VATICAN CITY, March 22, 2008
Muslim Writer Baptized Catholic By Pope
Italian Newspaper Editor Magdi Allam Says That He Never Practiced His Birth Religion
-
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)
-
Interactive Eye on Religion Find out more about the beliefs, practices and history of some of the world's major religions.
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.
Quote
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.
The secrets of tennis legend 
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 63 CommentsPosted by finewoven
-------
"Allah" is indeed a false god finewoven, you are correct. It is an idol representing the crescent moon god of mecca. An idol created by the false prophet Muhammed of islam.
The one true God is the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.
Posted by TruthWord08
- TruthWord08 (aka singinrick), your religion of Christianity is false sir. One way or the other, you wont find out when its all said and done.
Posted by zootallures2 at 04:29 PM : Mar 23, 2008
Do good on your own? Many Muslim extremists don''t qualify. They submit to a false god and commit suicide while killing many other Muslims.
Posted by Abdoul_Pasha
-Your religion of Islam is false sir. One way or the other, you''ll find out when it''s all said and done.
nothing extraordinary there.
Oh, you get Baptized to "convert". He could jump or stand on one foot for all that''s worth. Baptized is a cerimony for when you can be trusted on your own to be good. When the sun reached eqalibrium and could cycle right, it was Baptized. Or anything in the universe that becomes Islam. This is just Popus pocus.
This guy is too stupid to be a Muslim anyway. In Islam you don''t "convert", you say the Shahada because you are quite sure and see some proof it is true. Then when you are absolutely positve with no doubt you are a Mu''men.
Baptized a baby comes from the Romans not quite getting what John and Jesus meant. It''s not the baby is up and running or a persons body, it is when you are educated enough to submit to God and do good on your own.
- Posted by earthlives at 02:30 PM : Mar 23, 2008
--------------------
Lots of good believing people watch American Idol.
It isn"t just the atheists.
There are members of all religions who never miss it.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
59% of Americans disapprove of George W. Bush.
58% of Americans disapprove of Pastor Jeremiah Wright.
-------------
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
Sorry, Have A Happy Easter!
Islam-a-bad is the Capital of Pakistan. A wise choice of words since Islam is a bad religion.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 63 Comments