Pope Benedict XVI would be naive not to have expected that his comments last week about Islam and violent proselytisation would have offended Muslims, no matter how clearly or how much he may have stressed that the words were not his but those of the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus.

Indeed, in his philosophical discourse on religion and the nature of God, the Pope did not make clear whether he accepted the emperor's statement: "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."

But the Pope, like Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and other thinkers, held that in Christian theology God is not absolutely transcendent; His will is not His will beyond all reason, rationality or ethical consideration.

The Pope's clear conclusion is, therefore, that rationality and reason are in the essential nature of God, even beyond the cultural context of Christianity's evolution.

The implied question is whether this is also the nature of God in Islam and whether there is the possibility for the finding of common ground between the two great religions?

Or, looked at another way, in the context of the rise of radical Islam and the anti-Western terrorist movements it has spawned, are we on course for an inevitable clash of civilisations?

Pope Benedict's statements, or more precisely, the reaction to them, highlighted one thing, a deepening intolerance of the Muslim world to views or positions that challenge its philosophies and certitudes.

As a Christian and head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict's broad theological position is given. As a Westerner, the social environment that shaped his thought is clear.

But even if he might have dealt more-deftly with what he should have been aware was a potentially explosive argument, the Pope in his lecture did make the point: "The intention here is not one of retrenchment or negative criticism, but of broadening our concept of reason and its application ... Only thus do we become capable of that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today.

Unfortunately, the response has been arrogant and transcendent. There have been demands for an apology; demonstrations have been held; parliaments have passed resolutions condemning the Pope; and Christian churches have been burnt. A planned visit by Benedict to Turkey in November may be in jeopardy. Happily, no one has as yet issued a fatwah against the Pope but that is not outside the realm of possibility.

The response to the Pope suggests again to us the need for the Islamic world to seriously consider its place in a modern, global environment. Tolerance and free speech are critical to democratic governance and provide a good index to social development.

But that tolerance cannot be only for those who fall within the culture. The rights that Muslims use to criticise Western liberalism and perceived decadence can't be denied to those who would critique Islam. Free speech is not a one-way street. Neither should tolerance.