The Church of Greece has been forced to issue a clarification a day after comments on Islam by the outspoken Greek Orthodox archbishop of Athens and All Greece sparked a religious and political firestorm.

“Islam is not a religion; it is a political party,” His Beatitude, Ieronymos II stated in a Saturday interview with Open TV, describing the role of the Orthodox Church in Greece’s struggle for independence from the Ottoman Turkish Islamic empire during the 1821 revolution.

The archbishop described Islam and “its adherents” as following “a political pursuit” and referred to Muslims as “the people of war” and “the people of the conquest.” “This is characteristic of Islam, it is also said by the teaching of Muhammad,” Ieronymos II noted, explaining how many flags during the revolution featured Christian crosses because Orthodox clergy were heavily involved in the Greek war of independence.

Speaking to Church Militant, eminent Islamic historian Robert Spencer commended Abp. Ieronymos as “courageous to say this when other Christian leaders, notably Pope Francis, continue to propagate falsehoods and thereby spread complacency.” “Archbishop Ieronymos and I differ on whether Islam is a religion, but there is no doubt, from its scriptures, doctrines, and 1,400-year history, that it is a political system as well,” said Spencer, the author of the bestselling The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam.

Turkey’s foreign ministry “strongly condemned the absurd statements about our religion,” claiming that “our majestic religion, Islam, is a religion based on the logic of tolerance and compassion, which ensures the coexistence of different religions and cultures.”

The muftis of Thrace also issued a condemnation, stating: “The extremes of some who have committed reprehensible acts in the name of Islam have happened in other countries and we have been the first to condemn them precisely because they are against the Holy Qur’an and insult our faith.

Source: Church Militant