The Crescent and the Sword

Only days after Pope Benedict created a global fuss by quoting a medieval Byzantine emperor who wrote that Islam was evil because of its reliance on violence and forced conversion, Muslims worldwide are doing their level best to prove the Pope and the Emperor right. Muslims in the West Bank attacked and set fire to churches, an Italian nun was shot in Somalia, and an al-Qaeda-linked group issued a statement saying, "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose [the] head tax; then the only thing acceptable is a conversion [to Islam] or [being killed by] the sword." Hmmmm. Actions speak louder than words, fellas, and by your actions, you've just proven the Pope's point.

I'm not saying that Islam is evil; but I will say that any group that attempts to spread its ideology through violence is evil. And that includes the medieval Church and the Crusades, and modern extremist Islam.