Papa Don146;t Preach

Pope Benedict8217;s remarks about Islam haven8217;t gone down very well with the Urdu press.

8226; Pope Benedict8217;s remarks about Islam haven8217;t gone down very well with the Urdu press. Hindustan Express a Delhi daily in an editorial dated September 15 titled Pope ki Gustakhi the Pope8217;s audacity has said that 8220;history is witness to the fact that Islam has never spread through the sword8221;. But, it adds, 8220;the amount of human blood the Catholic Church has spilt trying to wipe out Islam and other religions has no parallel.8221; It counsels the Pope against driving the world 8220;down the road of the Clash and Conflict of Religions, which western thinkers have been dreaming of, under the cloak of the Clash of Civilizations theory.8221; On September 18, interestingly enough, the same paper quotes Ikhwan-ul-Muslemeen8217;s deputy Mohammed Habeeb as saying that 8220;the Pope8217;s apology is enough.8221; Akhbar e Mashriq published from Kolkata and Delhi on September 15 wonders 8220;what came over the respected Pope to dig out buried issues and create so much restlessness in the whole world. Islam is not going to be harmed by this8221;, as 8220;irresponsible statements are not going to hurt its honour.8221; It has described President Bush and the Pope as the proverbial Bade Miyan and Chhote Miyan. Mumbai daily Inquilab September 19 has regretted the fact that the Pope has not apologised, but simply expressed sadness over the episode. The paper writes, this will not help repair the damage done to inter-faith relations. Significantly, the National Herald group8217;s Qaumi Awaz has refrained from making any editorial comment, but has carried news reports prominently.

Indo- Pak Joint Statement

8226; Qaumi Awaz, in an editorial on September 18, welcomes the joint statement but advocates caution. It writes that 8220;on previous occasions, such efforts have been sabotaged by enemies of peace8221;. It says that 8220;if sabotaged again, no future effort is ever likely to work8221;. It goes on to say that the 8220;polluted atmosphere between India and Pakistan is being cleared following the meeting between Manmohan Singh and Musharraf.8221; Roznama Rashtriya Sahara of the same date welcomes the statement and, after airing some doubts and apprehensions, concludes that the way the Pakistani President has given the slogan of Mohabbat Zindabad , it hopes that both countries would 8220;march forward on the road of mohabbat love8221;. Hindustan Express has titled its Monday editorial Mohabbat Zindabad and said the meeting between the two leaders has come as a source of great solace to peace loving elements.

TADA Court judgements

8226; Rashtriya Sahara September 14 in its editorial has welcomed the 1993 blasts accused being brought to book, but has hoped that the same standards would be applied to those 8220;guilty of spreading the poison of communalism8230;and effective and quick action would be taken against them.8221; Hindustan Express September 13 in its editorial Terah Saal Baad 8212; 13 years later 8212; asks, 8220;why talk of the 1993 bomb blasts, and forget the Bombay riots of 1992-3?8221; It says those responsible for the riots must also be given the strictest possible punishment 8220;but the fate of the Srikrishna Commission Report is not hidden from anyone.8221;

Halal Chocolate

8226; The month of Ramzan gets underway on September 25, and Qaumi Awaz on its front page on September 7 reports that halal chocolates will be sold in London supermarkets during that time. The supermarket chain Tesco has entered into an agreement for such chocolates with a company in east London. These chocolates are meant to be devoid of animal fat and alcohol.

8212; Compiled by Seema Chishti