According to international media reports, the Pope quoted criticism of the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus. Using the terms "jihad" and "holy war", the 79-year-old Pope said violence was "incompatible with the nature of God", Reters reported.
In the meantime the Vatican said on Saturday the Pope was sorry Muslims had been offended and "that his comments had been misconstrued," Reuters said,
Ceric was quoted by the Bosnian Islamic community's press agency BiH MINA as urging the Muslims to use the Pope's speech as an incentive to serious dialogue on the struggle against violence in the world instead of resorting to protests.
"Although the Pope's speech (in Regensburg) should be perceived in the entirety in the sense of his intention to separate the faith from violence, his selection of quotations does not contribute to that intention," the Bosnian Islamic dignitary said against the backdrop of controversies stirred up by the pontiff's speech in Germany last Tuesday.
The leader of the Islamic community in Croatia, Sevko Omerbasic, was quoted by the local media as saying that he believed that the Pope was misinterpreted and that the entire speech should be seen before any comment was given.