Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, the Pope -- Who's Next? and Benedict's Lecture

Here's an interesting article from the German Der Spiegel online. It recounts some of the history of Islamist threats towards those who offer any criticism of their policies of history.

An excerpt:

There are -- few -- critical voices that should be taken seriously when it comes to the pope's comments. Shouldn't Benedict XVI have known that the quote he included in his speech -- a passage he himself described as "brusque" -- might be misunderstood? Couldn't he have made his meaning a bit clearer? Even if he had, it should be welcomed by all, including leftist atheists and agnostics, that we now have a pope who can pose challenging academic questions. In any case, a close reading of his speech reveals not a single insult directed at a single Muslim.

Also, here's a link to Benedict's speech. There is nothing inflammatory in it.