Containing Islam
I have never been so upset with your paper as I am now, after reading Andrew Silow-Carroll’s column, “Pamela Geller: Our own Farrakhan?” (Oct. 14).
I am saddened by your deep non-understanding of the present danger for Western civilization. I upset that you are so easily willing to call names those who see the situation differently and are ready to compare our Jewish activists who disagree with you with Louis Farrakhan.
The mosque issue is a small but remarkable one. Seventy percent of the American population (not only the Jews) object to it. The leader of the project, Imam Rauf, said: “We are here to extend our hands to build peace and harmony.” If it were really so, why would he not consider the sensitivity of the vast majority of the Americans and, to avoid confrontation, change the location? But he would not yield because the Islamic world intends to celebrate building the mosque near Ground Zero as a victory by Islam in the religious war against the West.
The Islamic world has been menacing the West for several decades but with the special vigor during the last decade, including the attacks on Sept. 11, bombings in Madrid and London, and many other crimes. You — the liberals — are trying to distinguish between Islamic fundamentalism and Islam as the religion of peace. There is no such distinction and no such religion. You speak about moderate Muslims. Where are they? While our rabbis and priests call for tolerance and moderation; where are their “moderate” imams? There are none, at least not in their countries. Who has provided funding and the infrastructure for the destroyers in New York and all over the Western world?
A certain Pastor Jones of a tiny congregation of 50 souls in Florida threatened to burn the Koran on the anniversary of Sept. 11. It never happened, but angry Muslims around the world have already burned a score of the American flags. Where are their “moderate” imams to moderate them as you are trying to moderate us?
Islamic fundamentalism is as dangerous in the 21st century as communism and fascism were in the 20th century. The West spent almost a third of that century simply recognizing and admitting the danger, and this shortsightedness resulted in enormous loss of human life. Let us understand the danger better now and make containment of Islamic fundamentalism our top priority.
Eliezer Rabinovich
Berkeley Heights
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