I was annoyed by the headline used in The Citizen on Nov. 23 that was titled, “Bad timing for Islam assembly?” While the article was factual and generally unbiased, the headline predisposes the reader to be critical of the faculty and administration at Whitewater Middle School and Fayette County Board of Education.

It is important to note that the precedent for presentations of multiple religions was set many years ago and has been in place since that time.

As your article noted, discussions of other religions, including Judaism and Christianity, will occur in the future. These are all part of the curriculum that has been approved and encouraged by the school board.

Why is the discussion pertaining to Islam, the second largest religion in the world, suddenly inappropriate, and what does that discussion have to do with Veteran’s Day?

The reference in your article to the Free Speech column, of course, made me read the submission by the angry parent who perhaps sparked your front-page article. The referenced submission suggests that all Muslims are extremists the caliber of those who launched the 9/11 attacks on our country and other attacks around the world.

That thinking is tantamount to the thinking of the extremists who believe that all non-Muslims in the world are infidels who should be killed in the name of Allah.

I maintain that the writer is violating the principles of patriotism and Christianity via his (or her) prejudicial views.

Those of us who are not so narrow-minded understand that neither position is “right,” and that we must learn to coexist in a world full of diversity.

George Chambers
Fayetteville, Ga.