Wednesday, January 9, 2002
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Wednesday, January 9, 2002 |
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Terrorists represent only tiny fraction of Muslims
It is with both alarm and utter disbelief that I write this response to the letter concerning the recent establishment of a mosque in Fayetteville. Upon reading the opening remarks, my first thought was, "Oh no! This can't be!" Is it possible that a grown man could be this close-minded? Apparently so. Because of that skewed view of Islam, I, a Catholic, "am appalled." Who is Mr. Bryant to assume what the true intentions of our forefathers were? America is today and has always been a haven for religions of every kind. The phrase, "In God we trust," does not limit itself to Christianity; Muslims worship the same god as Christians do. Moreover, where did you acquire your spurious information concerning the Muslim faith? If there is any religion worthy of note that impels people to convert, it is Christianity. Please take the following into consideration. There are religions out there that do not recognize Jesus Christ as their savior. Accept it. You need not agree with this, yet show some tolerance. Within the context of the letter, [the writer has] failed to note the single most important aspect of organized religion. Faith is the single common bond that all religions share. The reason, however, that we fail to acknowledge the significance and importance of faith is because we remain too self-righteous to see beyond our own beliefs. Too many people today show no tolerance towards the views of other cultures and by doing so, shroud themselves in ignorance. These terrorists you speak of, the ones who "spread their message of hate" from within mosques, represent only a minute percentage of the Muslim population. In short, they are what we like to call "radicals"! [Bryant's letter makes it sound] as if every Muslim is an indecent human being, full of malice and pent on destruction. These radicals, however, appear not only in the Arab world. They live here, too, in America, some of whom hide behind a facade of Christianity. Our nation is under attack; this is true. It is under attack, not only by terrorists, but also by close-minded individuals, who place their views above all others as an absolute truth, and who exhibit no regard, no respect for the beliefs of other cultures. More importantly, however, they present Christianity as the only "right" religion and all others, a falsehood. To Mr. Bryant, I offer only one suggestion: pick up a Quran. Perhaps he will learn something. Alex Crawford AlexFish18@cs.com
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