On the November 28 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy asserted that when “Islam turned violent” after Pope Benedict XVI's controversial comments about the religion, it “essentially proved the pope's point.” In a September 12 speech, Pope Benedict quoted “the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus,” as the pope described him, saying, “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.” As The New York Times reported, Pope Benedict said “he was 'very sorry' about the reaction to his remarks,” adding: “In no way did I wish to make my own, the words of the medieval emperor. ... I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason, go together.”

Doocy's assertion that “Islam turned violent” echoes comments made by Pat Robertson, host of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club. As Media Matters for America noted, on the September 25 edition of The 700 Club, following a report on a summit between Pope Benedict and Muslim envoys to address tensions over the pope's remarks, Robertson stated, “It's amazing how the Muslims deal with history and the truth with violence. They don't understand what reasoned dialogue is.”

From the November 28 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

DOOCY: This is the pope's first visit to a predominantly Muslim country. Now, keep in mind, it was just a couple of months ago that the pope had some comments about Islam and Islam and violence. Next thing you know, Islam turned violent and essentially proved the pope's point.