Europe News
Muslim stripped of German award after criticizing crucifix
May 15, 2009, 17:32 GMT
Frankfurt - Controversy erupted in Germany Friday after a Muslim author was deleted from the winners' list of an annual culture award after he wrote that a crucifix was an idolatrous image.
The state of Hesse had planned to hand its 45,000-euro (61,000-dollar) prize this July jointly to a Jew, a Muslim, a Catholic and a Lutheran to honour the cultural achievements of the monotheistic religions.
But Catholic Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz and Peter Steinacker, former head of the Lutheran church of Hesse and Nassau, objected to sharing the state culture prize with Navid Kermani, an Iranian-born author.
Kermani had begun an article about a crucifix, a standard Christian image that depicts Jesus Christ in an agonizing death nailed to a wooden cross, with, 'I'd express my personal rejection of the theology of the cross frankly with 'blasphemy and idolatry'.'
The prize board then wrote to Kermani withdrawing its offer of the prize to him. The fourth recipient is a Jewish leader, Salomon Korn.
The speaker of Germany's parliament, Norbert Lammert, slammed the board's turnabout, saying 'If this is true, they should abolish the prize altogether. ... Culture is nice, tolerance too, but one can't have both without making a big effort.'
The Central Council of Muslims, one of four national Islamic groups in Germany, described the church reaction as 'childish.'
Aiman A Mazyek, secretary of the council, to the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel, said, 'How would they have felt if a Muslim had refused to meet a churchman because he did not revere the Prophet Mohammed?'
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Older Talkback
page: 1
I would only back this guy Navid if he said the same thing about the shiite mosoleums and shrines. Does anyone know if he does? The cross has become a fashion symbol and totally irrelevant to what it is meant to be.
sometimes people focus so much on the representation and symbol of the sacred that the represented is forgotten. One could argue that's happening to the cross and jesus.
-one of your agnostic readers
If you live, as an iranian national, in a country such as Germany, whose culture is founded on christianity, whose history is a christian history for over 1000 years, a country and a people that gave you shelter when you had to leave your own country because of islamofascist fanatics such as Khomeini& co, you refrain from offending german christians with stupid and superfluous anti-christian statements!
Muslims who are offended 5 times a day for 5 times nothing at all, should have enough sensitivity to know that.......
As a non-Catholic Christian, I also regard the crucifix image as bordering on idolatory. The cross, as an image, unadorned, reminds us that Christ died and rose again - the crucifix keeps Him forever bound and suffering. Fundamentalist Catholicism has MANY aspects that Protestants reject (hence being Protestants instead of Catholics) - among them the disturbing reverence/worship of statues, icons, 'relics'. I think we should all just take a deep breath. There are aspects of Islam and many other organised religions that I find highly offensive, but as a Christian I will say that I don't think this man's comment about the crucifix warranted him being stripped of a prize celebrating the togetherness of religions. VERY ironic.
@non-catholic christian: with islam there can be no 'togetherness of religions'. You can see that clearly in the arab-muslim world of today: Even the coptic Egyptians are subjected to many ways of discrimination, harassment and even murder! Turkey, which US-President Obama labelled 'proof that islam and democracy can work together', is actively distroying everything that reminds the christian past of that country.Christians are perscuted by muslims in Indonesia, Iraq, Algeria and many other muslim countries.The Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia even doesn't allow crucifixes and Bibles or christian masses, in the country.Many muslim clerics preach hatred towards jews and christians, even in our own countries!
With islam there can be no togetherness of religions. Islam is destroying everything which it defines 'unislamic'.....rom
Yes, Sara, Kermanis did say what you wished him he had said: 'The desire, which catholic representations have since the Renaissance at Jesu suffering, annoys me because I know it from the Schia…'
As far as I am concerned, a former Austrian and now a Canadian, I am completely in agreement with 'Amir'.
@ Amir Nasiri
Look in 'Die Presse.at', an Austrian Newspaper, under 'Gotteslästerung, Pornografie und interreligiöser Dialog' and my Nick 'Eberndorfer' in the 'Komment' section below the article. You will see there only hate, hate - and, of course, they don't let me answer the accusations I get for translating and publishing your comments here.;-)
page: 1
Amir NasiriMay 17th, 2009 - 16:47:13
Navid Kermani
Stripped of German award after criticizing crucifix
When Salman Rushdie depicted Prophet Muhammad as pedophile and child molester he was regarded as an outspoken critic of Islam and was awarded by the British and European.
When magazines in Denmark and Netherlands made fun of prophet Mohammad and Islam and the Muslim world showed its rage, the so called European nations and the civilized world defended those publications and regarded them as the core value of their beliefs.
When the dutch filmmaker referred to Muslims as Hannibal and portrayed them and their lifestyle as uncivilized again North Americans and European countries defended that.
Now when the table is turnaround look what happens? That is funny isn't.
Hypocrisy and lie and deception is the core value of the N. American and and European nations.
You European are a bunch of hypocrites.
Since almost 1000 years you have been committing crimes against humanity in the name of Jesus and the church, from Africa, Asia to Latin America. And the reminiscent of your crimes are still exposed in the civil wars in Africa and other wars around the world. You did all these crimes in the name of Jesus and now you are pissed because someone is questioning it.
So where was the church when Christians were humiliating and questioning Islam and Muslims.
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