Thursday, 25 August 2011

Why is there "Islamophobia", but no "Cathophobia"?

Letter to South China Morning Post
Michael Jenkins criticises the Pope and Catholic Church ("Church that cares a lot about money", Letters, August 24). They are "corrupt, immoral, unethical". And of course, there's "the history of the Inquisition".
Spaniards have demonstrated against the recent visit of the Pope to their country.
So what's going on here? An outbreak of "Cathophobia"? Or is it "Popeophobia"?
Of course not. The Pope and the Church are expected to take criticism on their collective chin.  Why is it that only with Islam does justified criticism get dismissed as "Islamophobia", or "far-right xenophobia"?
Clearly there is some hypocrisy here.

Peter F
Hong Kong