lives.
Yahya Pallavicini, Italian Islamic religious leader"If Allam truly was compelled by a strong spiritual inspiration, perhaps it would have been better to do it delicately, maybe with a priest from Viterbo where he lives," the ANSA news agency quoted Pallavicini as saying.
The nighttime Easter vigil service at St. Peter's Basilica marked the period between Good Friday, which commemorates Jesus' crucifixion, and Easter Sunday, which marks his resurrection.
Benedict opened by blessing a white candle, which he then carried down the main aisle of the darkened basilica. Slowly, the pews began to light up as his flame was shared with candles carried by the faithful, until the whole basilica twinkled and the main lights came on.
The pope administers baptism "without making any 'difference of people,' that is, considering all equally important before the love of God and welcoming all in the community of the Church," said the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi.
Allam, who has a young son with his Catholic wife and two adult children from a previous relationship, indicated in the Il Giornale interview that he would have no problem converting to Christianity. He said he had even received Communion once - when he was 13 or 14 - "even though I knew it was an act of blasphemy, not having been baptized."
He did not speak to the press Saturday and his newspaper said it had no information about his conversion.
Allam said in the interview that he had made a pilgrimage to Mecca, as is required of all Muslims, with his deeply religious mother in 1991, although he was not otherwise observant.
"I was never practicing," he was quoted as saying. "I never prayed five times a day, facing Mecca. I never fasted during Ramadan."
Allam also explained his decision to title a recent book "Viva Israele" by saying he wrote it after he received death threats from Hamas.
"Having been condemned to death, I have reflected a long time on the value of life. And I discovered that behind the origin of the ideology of hatred, violence and death is the discrimination against Israel. Everyone has the right to exist except for the Jewish state and its inhabitants," he said. "Today, Israel is the paradigm of the right to life."
In 2006, Allam was a co-winner, with three other journalists, of the $1 million Dan David prize, named for an Israeli entrepreneur. Allam was cited for "his ceaseless work in fostering understanding and tolerance between cultures."
There is no overarching Muslim law on conversion. But under a widespread interpretation of Islamic legal doctrine, converting from Islam is apostasy and punishable by death - though killings are rare.
Egypt's highest Islamic cleric, the Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, wrote last year against the killing of apostates, saying there is no worldly retribution for Muslims who abandon their religion and that punishment would come in the afterlife.
On Wednesday, a new audio message from Osama bin Laden accused the pope of playing a "large and lengthy role" in a "new Crusade" against Islam that included the publication of drawings of the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims found insulting.
Lombardi said Thursday that bin Laden's accusation was baseless. He said Benedict repeatedly criticized the Muhammad cartoons, first published in some European newspapers in 2006 and republished by Danish papers in February.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 63 CommentsAnd the right to grab other people''s lands.
And the right to grab other people''''s lands.
Posted by jerr11
Who cares. They can grab whatever land they want. It is a matter of survival. Unfortunately for the Palestinians, they are not so good at it. Evolution at work
Let the crusades begin.
Crusades and inquisition all rolled into one.
This should be entertaining.
It''s good that a Muslim has converted to Christianity. Let''s keep up the evangelism, Christians! (Matthew 28:19-20). Only 1.9 billion Muslims to go!
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Posted by wango2007 at 01:32 AM : Mar 23, 2008
+ report abuse
haaa haaaa... Lol. The difference is there because the number of non Muslims who convert to Islam is far greater than the number of Muslims who convert to Christianity or other religion. That is one of the many reasons that the media is giving coverage to this news.
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Posted by wango2007 at 01:32 AM : Mar 23, 2008
+ report abuse
haaa haaaa... Lol. The difference is there because the number of non Muslims who convert to Islam is far greater than the number of Muslims who convert to Christianity or other religion. That is one of the many reasons that the media is giving coverage to this news.
You can''t trust Muslims. Most likely he changed his religion in order to get some gains in his professional life.
haaa haaaa... Lol... the number of non Muslims who convert to Islam is far greater than the number of Muslims who convert to Christianity
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People who haha and lol all the time come across to me as not being too bright. Some sign of intelligence in a discussion is always appreciated.
The fact is, far more people of other faiths (or no prior faith) are becoming Christians rather than Muslims or Jews. That''s the good news... on two levels.
How can he be a "prominent" Muslim if he can''t even do the basic Islamic deeds?
Indeed, some souls are designed for hell!
stop pretending to be christian u baby killer !
where to go to why don''t you go
where fashion sits
Puttin'' on the Ritz!
Posted by titletrack
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WORD ! ! !
Posted by jerr11
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Pretty much everyone alive today lives on land that was grabbed from someone ! So I don''t know what''s up all your self Righteous A-sses.
re: your comment
This convert has nothing to do with America. He lives in Italy. How are you using some asinine anti-American logic to explain his conversion?
Posted by earthlives
- Oh, you got me scared now. What a joke you are.
Posted by michaelt302
- In the last 10 years you have behaved quite well, I admit. But in the history of the world ... well, you know. And believe me, I am not an idiot - probably a lot more intelligent than you are.
Posted by fibonacci_ at 10:23 AM : Mar 23, 2008
Hmmm...always gotta wonder about the ones that have to tell us they''re intelligent.
Posted by deemsnyd
- That is not a bad point. But unintelligent people tend to be less able to identify intelligent people - they often need some help.
I guess you''re going to tell us how tolerant you are of everyone and everything as long as it doesn''t pertain to religion or Christianity.
I guess you''''re going to tell us how tolerant you are of everyone and everything as long as it doesn''''t pertain to religion or Christianity.
Posted by deemsnyd
- Yea, it is sometimes difficult for me to find a balance...I fully admit I can be intolerant too. I am just very upset at how easy it has been historically for people to use their religious belief to justify violence. As a person who does not need religion, it is difficult to sit back and watch people kill in the name of religion.
I know there are many other motivations for murder... and I know people were killed because of their religion.
Religion has admittedly had many positive effects on civilization...I am a very big fan of Christian music, and have spent the last years of my life in the footsteps of Johann Sebastian Bach.
I do believe the Pope did this at Easter time in order to send a universal message of hope for all Christians.
Especially since many Christians are feeling threatened by the oppressive evils being purpotrated by some radical muslems in various places around the globe.
For sure, some Muslems may be offended by this very public conversion being done by the Pope.
To them I would say TOUGH get over it!
This is a big world with much diversity. You''re not the ONLY relgion on the block GET OVER YOUR DA-MN SELVES!
FORGIVE ME BUT WHEN one of those Wacko Druid-worshiping Greenie-GORE-loving-enviro-terrorist START quoting the scriptures I, for one, am suspicious!
Islam-a-bad is the Capital of Pakistan. A wise choice of words since Islam is a bad religion.
Sorry, Have A Happy Easter!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
59% of Americans disapprove of George W. Bush.
58% of Americans disapprove of Pastor Jeremiah Wright.
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Sources:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/political_updates/president_bush_job_approval
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/obama_speech_grades_51_good_or_excellent_26_fair_21_poor
- Posted by earthlives at 02:30 PM : Mar 23, 2008
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Lots of good believing people watch American Idol.
It isn"t just the atheists.
There are members of all religions who never miss it.
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