Taliban Wants Pope to Apologize

This is starting to become comical (h/t LGF):

Afghanistan’s Taliban on Saturday demanded Pope Benedict XVI to apologise for remarks linking Islam with violence, adding the comment showed the Christian West was waging war against Muslims.

“We strongly condemn it,” Mohammad Hanif, who regularly speaks to the media on behalf of the extremist insurgent group, said. “We also want the Pope to apologise before the Muslim Umma (nation),” he said.

The remarks were “obviously part of a crusader war that the West, chiefly America and (President) Bush, is waging against Islam and Muslims,” he said.

Just last week I watched a one hour History Channel show on the Taliban which covered their rise from obscurity as a relatively unknown ultra-conservative sect to taking over power in Afghanistan and creating a home for al-Qaida. What struck me the most about the Taliban is that one of their major beliefs is that people should live today exactly as Mohammad lived - without any moder conveniences or anything remotely smacking of technological progress.

Anything that violated their ulta-conservative version of Islam was treated with beatings and death. Executions were a regular part of their regime, as were religious police that had the authority to beat anyone at any time for the slighted violation. They also wouldn't tolerate any form of religion other than their own. You may remember when they blew up centuries old statues of Buddha that had priceless archeological value, but were considered blasphemous by the Taliban.

The quote that got the kerfuffle started was this:

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.

Tell me how that doesn't pretty accurately describe the Taliban, the same wacko group that's now demanding an apology?