It does not take much to trigger frenzy these days.

Perhaps nobody knows this better now than Pope Benedict XVI who invoked some 14th century comments from Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus about Prophet Muhammad. The emperor wrote, “Show me just what Muhammad 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.”

The Pope used that quotation during a discussion in Germany about violence and religion.

Given these fragile times, the Pope was wrong to use that quotation in the context of Islam. He should have shown better sense than refer to that age old link between Islam and violence.

He has apologized for that and met with Muslims leaders to explain the Vatican’s view of the great religion of Islam. But the papal penitence does not seem enough for the mad mob, who betray the very teachings of Islam, by killing their own and other innocents.

Predictably, the Pope has now joined cartoonists, newspaper writers, authors, the United States, Canadian peacekeepers in Afghanistan and a long list of others, as targets of twisted terrorists using Islam as a shield.

The fanatics have shown again they will pounce on anything to further their perverted jihad.

A hardline cleric in Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement has now called for Muslims to “hunt down” and kill the Pope, while an armed Iraqi group has threatened suicide attacks on Rome and the Vatican.

In the Palestinian territories, seven churches were burned and an Italian nun in Somalia was murdered in apparent retaliation. And effigies of the Pope were burned in Iraq and Pakistan.

Even with the advent of the Holy month of Ramadan, an intense period of spiritual reflection for most Muslims, the depraved minority are twisting the Prophets words and continuing to agitate for violence.

“We will not accept the Pope’s apology because it is not enough. He must erase the quote that linked Islam with violence so that future generations will not use it,” said an imam at the Al-Azhar mosque.

Another described the Pope’s comments as further proof that the West is waging a “crusade” against Islam.

“The highest authority in the Catholic Church is supplying religious justification for Bush’s war…The other is the killer. The other is the aggressor. We [Muslims] must unite. We must do away with compromise and reconciliation with the other.”

The cacophony of silly retorts would be laughable if not for the violence that stems from such exhortations.

These so called soldiers of Allah who cloak their terrorism in the teachings of the Koran have conveniently chosen to ignore that a true Muslim is one who does not usurp another’s rights.

They refuse to accept that Islam is a great religion of peace, kindness and compassion.

Instead they incite followers to kill, maim and bomb. When someone references their perversions and dastardly deeds, they up their radicalism and protest loudly.

You know why?

Because they think their loud voices are enough to cover their guilt.