Muslim Scholars Accept Pope's Apology

Pope Benedict XVI (left) meeting a Muslim delegation on September 25 (epa) October 14, 2006 -- Thirty-eight Muslim scholars and chief muftis from several countries say they have accepted Pope Benedict XVI's statements of regret over remarks on Islam that provoked a storm of protest from Muslims across the world.

The editor of a Muslim journal says the scholars have signed an open letter to this effect that will be delivered to a Vatican envoy.

The Jordanian-based editor of the "Islamica" magazine, Sohail Nakhuda, says Muslims hope to engage the pope in a dialogue to counter what they see as prejudice against Islam.

Nakhuda says the leading clerics behind the letter were Sheik Habib Ali of the Taba Institute in the United Arab Emirates, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a special adviser to Jordan's King Abdullah II.

The protests were prompted by a lecture given in September by the pope in which he quoted a medieval text that said the Muslim faith contained "things only evil and inhuman."

The pope has said he respects the Islamic religion and expressed regrets.

(AP, www.islamicamagazine.com)