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Anglican chief backs Pope on Islam remarks

LONDON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The head of the Church of England Monday defended the pope over his comments on Islam and violence, saying they had been taken out of context by protesters.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, who also leads the worldwide Anglican Communion, suggested the Pope had quoted a Medieval description of Islam to demonstrate how religions painted distorted pictures of each other's history and beliefs.

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Pope Benedict sparked protests across the Muslim world when, during a lecture in Germany last week, he referred to a medieval text reporting debates between a Byzantine emperor and an educated Persian. He recalled that the emperor had told his opponent: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Sunday, the pope expressed regret that the quotation, which he insisted was not a reflection of his personal views, had caused offense to some Muslims.

Speaking on BBC Radio, Williams said the row demonstrated how religious teachings could be misrepresented to encourage conflict.

"There are elements in Islam that can be used to justify violence, just as there are in Christianity and Judaism," he said.

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"These religious faiths, because they are held by human beings who are very fallible, can be distorted in these ways and we all need to recognise that."

He continued: "The big question that comes out of this for me is how much are we prepared to listen to the other person telling their story and how much are both sides prepared to be self-critical in discussing aspects of their history that are not pretty and not edifying."

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