Pope's comments on Islam unintentional, says scholar

Dubai: The recent comments by the pope about Muslims stems from a lack of proper knowledge about Islam, but they 'were an unintentional', said a Muslim scholar.

Dialogue and understanding are the best ways to eliminate 'ignorance and unawareness about Islam', said the prominent Syrian scholar Dr Mohammad Al Bouti during the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) on Monday.

There was no "bad intent by the pope and such ignorance and unawareness about Islam could be rectified through open, liberal and healthy dialogue", said Dr Al Bouti who announced that he had called the concerned Vatican authorities to meet the pope.

"I am still waiting for their reply to meet the pope, concerning that issue which must not be developed into a crisis," he explained.

The scholar was addressing a gathering and gave a speech titled Man Between Responsibility of Duty and Freedom of Belief, as part of DIHQA's events at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"Nowadays, there are too many people who are trying to muddle Islam and bring it into chaos. No matter how hard those people try to do so, they will never succeed in messing up our religion [Islam] and its purity," said Dr Al Bouti.

"The word freedom has never flourished in any period like it has now especially on the level of beliefs and behaviour," said Dr Al Bouti, who is a professor in Damascus University.

He said there was no contradiction between freedom and a commandment, 'but on the contrary they harmonise together'. "God has honoured and granted us the freedom to make our own decisions. We can choose to do or not to do," he said.

A person who does something unwillingly, like work, pray or pay zakat, "this does not mean that he is obedient rather it means he does not have the will to choose his actions," he added.