Mayor is right to defend Muslims

I do not often agree with Dixon Mayor James Burke, but I must commend him for his thoughtful letter on Aug. 27 concerning the Muslim community and the current debate about constructing a mosque in close proximity to ground zero in New York City.

Given the rather large number of Muslims in the Sauk Valley, I never cease to be amazed at the negative viewpoints expressed on the pages of this newspaper and especially in letters to The Reader’s Voice.

I was disappointed with the comments of Scott Hibbard of Sterling regarding his observations while with the military in Afghanistan. I somehow got the feeling that he only saw what he wanted to see.

I suggest he take the time to read “Three Cups of Tea” and “From Stones to Schools” by Greg Mortenson. I believe Mortenson’s “firsthand” experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan provide a much different point of view. Both books are available at the Sterling and Dixon public libraries.

I was equally disappointed with Tom Whitcombe’s comments. One sentence in his letter was especially troubling. In the sixth paragraph he writes, “Like it or not, the fanatics who brought down the twin towers that day [Sept. 11, 2001] did it in the name of Allah, and we have heard very little from the Muslim community condemning this horrible act.”

I truly feel compelled to ask, “Where have you been during the past 9 years?” Many responsible voices within the Muslim community have condemned this act of violence and have made it clear that the radical Jihadists, the Taliban, and others bent on terrorist activities in the name of their supreme being simply do not reflect the core teachings and values of Islam. Nor do the actions of fringe elements within the Jewish community accurately reflect the core teachings and values embraced by Judaism.

What are we to say about the fringe elements of the Christian community? Think Oklahoma City, Ruby Ridge, the compound near Waco, Texas, the polygamist communities in Utah and Arizona. Are their teachings, values and actions a faithful reflection of what the mainstream Christian community believes and practices? I think not. Woe to us if we were to be judged by their understandings of the faith and their attitudes about how the Christian faith is to be lived.