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Letters to the Editor
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History Correction
I am writing with reference your page:
http://www.amperspective.com/html/1178-1799.html
In the paragraph on "1530", the names should be "Futa Jallon" and "Futa Toro" not "Fula Jallon" and "Fula Toro". The people who claim that area are called "Fula" or "Fulani" and that might be root cause of the confusion. The wrong spelling, if you search the web, is only found in Christian Missionary sites or "Islamic" sites; history books and Senegal's own websites call it "Futa Toro":
http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=524
The reason I am speaking with such assurance is that my parents used to teach history in Sokoto State, home of the "Fulani Caliphate" in Nigeria. I was born there and our school text books all had to mention the biography of Shaihu Usman Dan Fodio, the leader of that Jihad and his forebears came from that area (Futa Jallon).
Sabahat Iqbal Ashraf
ashrafs@alum.rpi.edu
www.ashrafs.org/iFaqeer
Dec. 16, 2005
Why Canadian Muslims support Liberals?
Hello my friend. I was just looking up some information for a column I am writing, and came across your site. I couldn't help but notice the bold proud banner claiming that the Muslim vote helped save Canada from a conservative government.
While you are indeed entitled to your thoughts, I am not here to deride them. I am however confused. As a Muslim, you are now placed into one of two camps whether you like it or not. You are either an extremist linked to terrorism, or you are a loving member of society who is falsely represented by a few fanatics.
I am going to take a guess that you are in the latter group, and are a peaceful Muslim individual.
This brings me to my point. For a long time, the liberal media has painted conservatives in Canada as religious Christian zealots who wish to impose their religious view on the rest of the country. This is as false as the assumption that now shadows you and your beliefs.
If you were to do some research, I think that what you would find is that the Liberal governments in this country have been using people of different cultures and faiths as pawns, and has to merely frighten them into voting Liberal.
I believe that the only hope for our country to rid itself of scandal, waste, and embarrassment is for our new citizens to be educated and informed as to the issues and what each political party truly stands for.
Christians for the most part want what most Muslims want. All conservatives, however, are not Christian, and all parties have Christian members. Freedom of religion, not the destruction of it. Peace, but the willingness to defend our country. Justice, not just a department with that name, but true justice. A system that would have had the Air India bombers, for example, locked away for ever. (Forgive my pandering.) As for immigration, conservatives are not against it, we just don't believe we should take anyone and everyone. This undoes a nations safety and social programs.
I get very frustrated when I hear so many groups speak up in support for a party that truly doesn't give a damn about them, and their policies and votes (the ones that count,) always illustrate this. The Liberal's have our minority groups in their pocket, and I don't get it. If you could enlighten me, please do.
I pray that you have a great day. God Bless.
P.S: Mr. Rahim Jaffer, is the first Muslim MP in Canada, a Conservative Party member by the way.
John Lawrence, editor
www.conservativejoe.com
itsgoodtobeback@rogers.com
July 18, 2005
Mohandas Gandhi’s 57th death anniversary
January 30th, 2005 marked the 57th death anniversary of a saintly figure whose name carries forth with it a symbol of humanity and compassion that has inspired millions throughout the world.
He was a frail, humble, short-stature man in a loincloth who probably would never be a model for any fashion magazine, but his accomplishments inspired many dedicated individuals throughout the world, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we commemorated recently.
The man was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known to his followers as the "Mahatma," or the "great soul." He was a successful corporate attorney who gave up his material comforts in the interests of humanity and spiritual sacrifice. How many attorneys can we think of today who would ever dream of doing something like that?
Gandhi devoted most of his adult life to seeking justice and liberation for his people, the masses of the Indian subcontinent, through nonviolent civil disobedience, which he referred to as ahimsa, the doctrine of refraining from harming any living being. Sadly, there are many religious bigots in the land of his birth who promote communal disharmony and wish to discredit him by portraying him as an appeaser to Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities of India.
Ironically, this remarkable human being's life was brought to an end by the bullets of a Hindu co-religionist. Sadly, history has numerous examples of advocates of peace being met with violent deaths. We need to look no further than the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ.
Let us take a moment to remember Mahatma Gandhi, a patron saint of nonviolence and peace.
When the world seems to be engulfed in endless conflicts promoted by people seeking self-aggrandizement and a false sense of patriotism, let us remember a man whose only possession at death was his loincoth and a pair of sandals, yet he showed us an alternative method of overcoming hostility and oppression without carrying a weapon of war.
His message resonates throughout the world and is needed for our time if we wish to see the dream of a better tomorrow without war and suffering for our progeny.
It was Gandhi who said that the human soul is the only thing the atomic bomb cannot destroy.
Let us remember his words and deeds and tell our leaders that peace will triumph over war.
Srinidhi Anantharamiah
srinidhia@hotmail.com
PO Box 120495
W. Melbourne, FL 32912
February 13, 2005
Now is the time to reach out
to coworkers, friends and neighbors
As the time passes the politics of creating hatred against Islam/Muslims through fear and association seems to grow.
I draw your attention to the editorial in the Trumpet current issue "The coming war between Catholicism and Islam." Unfortunately in parallel to it the efforts of Muslims to build bridges and reach out to host society is missing in quality, quantity as an organized effort.
Now is the time to reach out to Christians coworkers, friends and neighbors. Give a book written by an American that talks about common grounds between the two faiths instead of comparing with the result of putting one down.
Such a book is called "MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU THINK....a bridge between Christianity and Islam by Bill Baker. He has a website also and book can be viewed on web site www.campintl.org. CAMP stands for Christians and Muslims for peace. Unfortunately there has not been a sincere and organized effort to build bridges of tolerance. We should not forget that the best time to reason and logic is when the tempers are cool. We should not let our next generations blame us for this negligence.
Dr. M. J. Khan
Dec. 18, 2004
Read book review on Bill Baker’s book: More in Common than you think
In response to Mr. Mufti A. Hassan
I'm afraid you're making a huge mistake and throwing away a great opportunity. If intelligent, educated, peace-loving Muslims such as yourself do not vigorously quash the violent animals in your midst, it will be done for you and to your great disadvantage. Your counter-arguments regarding the West's alleged crimes against the people of the Middle East now fall on deaf ears as we are now concerning ourselves with the more pressing issue of our own safety and freedom. America lost almost 3000 of her citizens on a fall day a few years ago, and we show no sign of forgetting that anytime soon. By your mild response to terrorist murder done by your co-religionists, you appear to condone... it's that simple. Muslims seem to have few qualms about marching in the streets and squealing for the "blood of the infidels" and calling for the "glorious revenge of the martyrs"... so how about a little of that noisy support for our side? Unless, of course, you're actually our enemy, which case your civilization is headed into history's dustbin, and this conversation is so much hot air. Were your civilization to be utterly obliterated, you as a law-abiding individual would be welcomed into the community of the civilized, of course... but you would then be a Westerner. Reconsider and act now, Mr. Hassan, before it's too late.
George Knight
george_knight123@yahoo.com
Oct. 23, 2004
Why do we not see American Muslims speaking
out about against these terrorist acts?
Why do we not see American Muslims speaking out about against these terrorist acts? If you are so against it and so is your religion then why do I hear nothing but silence? If we are to believe Allah is a peaceful GOD and accepts everyone, why do his peaceful followers remain silent?
Why do we not see you in the streets or in Washington speaking out. Silence can seem as guilty as the acts these terrorists are committing. I want to understand. I respect everyone having their own beliefs and I have a problem with people who believe if you are not a follower you have to die. And I have a problem with people who sit by and do nothing. This silence is causing the distrust.
Colleen Perrella
jcolleen46@comcast.net
Oct. 2, 2004
Media is always ignoring condemnation of terrorism by Muslims
With reference to a letter from Mr. Collen Perrella on your website lately, I would like to suggest that he can see only what the corporate-controlled US media would like him to see.
The fact of the matter is that all Muslim Organizations in the United States and all the Muslim leaders in the world have overwhelmingly and strongly condemned the attacks on 9/11 and other acts of terrorism around the world. Shortly after September 11th, the media chose to ignore those statements and under-report the condemnations made by every major American Muslim leader in the United States. There was an underlying tone of "Muslims haven't done enough to condemn September 11th". There is no doubt that the gap between the reporting of condemnations of terrorism by American Muslim leaders and organizations and the reporting of those condemnations is large. Mr. Perrella’s letter seems to be part of that tone.
The U.S. media is more actively interested in covering the mess in Iraq while ignoring strong sentiments in the Muslims in US and around the world against religious extremism and terrorism as a whole.
Moreover, the U.S. media talks day and night about “Islamic Terrorism” but it never tells its people that how this monster was created in 1980s by the US-backed so-called Mujahedeen to fight against the “evil” of Soviet Union. And now this monster, disowned by the Muslim world, is causing equally severe damage to the Muslims around the world.
I believe that instead of blaming Muslims for not enough condemnation of terrorism, it is our responsibility both as Muslims and people of other faiths in the United States to distinguish between propaganda and reality, and critically evaluate those policies of our administration in Washington that have been causing severe damage to our national interests both inside and outside the United States.
Mufti A. Hassan
Virginia
Oct, 8, 2004
Four more years?
Wake up America! If you want four more years of George W. Bush (based on his previous four years),
here's what you can expect:
Four more years of uncontrolled spending and trillion-dollar-plus deficits.
Four more years of shifting the burden of taxation from multi-millionaires to lower income earners.
Four more years of skyrocketing college tuition.
Four more years of price-gouging by the pharmaceutical and health care industries.
Four more years of raids on the treasury by Halliburton.
Four more years of unprecedented tax cuts for multi-millionaires during time of war.
Four more years of corporate tax loopholes, fraud and unbridled tax evasion.
Four more years of increases in local taxes to make up for federal tax cuts and loss of federal services.
Four more years of ignoring alternative sources of energy that would mitigate our dependence on oil.
Four more years of uncontrolled 'pork-barrel' domestic spending, spending which formerly was deemed by Republicans
as the exclusive domain of Democrats. With a Republican President and a Republican majority in Congress,
how can this be?
Four more years of the Administration's 'blessing' on the exportation of hundreds of thousands of American
jobs abroad.
Four more years of no taxes for those companies exporting jobs to other countries.
Four more years of failure to adequately secure our ports and borders against terrorists.
Four more years of a stagnant stock market.
Four more years of alienating most of our traditional allies, because of GWB's 'go it alone' bravado.
Four more years of GWB's failure to "Leave no Child Behind".
Four more years for GWB to gain his objective of destroying Social Security and Medicare.
Four more years of perpetual wars.
Four more years of calling up the depleted National Guard to supplement our depleted regular armed forces. And,
four more years of a deeply divided America.
Paul G. Jaehnert
808 Bur Oak Ct.
Vadnais Hts, MN 55127
phone: (651) 407-0754
Pjaehnert@msn.com
Oct. 20, 2004
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