Column raised serious concerns
Diana Cundy's letter (Oct. 8) took columnist Cal Thomas to task for equating Islam with terrorism. Central to the rebuttal was the notion that "each of the major monotheistic religions of the world has its share of extremists." To make her case, Cundy pointed out Timothy McVeigh, "a white ‘Christian'" and to notice the existence of "plenty" of allegedly Christian "violent, white supremacist hate sites."
McVeigh was an agnostic who boasted that "science is my religion." As such, he adds nothing to Christianity's supposed "share" of extremists. White supremacists have no right to the name "Christian." They violate both letter and spirit of the New Testament and dishonor Christ's character.
Devout Christians regularly encounter biblical incitements to pacifism in the face of persecution; devout Muslims regularly encounter Koranic incitements to violent jihad. A zealous Christian who bombs abortion clinics breaks faith with the New Testament and its self-sacrificing lord. A zealous Muslim who bombs marketplaces keeps faith with the Koran's central command and its warrior-prophet, Mohammed.
We won't secure for Islamic immigrants a place in our country's cherished tradition of religious pluralism by pretending jihadists are merely Islam's version of our misguided skinheads. What might help is a new period of ijtihad, (open inquiry) to reinterpret the Koran.
Violent Bible students gathered for a world convention could meet in a high school locker room. Violent Koran students mass in numbers that threaten national governments.
Thomas raises concerns too serious to sacrifice to misleading, naive notions of political correctness.
Leonard Hoy, Greenwood
Jamey says
The crusades???? Thats all the response that the libs have? Do none of you pay attention? Did none actually read the article? Do any of you actually research what the prophet muhammed preached? He is just like the "zealot" christians the left so desprately hangs on to. Conversion or death. thats the ultimate goal. Dont believe me?How about diving into the koran like I did to see for myself. While it greatly resembles christianity...(considering the founder was one of Abrahams sons...), where it goes arwy is the open preaching of the death of the infidel. Conversion or death.....simple enough for the so called educated one to understand? Nothing in the doctorine of christ preaches hate or murder. Pervert another qoute...please...Im waitng for the next taken out of context verse...really...im waiting. I can already here the accusations of "racist" or the multitude denail based name calling about my opinion. People, wake up. Bin laden and the like do not care if we stay in our own boarders. They do not care how many "lets hug" videos Obama sends them. They do not care and will not stop. The terrorists do not play by our rules...Water boarding is horrific? what about decapatation by small knife on video? Anyway, I do not hate the muslims but I am wary. A tree is only as good as the friut it bears...All I ever see the fruit of the muslim tree bud is violence, hate, racism, ethenic cleansing, torture, rape, destruction, chaos, oppression, submission,etc. So explain to me how I should be "politically correct". Explain to me how I deal with a religion that preaches my death or my conversion?