Jordan Islamists say Pope's comments reveal bigotry

AMMAN, Sep 15 (Reuters) Jordan's mainstream Islamists warned today that Pope Benedict's comments on Islam would only widen a rift between Muslims and the West and revealed deep hatred towards the adherents of their faith.

Sheikh Hamza Mansour, who heads the Shura Council of the Islamic Action Front, the country's largest opposition party, said only a personal apology could rectify the ''deep insult made by the provocative comments'' to over 1 billion Muslims.

''The Pope is accusing Islamic theology of being disrespectful of mind and logic ... this is a distortion and shows ignorance, vengeance and vindictiveness against Islam,'' Mansour told Reuters.

In his speech at the University of Regensburg on Tuesday, Benedict quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman, ''such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached''.

Mansour denied Islam was a religion of bloodshed, saying Christians had a more violent history of internal wars than Muslims over the centuries.

''Europe has witnessed a lot of religious wars that Muslims never experienced ... this talk that Islam is a religion of violence is unjust and shows prejudice and bigotry,'' he added.

''The religious leadership in Rome will see in the coming days what repercussions these statements will have on tolerance and religious harmony,'' Mansour added.

''Sadly it will only deepen convictions by Muslims that the West begrudges Islam and Muslims and will widen existing hatreds,'' Mansour added.

REUTERS AB BST1513