October 25, 2004
Monday

Lily Katz and Lilian Filanis, frequent contributors to this site, have voiced in no uncertain terms that they believe all Muslims are terrorists. When confronted with the fact that they are wrong, they point to the foul deeds of the few Muslims who ARE terrorists, hoping to bolster the credibility of their bigotry and spread it to others.

I believe clarification is in order. As a devout Muslim, I condemn, without reservation or exception, all acts of terrorism, including those committed in the name of Islam. I firmly believe that if anyone -- Muslim or otherwise -- feels that they have been wronged to the point that they perceive the need to fight, the fight should not be against innocent civilians. Ever.

That said, I will now point out that the VAST majority of Muslims feel the same way. The only reason people in the U.S. might think that's not true is because that doesn't make the news. But what DOES make the news? Beheadings. Massacres of little kids. Suicide bombings.

Ms. Katz and Ms. Filanis, I have a question for you. How many people do you think it takes to plan and execute these hideous assaults on humanity? A few dozen? A couple hundred? A couple thousand, perhaps? Now consider that there are more than one BILLION Muslims in the world. Why are you so ready to paint one-sixth of humanity with a brush colored by the ghastly acts of a tiny fraction of their number? Should I base my opinions of all Christians on news reports about a white separatist church? Should I base my opinion of Jews on the actions of the Jewish Defense League, which has committed bombing attacks on U.S. soil? Of course not. That would be absurd, as is your condemnation of Muslims all over the world based on the sick, headline-grabbing antics of murderers and thieves who call themselves Muslims.

Jamal Kheiry
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

 

Write a Letter -------Read Letters

E-mail the Editor

Sitnews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska