Comments about ‘Letter: Stop the stereotypes surrounding Muslims’

I agree wholeheartedly with this letter. I have experienced the same. Several years ago there were terrorist attacks in the area where I was living. My Saudi friend pulled me aside and said, "My wife and I sat down with our children last night and said that what is being done by the terrorists is NOT what our religion is about." Others would come up to me and say, "You are under our protection. If anything were to happen to you then the shame would be on us."

I supported the mosque being built near the 911 site because it would have been a very good way for the US to tell the world: "Of course we support a mosque at this location because we know that the perpertrators of 911 did not represent Islam anymore than they represented Judaism or Hinduism or any other -ism."

Our biggest threat to national security resides here at home, among the many youth who are being recruited into violent, criminal gangs, giving a sense of false security and identity to those who couldn't find it with their parents.

While protecting ourselves from terrorists abroad, how do we encourage our youth to become stable, responsible parents? Let's learn from the family values still practiced by many of the cultures we have shown too little respect for--Muslim, Hispanic, Oriental, etc.

American exceptionalism dies without traditional family values.

Absolutely. Excellent letter. Thanks so much for enriching us with this wisdom.

@john cc
the future of America will be better when we take the time to teach our children honestly and drop the political rhetoric of "American exceptionalism" and "family values"

Agreed. Great letter.

Sadly,
I have a very good muslim friend right here in Salt Lake City.

He and his family has experienced the same sort of hatred and violence here amongst the "Saints" as Christians in the Middle East do.

Even more ironic that it was this same sort of religious bias and violence that led us here in the 1st place.

@Tekakaromatagi, Dammam, Saudi Arabia"

"I supported the mosque being built near the 911 site..."

Of course you do. Muslims like to build monuments on conquered cites... such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, where once was the site of the destroyed Jewish Temple of David.

"... because it would have been a very good way for the US to tell the world: 'Of course we support a mosque at this location because we know that the perpertrators of 911 did not represent Islam anymore than they represented Judaism or Hinduism or any other -ism.'"

If they didn't represent Islam why were they all devout Muslims acting in the name of the Islam god, Allah, and yelling 'Allahu akhar?'

You don't need to build a mosque to show the attackers didn't represent Islam... condemning the act would suffice. As a matter of fact, I see no such condemnation in your post. How would you like to do it now? Prepare another post condemning all terrorism... including the 9/11 attack, Nidal Hasan Fort Hood attack, and all other strap-on bombings around the world. Give it a go.

You have a greater chance at being terrorized by a white male Christian than from Islam.Right wing radicalism knows no religion.

@ugottabkidn:

"You have a greater chance at being terrorized by a white male Christian than from Islam."

I disagree. But, in any event these so-called 'white male Christians' rarely if ever do it in the name of their God/religion... nor are they taught to do so by a Christian religion. The KKK disappeared long ago.

"Right wing radicalism knows no religion."

Which confirms my point, above.

"You have a greater chance at being terrorized by a white male Christian than from Islam."

That is absoulutly true. I've seen the embedded videos, the soldiers pray in a big group prayer together and then they go bust doors down in Afganistan and bagdad. At the Beginning of the war they bombed entire cities after group prayers.

If that's not terrorism what is it? And the score is a hundred thousand to 1 more likely to be killed by a christian terrorist than a muslim.

The difference is perception. You percieve the american soldier as doing his job and he just happens to be christian.

Every time this comes up I ask the Tea-party crowd if they would stand by as a Muslim nation's army invaded the US to free us from Obama. They come, take our guns, ban guns, torture your family and neighbors, surround our natural resources, intall a government nobody has confidence in and they never leave.

I have yet to have anyone say they would stand by and do nothing in the same circumstances of the Iraqui's and Afgans.

Sorry, Tolstoy. My comment was intended to correct conservatives who think Americans are inherently superior to other people in the world.

My definition of American exceptionalism is that we have inherited a great set of ideals, and with them a sober responsibility to use the power and riches obtained by our predecessors to help other nations, including those from whom we may have extracted them unfairly during our heady years of industrial growth and expansion. We are not inherently any better than any other people.

If we wish to act better than others we should hold higher moral values. To me, moral family values include not just protecting the traditional family structure but also protecting minorities from discrimination. Those two values should not be on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Do we still disagree? Is my rhetoric still too divisive?

LDS Liberal "Sadly, I have a very good muslim friend right here in Salt Lake City." Really your sad to have a good muslim friend in Salt Lake City. Would you be happier if they lived in Denver, or if they were very bad. What part of the relationship is saddening to you.

jsf
Centerville, UT
LDS Liberal "Sadly, I have a very good muslim friend right here in Salt Lake City." Really your sad to have a good muslim friend in Salt Lake City. Would you be happier if they lived in Denver, or if they were very bad. What part of the relationship is saddening to you.

10:36 a.m. Sept. 10, 2012

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Sadly - you can't/didn't read the very next LINE when I said,
"He and his family has experienced the same sort of hatred and violence here amongst the "Saints" as Christians in the Middle East do."

Sadly you take things out of context.
Sadly, you have difficulty in reading comprehension.
Sadly, that you can't stand shoulder to shoulder and support equal Constitutional religous rights for your fellow man, American, Utahn.

Maybe your statement would have been better if you didn't attach Sadly, to the statement I have a very good muslim friend right here in Salt Lake City.
The correct statement should have been I have a very good muslim friend right here in Salt Lake City. Sadly, he and his family has experienced the same sort of hatred and violence here amongst the "Saints" as Christians in the Middle East do.

Sadly you take things out of context. No that is the context you wrote.
Sadly, you have difficulty in reading comprehension. Hardly.
Sadly, that you can't stand shoulder to shoulder and support equal Constitutional religous rights for your fellow man, American, Utahn. This is a bigotted comment on your part assuming you know what I think and feel. To the readers if I understood the context and meaning of his post hit liked.

jsf
Centerville, UT

Sadly, that you can't stand shoulder to shoulder and support equal Constitutional religous rights for your fellow man, American, Utahn. This is a bigotted comment on your part assuming you know what I think and feel. To the readers if I understood the context and meaning of his post hit liked.

11:37 a.m. Sept. 10, 2012

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Let me ask ---

Did you support the Islamic Cultural Center in New York?

Most right-wingers on the DN comment board did not.

That is not supporting religious freedom.
That is not supporting the Constitution of the United States.

Supporting Christians while shunning Muslims is BIGOTRY and un-Constitutional.

I would gladly die defending a Muslim Americans Freedom of Religion as I would anyone else's relgious claim.

The arguments now being made against Muslims are identical to the arguments made about the Japanese during Wold War II which were used to justify the internment (which was, when all is said and done, imprisonment of loyal citizens just because they were "different"). It wasn't right then. It isn't right now.

Let me ask ---

Did you support the Islamic Cultural Center in New York? Yes

So your comment condeming me, was based on being conservative only. Which then makes you bigotted in your assumptions about a class of people on generalities, which by your own arguments is unconstitutional. How about being tolerant of others political as well as relious beliefs.

I think that it's sad that an article on understanding has set off so many offensive comments. I don't think there's a person out there that doesn't condemn acts of terror. 9/11 was a tragic event and my heart goes out to all of those effected by it and all of those who are still effected by it. This goes for people on both sides of the world. The fact of the matter is that the only way to truly honor the tragedy that happened then is by peacefully seeking to build understanding between all people. We have no right to judge all Muslims based on 9/11 and the Muslim world has no right to judge Americans based off of the insensitivity and straight out racism of so many Westerners.