I read Neil Steinberg’s Oct. 3 column, “Suddenly they trust Obama to kill people.” I appreciate that he pointed out that the murder of Anwar al-Awlaki’s violates the Constitution.

The Sept. 21 opinion piece in the Daily Herald, “Israel’s future under siege from U.N.,” by Cal Thomas was inflammatory and illogical.

Terms like “radical Islam” reflect negatively on a peaceful religion. The terrorists who recognize themselves as Muslims are not true followers of the religion as Islam condemns the killing of innocents. Therefore, the term “Islam” should be avoided in the discourse of terrorism and 9/11.

Faux liberal and pro-occupation advocate, New Republic editor Martin Peretz is back at it again. Last fall, he caused a firestorm with his racist comments that “Muslim life is cheap”. On Monday, he dished out some raw Islamophobia-denial in a gullible column entitled “The Invention of Islamophobia.”

CNN’s recent decision to fire their Senior Middle Eastern Affairs Editor Octavia Nasr showcases the mainstream, corporate media’s bias against the Arab world.

Amina Sharif writes, “The conflict in Israel and Palestine is political, not religious. It is not between Jews and Muslims; it is between the government of Israel and the people of Palestine (who are Muslim and Christian).

“In reality, many Jews — even in Israel — sympathize with the Palestinians and criticize their own government’s policies toward Gaza and the West Bank.”

In his op-ed Nasatir highlights the amazing efforts by Jews in America and Israel in the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and for this, I truly commend them. But what about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine? Israeli checkpoints violate Palestinians’ basic human rights by denying medical vehicles and services. This contrasts sharply with Israel generously building a hospital in Haiti.

Thank you, Neil, for you intelligent, informed article “Fear and loathing in the cat food aisle” (Dec. 13). I am appalled by the attitude of the letter writer who said she wanted to physically assault three Muslim women praying in a Costco, and your response that “hating other people is like taking poison and expecting someone else to die” is right on target.

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in complete agreement with Neil Steinberg’s column, “Before you generalize about the major.”

Thank Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg and the paper’s editors for Neil’s brave and heartfelt article, “Before you generalize about the major”, which criticizes those who are implicating Muslims in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings. Read the article and find their email addresses here.

“Hate crimes are designed to hurt an entire group of people and therefore should receive extra attention,” said CAIR-Chicago Communications Intern, Nicholas Short.

Thank you for printing your Sept. 10 article “Survey: Muslims face a lot of bias,” featuring a Pew Research Center study on growing tolerance by Americans toward Muslims. This piece brings awareness to the fact that Muslims all over America have often been victims of discrimination.

I was disappointed that the letters you chose to run in response to your Aug. 22 editorial “The burquini ban” expressed an extremely inaccurate portrayal of Islam. Sharia actually condemns forced marriages and so-called “honor killings.”

I was surprised that your article on Jose Flores, who described himself as a Christian priest after hijacking a jetliner, does not call Flores a terrorist (“Police nab jet hijacker in Mexico,” Sept. 10, 2009).

I enjoyed reading “Faithfully delicious,” about Yvonne Maffei, a Muslim of Puerto Rican and Sicilian heritage who blogs about halal cooking. The article on Maffei and her husband, who is of Mexican and Italian heritage, reflects the ethnic diversity among American Muslims.

Regarding reader Keyvan Rafii’s inflammatory comments about what he called the “violent backwardness” and “dysfunction” of the Middle East, I would like to point out that dysfunction is not native to the Middle East. In many cases, dysfunctional leadership was directly transplanted in the Middle East by the West and continues to be enabled by the United States.

I was pleasantly surprised to note the level of perception and nuance in Mike Thomas’s column about Fathima Rifqa Bary (“Anti-Muslim bias obvious in girl’s case,” Orlando Sentinel, Sunday).

Thank you for printing “Ramadan Reflections,” which features firsthand accounts by Muslim college students celebrating Ramadan in the United States.

Thank you for the August 19 article, “Soldier’s death ‘killed all of us.’” The story of the tragic death of Illinois Guardsman Simone Robinson gives readers a more detailed look into how our wars overseas inflict so much pain on not only the people in Iraq and Afghanistan, but right here at home.

I was pleasantly surprised to read the Daily Herald article by Ruben Navarrette, “Latinos know profiling all too well”. (08/11/2009) I can’t remember the last time I read a Latino point-of-view on discrimination.

I was surprised that the Daily Herald printed the blatantly racist article by Susan Estrich, “The reality of racism.”

I would like to thank you and Amy Taxin of the Associated Press for exposing the unfair and unconstitutional conditions that immigrant prisoners are forced to endure in American prisons. The article, “Report: ICE violates rights” (from the July 29 issue), provides your readers with a much needed opportunity to learn about how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are stripping away the rights and privileges of immigrant inmates.

I want to thank the Chicago Tribune for their July 8 article which discussed the tragic case of Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves, who spent 20 years in prison for five murders they did not commit after Chicago Police literally beat a false confession out of them.

The Tribune’s July 21st photo-essay on Afghanistan is a commendable piece that breathes humanity into the life of Afghans. Unfortunately, for many Americans Afghanistan remains merely a distant land inhabited by a people veiled behind burqahs and turbans.

A wave of hope flowed through me after I read, “Democrats may probe secret CIA program” in your July 13 issue. I am glad that some of the Democratic lawmakers are planning to dig deeper into the CIA’s practices and the Bush Administration’s counter-terrorism methods.

Steve Huntley’s July 14th article entitled “Obama handed Abbas excuse to foil progress” is biased and promotes misconceptions of Obama’s foreign policy and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I am disappointed in the Star Press for publishing a biased and uninformed opinion piece in its Sunday, June 21 paper. The article “A Peaceful Religion?” manages to malign the faith of over a billion people around the world today by claiming that Islam “is intrinsically not a peaceful or tolerant religion.”

I was disappointed that a cartoon in the Tribune exacerbated some of the worst stereotypes of Muslims there are (6/10/09). In failing to clarify any context to the caricatures displayed, the cartoon risks implying that this is a parody of Muslims at large. Contrary to that implication, most Muslim marriages are monogamous and entered into with a commitment to kindness, compassion, and love.

Thank you for bringing the catastrophic number of Iraqi casualties to America’s attention.Your article, “Secret tally: At least 87,215 Iraqis dead since 2005,” served as a much needed reminder for Americans that U.S. soldiers are not the only ones who are losing their lives in great numbers because of the Iraq War.

I would like to thank you and Christopher Hitchens for the editorial “Brits give Obama blueprint on torture.”

Thank you for allowing Interfaith Worker Justice to speak out against immigration raids. The December 13 editorial, “U.S. must stop workplace raids, enact immigration reform,” was right to point out how inhumane, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous it is for the government to initiate these raids.

Thank you for portraying the actions of an individual that will have a lasting effect on an entire community. (Orland Park Teacher Honored for Work with Muslim Students 11/17).

Dear Mr. Nelson,

In your recent OpEd you state:

“It must be recognized, sympathetically, that Muslims face a tough task to decisively distance themselves from cynical killers, like evangelical and fundamental Christians have had to do with, say, David Koresh’s troublesome Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, or Fred Phelps’ questionable, vengeance-stained, judgmental theology.”

Contrary to Nickels’ claim, I have no qualms with freedom of speech. In fact, I am obligated to exercise my First Amendment right to refute your letter. The overriding concern remains that when misguided words are used to defame all of Islam, it creates an intensifying cycle of bigotry and that needs to be countered.

Larry Nickels letter, “MDH Should Research Islam” (Morris Daily Herald, Sept. 17) is an example of how ignorance incites hate.

The Associated Press article “Soap opera shakes customs of Arab married life” (July 28) was a nice change from the usual stories that only show Muslims in the context of political oppression and warfare. Unfortunately, the article is still guilty of conveying gross generalizations of Arab and Muslim people

I wish to inform you that I go to a madrassa. There I said it. No really, I go to a madrassa. Before you call the FBI, though, consider that just as “escuela” means “school” in Spanish, “madrassa” means “school” in Arabic.

Dalia Mogahed and John Esposito recently asked one of the most pertinent questions of our time: Who speaks for a billion Muslims?

I won’t tell you the answer because I recommend that you read their book. But I will give this away: the answer is not Edward Luttwak.

Too often, the news is filled with impersonal or sensational stories. So, I was pleased to read the article ‘An Ancient Art.’

It was great to read how Brittany Whitfield’s perspective on Arabs changed for the betteras a result of studying the Arabic language. (More CPS students can learn Arabic, May 2, 2008).

I was surprised to read in the column by Ray Hanania, “Don’t let violence sabotage efforts toward peace,” that Christians, Muslims and Jews have “never lived together in peace.”

Leonard Pitts’ editorial “Even if Obama were a Muslim, so what?” (Jan. 29) addresses an issue that the Muslim community faces on a daily basis: the presupposition that there is something wrong with being a follower of Islam.

Tuesday’s front page article on “hate Web sites” does a poor job of differentiating between Chicago’s own respected community institution, Radio Islam on WCEV 1450 AM, and the foul fringe website masquerading by the same web name and featured in the article.

Goering’s piece on the new Australian Burqini’ was an eye-opener even for an already modesty-minded Muslim woman such as myself (*a burqa is a loose outer robe that some Muslim women wear to cover their bodies or heads). A spinoff of the word burqa and bikini, it’s swimwear that allows the entire body to remain clothed.

As a generally amiable Muslim American, I was surprised to see in Wednesday, June 20, 2007’s paper that I, as a part of the ‘Muslim world’ am supposedly furious. The headline reads: ‘Rushdie, Britain stir Muslim world’s fury’ (Tom Hundley).

In these times of turmoil it is all too common to hear voices of fear and hatred shouting the loudest. That is why it made me so happy to read Margaret Ramirez’s excellent article, “Islam’s diverse faces take center stage” (6/22/07).

Kathleen Parker’s Article, “When Topic is Terror, Surveys Are Misleading” is in fact itself a very misleading interpretation of the recent Pew Research Center survey that found American Muslims to be largely moderate and mainstream.

Here is an interesting point to ponder: what if Don Imus had referred to a mostly-white woman’s basketball team as “dumb blonde ho’s,” would it have been any less racist or sexist than the “nappy-headed ho’s” comment he used against a mostly black team?

Reading the work of Kathleen Parker one might get the impression through her conspicuous intellect and confident voice that she speaks with academic authority on the issues for which she writes.

In her April 4 column, “Ignore them, and be spared the drama,” (Commentary) Kathleen Parker makes it clear that what bothers her most about the backlash to the chocolate Jesus exhibit is that it makes people in this country look a little too much like the Big Bad Muslims.

Apparently, Parker believes that people do not have the right to be offended by offensive material. Although I am no advocate of Donohue or the Catholic League, I do firmly believe that all sane and civilized people – be they Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist, or otherwise – should be respectful of the beliefs and values cherished by others.

Richard Haling’s opinion “Fight Them in Iraq, Not Here.” (Dec.29) is an embarrassment to American pluralism. Haling’s article shows a disturbing confusion regarding the difference between Muslims and terrorists.

I am disappointed that the Chicago-Tribune chose to print Victor Hanson’s “Why the Rise of Radical Islam?” Hanson’s commentary is characterized by selective slicing of history and simplistic suggestions for solutions to the problem of a global rise in extremism.

It is hard to understand why there is a growing editorial tendency toward willful ignorance and Islamophobic extremism. It is growing at the expense of intellectual honesty and moral reason.

The title of Biswajeet Banerjee’s article, “Muslim clerics fighting new wave of ‘infidel’ polio,” initially leads readers to believe that he will delve into a discussion of the efforts to stop the serious outbreak in the Middle East of the viral disease known as polio.

The scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach us that the virtue of repentance-wholly different from self-loathing-is absolutely central to the moral life.

Dennis Byrne’s assessment of the National Intelligence Estimate in his article, “Terror-report fight misses the big picture” (October 2, 2006), seeks to distort reality in an effort to maintain a failed policy.

Carol Turoff’s tirade in the Conservative Voice, “Reflections on Ramadan: The Pope Must Die” (September 28th, 2006), is so severely devoid of intellectual integrity that it does not merit a formal response.
However, the piece is worth analyzing as a case study of the machinations typically employed in America’s thriving Islamophobic industry.

Ok, so I have witnessed the impudent display of reductionism otherwise known as a Jack Higgins cartoon, last Wednesday. I have seen his characterization of the Prophet Muhammad as a sword-wielding, raging lunatic with a mountain of skulls at his trail. I have noted his insinuation that Islam itself inspires the violence we see on our TV screens – as opposed to, say, ignorance, poverty, repression, or radicalization.

While renowned bridge-builder, Dr. Maher Hathout, has been a leading advocate for tolerance and pluralism both in the United States and the Muslim-majority world, Steven Emerson has made a name for himself in the ignoble but profitable trade of rabble-rousing and hatemongering against anybody who is a somebody in Muslim leadership.

In a recent column, “Leaning over Backwards Indicates Head Not Screwed on Straight,” Mona Charen commits the ultimate journalistic sin: rushing to issue passionate verdicts on a subject matter she fails to afford due research.

While proponents of racial profiling such as Jonah Goldberg argue that racial profiling “makes sense” and therefore should be allowed into the policies of law enforcement officials, in actuality, racial profiling is inefficient in terms of security, and illegal in terms of law.

I found Steve Huntley’s glorification of Israel’s “restraint” in its war against Lebanon to be both ludicrous and offensive. In his Aug 17th editorial, “[t]he civil war you should worry about,” Huntley contends that Israel should be commended for its practice of restraint, because had it not done so, the streets in Lebanon “would have flowed with blood.” Huntley’s standard for restraint is about as low as Genghis Khan’s.

I am writing to express my consternation over the arguments raised by Mr. Charles Krauthammer in his July 31, 2006 article titled “Judgment on Israel-Hezbollah”.

I disagree with Rex W. Huppke’s characterization of terrorism as a new and increasing threat in his piece “Fear of terrorism as a fact of life” (Perspective, June 25). The attacks of September 11, 2001 did not represent a fundamental change in the dangers Americans face; rather it reminded them of a threat that has always been present. This threat of terrorism is, and always has been minute.

A recent article, “Mixing politics, education in Bosnia,” (World, June 25) in the Chicago Tribune bothered me quite a bit. While the article referred to Croat people as “Croats” and Serbian people as “Serbs,” it never seemed to fail in it’s reductionism of Bosnians as simply “Muslims.”

Friday’s front page article “FBI: Sears Tower Targeted” (June 23) displays several examples of negative stereotypes against Muslims and alarmist reporting.

I response to the article, “FBI: Sears Tower Targeted” (June 23), I would like to commend the FBI for taking the steps necessary to secure our nation, resulting in the apprehension of seven members of the “Sea of David” cult. It is worth noting, however, that the actions and beliefs of these cult members stray greatly from that of the Islam practiced by the Muslim citizens of this country.

“A crucible for secularism,” by Tom Hundley was an incendiary piece of journalism that offends the ideals of a pluralistic society, and characterizing religious people – both Muslim and Christian – in a negative light (Page 1, June 19). The tone of the article uses the classic “us versus them” schoolyard tactic to pit Islam and Christianity as competing for the supremacy of Europe and then dismisses both as thorns in the side of secularism.

Reading uplifting stories in the Chicago Tribune is nothing new to me. Neither is reading uplifting stories about Muslims. However, reading uplifting stories about Muslims in the Tribune, astounding! In this light, I wish to applaud Tribune Staff Reporter Jason George for his enlightened article about the creation of the Prayer Center of Orland park (Local News, June 22).

Anyone who follows the news even in passing can’t help but notice that many new mosques across the nation face blind challenges similar to the ones the Orland Park Center has faced. My thanks to Jason George for his article, “New mosque a ‘labor of love,’” (Local News, June 22) which contributes to a balanced perspective of Islamic relations in the West.

I was deeply disappointed when I opened the Chicago Tribune to find that extremist commentator Ann Coulter had resorted to baiting the widows of terrorism victims to sell copies of her new book, reported in “Coulter ridicules widows of 9/11″ (June 8).

I was disappointed with the tone and context in the article “A Crucible for Secularism” (Page 1, June19) by Tom Hundley. The article attempts to illustrate the tensions between France’s policy of public secularism (laïcité) and rising concern among France’s clergy at the declining church attendance, juxtaposing the situation of Catholics with France’s sizable Muslim population. Unfortunately, French Muslims and Muslims in general were represented in a misleading and inaccurate manner.

Jay Ambrose’s column (“Unlike terrorists, Israel fights by the rules” June 19) attempts to wipe away the tragedy of the high profile attack on Palestinian families relaxing on a Gaza beach earlier this month.

I’d like to commend CNN on this article. It focuses on the socio-economic reasons behind the militant behavior and struggle. I found your treatment to be impartial; you clearly avoided extravagant or sensationalist terms in describing the Ijaw tribal militants (who, although not mentioned in the article, are Christian / Animist).

Congratulations to Michael Tackett, the Tribune’s associate managing editor in Washington, on his wonderful piece “Melting ice with Westerners” (News, May 10). As a Muslim-American activist who spends most of his waking hours “melting ice” with fellow Westerners, I am very appreciative of an article that brings forth the moderate and refreshing views of credible mainstream leaders from the Muslim world.

I question whether the problematic practices discussed in your article should be attributed to Islam as a religion.
They are unique to the particular culture of the immigrants in question.

Letter to the editor:

It is a tremendous public disservice for the Sentinel to publish the unfounded and misguided ravings of an extremist. In a letter entitled, “Islam is What Corrupts Its Militants“(April 14), Mr. R. Sauder boorishly characterizes Islam as a “fanatical religion,” that has “corrupted the people” in an irresponsible rant that pits Islam itself, not terrorism, as the imminent threat out to destroy us.

Your article title reads: “Strife with Islam key focus of Christian meeting,” yet the vast majority of the article discusses other concerns of the Christian organization: of its 13 paragraphs, only four discussed Islam (but then you also have the pictures of the frowning Muslims). I find it somewhat confusing that you chose this title since it clearly states in the text: “…It notes that the Western values that have shaped Christianity “can lead to confrontation and conflict” with others …”

As an objective news agency, it is unprofessional of you to include speculative links to crimes: in this case there was a bomb, you have no further information, yet the last paragraph feeds the reader want you want them to focus on (that the crime must be linked some how to “Islamic” terrorists):

Charles Krauthammer clearly shows his ignorance of the Palestinian side of the conflict in his Feb. 6 column, “Palestine without smoke and mirrors.”

Journalists take pride in defending the rights of citizens in a democratic nation and as an aspiring reporter, it scares me that cases such as that of Muhammad Salah happen in a country such as the United States. I was happy to see that the media is not sitting back and accepting the government’s case without fighting for what is right in a nation that claims to be free and democratic (“Secrecy’s corrosive effect in terrorism case, Feb. 2).

As a Muslim woman I was greatly disturbed by the article in the Woman News section entitled “A feminist’s case against Islam” (Feb. 1). Although the reporter attempts to offer the truth to the readers through the voice of Fadwa El Guindi, this reality is lost between the fallacies Phyllis Chesler is trying to promote.

It is interesting that the editorial board chose to describe the failure of Congress to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act a “regrettable effect” of the disclosure that President Bush authorized many times spying on American citizens (“Missteps in the war on terror,” Dec. 19).

Ariel Sharon’s decision to leave the Likud Party and form a new centrist party has led many to praise the Israeli Prime Minister. Jesse Jackson writes, “At the same time, Sharon and Peres deserve Palestinian counterparts in reaching for new and higher ground” and praises Sharon’s “pursuit of peace” (“At last, tiny springs of hope in the Middle East, Dec. 13”)

The suspension of a high school student for speaking Spanish should make all Americans question what being an American truly means (“Suspension over speaking Spanish is talk of the town,” Dec. 11).

Since the death of Israeli civilians in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians has been acknowledged, there must now also be recognition of the innocent Palestinian children, women and men who have been killed by Israeli settlers and military (“Mourning all the lost Julias,” Dec. 11).

After her recent meeting with European foreign ministers discussing American use of torture, Condoleezza Rice said at a press conference, “I think it’s only natural that sometimes we have these discussions,” (“Rice, Europeans agree to disagree on torture,” Dec. 9).

Thanks again to Dawn Trice for taking the time to reaffirm the dangers of racial and ethnic profiling (“From any angle, racial profiling is still wrong,” Metro Dec. 8).

I would like to thank the editorial staff of the Chicago Tribune for including the story about Najaf and Mosul with the coverage of President Bush’s latest Iraq speech (“A tale of 2 scarred cities: Najaf and Mosul,” Dec. 8).

Kudos to the Tribune for a fine feature piece that showcased interviews with four Arab Americans. It is high time we heard from and about Arabs and Muslims who are ordinary citizens and not terrorists or alleged terrorists. This type of coverage that sheds light on the human face of Arabs and Muslims will go along way in diffusing myths and stereotypes about them that sadly remain prevalent among many.

The Arab voices included in the December 8th Metro section are a great start to inviting readings to engage with the people who are talked about so much yet rarely heard from (“Arabs-from fascination to hatred to tolerance”).

One would assume that when the United States in 1994 ratified the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the discussion over when and how much torture will be tolerated will never come up again. The convention clearly states, “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political in stability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.”

In a response to an editorial published in Glenview Watch criticizing Rep. Mark Kirk’s calls to “discriminate” against Arab males, a reader writes, “You can always use the example of Oklahoma City to show that it’s ‘just not fair to profile Arab men.’ But it’s not white males who are doing most of the terrorist attacks in the world!”

In his article “Riots could happen in rest of Europe,” Tom Hundley writes in reference to the recent riots in France, “Most are Muslims, which may impede their integration into Western societies, but Islam itself did not appear to be an organizing or motivating element in the French riots” (Nov. 20). Yet, in the same article, he goes on to argue that the multiculturalism solution of many European countries has failed, citing the July 7th bombings and the murder of a Dutch filmmaker by a Muslim.

In his effort to justify ethnic and racial profiling, Steve Haisley claims that it is the same as a crime victim giving the police a description of an 18 year-old African-American and then expecting “the authorities to focus their investigation on 60-year-old white men” (“Like it or not, Kirk comments are true,” Nov. 20).

It is funny to see how the people who criticize President Bush for being a big government conservative would at the same time applaud his efforts to expand the government’s investigative and enforcement powers to curtail civil liberties under the guise of national security (“Safety vs. liberty: How far should we go?” Nov. 20).

Those who trumpet terrorism as a conspiracy by the Muslim people against people of other faiths should pay more attention to current world events. Friday’s terrorist attacks targeted 2 Mosques in Iraq on Islam’s holiest day of the week, resulting in the cold-blooded murder of 74 innocent Muslims as they knelt in prayer. This vicious attack is evidence that terrorists harbor as little regard for the sanctity of Muslim holy places and Muslim life as they do for those of Christians, Jews, or others. Indeed, Muslims have been the targets of terrorist attacks more often than people of any other faith.

Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) believes peace activists from Egypt should be greeted at O’Hare airport with a hefty doze of institutionalized discrimination.
Their offense? Being of the same age group and national origin as Mohamed Atta.

Its amazing how people are willing to support leaders willing to trample over the basic rights of life and liberty this country was founded on. Racial profiling would not only be ineffective in eliminating crime, but will also further alienate the 7 million and growing population of Muslims in this country. When Pat Robertson said to kill Hugo Chavez, we didn’tgo out and say lets racially profile all evangelical Christians. No, we denounced the man responsible for those comments.

It is shocking to see how Bernadine Brown can hold up as leaders “speaking out to see that our country here is safe” people who call for illegal and unethical actions (“Kirk’s comment A-OK,” Nov. 15).

Extremism like that expressed by Ms. Bernadine Brown and Rep. Mike Kirk is a security problem. Lo-jacking all Arabs and Muslims might make some people feel safer, but they will not be more secure.

There is a tendency in today’s world to blame a person’s actions on his or her background without looking for the effect of outside forces beyond an individual’s control. This tendency is highlighted well in Monica Prasad’s column, “Once again, it’s the economy, stupide!” (Nov. 11).

I read your news piece titled “Jewish activist jailed for role in bomb plot killed in prison”, published on page 12 on your Sunday edition November 6.

I was surprised and troubled for the selection of the term “activist” to describe a criminal who, according to your same article piece, has admitted to conspire to “bomb King Fahd Mosque in Culvar City, California and a field office of Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.

When I first read the headline, “Israeli air strike kills 7 in Gaza,” I expected the picture chosen to accompany the article was that of a Palestinian woman mourning the death of a relative (Oct. 28). Instead the caption read, “The granddaughter of an Israeli killed in Wednesday’s suicide bombing in Hadrea grieves as his funeral Thursday.” Is there a reason why the Chicago Tribune failed to include a picture of the death, destruction and mourning the Israeli missiles caused in Gaza?

The ongoing case of Jose Padilla should be a major concern for all American citizens who care for their civil rights (“High court urged to take appeal from Padilla,” Oct. 28).

Ray Hanania uses the fear some American Muslims have concerning Halloween as a chance to categorize all Muslims as bigots who are “anti-American and anti-Christian” (“American Muslims sending mixed messages on bigotry,” Oct. 27). It makes one wonder what he would label Christians who also have trouble with this holiday.

In her column “Tribalism that defends Hussein is bereft of sense of decency,” Mona Charen manages to group all Sunni Muslims and all liberals as tribal heathens who care nothing about “morality, compassion and a love of justice” (Oct. 23).

In his column “Media utters nonsense, won’t call enemy out,” Mark Steyn criticizes the media because it did not specify the enemy during the recent fighting in Russia. He claims that the media considers Islamic militants as “the enemy whose name its best never to utter” and thus would rather just label them as “insurgents” or “rebel forces” (Oct. 16).

Although we live in the United States, a country ruled by a Constitution and Bill of Rights which stress an individual’s freedom from government intrusion, the Sun-Times editorial board would rather we live under a repressive, meddling dictator just so that we can live in complete security, free from all threats of outside attacks (“Check prying Patriot, but don’t take all its teeth,” Oct. 13).

The Sun-Times does a great disservice to itself, its reader and journalism by publishing guest columns like that of Joel J. Sprayregen (“Americans slain in Gaza deserve better from U.S.,” Oct. 12).

Since September 11, 2001 Muslim community leaders and activists have been working relentlessly to help non-Muslims understand Islam. Muslim leaders have made countless television and conference appearances explaining that acts of violence and terrorism are not permitted by the religion, and it is unfortunate that there seems to be a vast amount of people who are ignoring that Muslims do take these issues seriously.

I was shocked and appalled to read that a review of a movie, “The Protocols of Zion”, in the Tempo Section of today’s Tribune equates Muslim community leaders with Skinheads and inmates. Moreover, it asserts matter of factly that I, as a Muslim community leader, am by default a “Jew-Hater”; it makes that horrendous statement in bare words without qualification or disclaimer.

Victor Davis Hanson implies in his column that liberals no longer care for people, writing, “the left has often adopted a condescending attitude toward the so-called people, trivializing the folks in the trenches in assorted uniforms and camouflage who supposedly need guidance and moral enlightenment by their elite betters” (“The trenches of our culture wars,” Oct. 7).

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein writes in a letter that the group Sabeel is “belied by its stridently anti-Israel, anti-Jewish message” and has no interest in ensuring that justice for both Israelis and Palestinians comes about when the conflict ends (“Palestinian group questioned,” Oct. 7). Yet Eckstein fails to appreciate how great of a move it is for this group to organize a conference with the purpose of discussing “the active pursuit of justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”

The growing commitment of religious leaders to capitalize on their traditions and holidays as a form of outreach to other faith groups is a wonderful example of the good that comes out of religion (“3 major faiths mark overlapping October holidays,” Sept. 30).

It is hard to understand how the investigation of soldiers allegedly posting photographs of Iraqi corpses on the internet in exchange for access to online pornography has already been dismissed because of lack of evidence. With as much technology as the U.S. Army has, why can it not be concluded without a doubt that soldiers did not post pictures of Iraqi war dead?

It is not surprising, but it is highly disappointing, that the plan to build a Shiite Muslim mosque in Glenview is not being welcomed by many residents in the area. It is not the first time that residents in Chicago suburbs have tried to shut down a plan to open a Muslim house of worship. The excuses have touched on a wide range of subjects, from the fear that mosques would foster terrorism to the typical high-traffic volume issue.

It is fair to say that women in many parts of the Muslim world have been prevented from receiving equal rights with men. But it is not fair to say that the rights of women in Iraq have somehow gotten better because of the presence of American troops in the country, an idea Karen Hughes tried to sell to Muslim women who oppose the war in Iraq.

The lack of understanding towards Islam and the Middle East among Americans was displayed openly in the efforts of Karen Hughes to urge Saudi women to demand more “freedoms” that allow them to “fully participate in society” like women in the United States do (“Saudi women give Hughes as earful,” Sept. 28).

Reading about how 74 percent of Americans do not believe “the goal of overthrowing Iraq’s authoritarian government and establishing a democracy was by itself a good enough reason to go to war” should make all Americans wonder if describing their beloved country as a democracy is still appropriate (“55% reject using force to spread democracy,” Sept. 30).

As the U.N. Security Council prepares to hear Iran’s violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it would be useful to remind them of what happened in Iraq when sanctions were imposed (“Nuclear agency votes to report Iran to UN council,” Sept. 25).

The newest reports of abuse in Iraq by American soldiers is just one more reason why we need to bring our troops home now (“GIs: Beating of prisoners was routine,” Sept. 24).

In the Chicago Tribune article, Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza, Victor Davis Hanson does nothing more than point fingers and demonize the Palestinian people. It is true that the Palestinian Authority has seriously lacked in making progress in peace and solidarity with Israel. But the Israeli government is far from “welcoming a democratic Palestinian state” as Hanson claims in his article. The mere removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied territory is not a grand step for peace on Israeli side when there is many innocent Palestinians that die daily at the hands of the Israeli government.

Victor Davis Hanson fails to recognize the primary difference between Iraq and Afghanistan and the situation in Palestine (“Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza,” Sept. 23). He writes, “President Talabani and his Iraqi parliament, like President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, are making progress as they fight the radical Islamic enemies of democracy and the rule of law. Mahmoud Abbas, in contrast, has not begun.” Perhaps it would be easier for Abbas start a battle against militants if he too had the American army to back him up.

In the article, “Al-Qaida Set to Infiltrate Gaza: Israeli Security Chief,” it states the fear of Israel security chief, Yuval Diskin, in relation to al-Qaida finding their way into Israel. With no proof of such a thing occurring, it is hard to believe that this is truly a threat to the Israeli people.

When Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, called Hurricane Katrina “a punishment from God for President Bush’s role in forcing Israelis to leave the Gaza Strip,” there was no mistaken demand made that all Jews worldwide rise up and deny these statements (“Israeli rabbi makes Katrina comments,” Sept. 16). People did not ask, “Where are the moderate Jews?” even though it is a reflexive question asked today whenever something is said or done by people claiming to be Muslims.

When Dr. Wiley Bennett, pastor of a Baptist church in Texas, called Hurricane Katrina “a warning shot” and claimed that New Orleans was targeted for punishment from God because the United States “‘right now is in a deep state of sin,’” there was no mistaken demand made that all Christians worldwide rise up and deny these statements (“Pastor’s sign rubs salt in wounds of downtrodden,” Sept. 16). People did not ask, “Where are the moderate Christians?” even though it is a reflexive question asked today whenever something is said or done by people claiming to be Muslims.

Since Israel’s two chief rabbis have requested that the pope condemn the dismantling of the synagogues in the Gaza Strip in an effort to improve Christian-Jewish relations, there are a few things I am sure all Palestinians would also like to see the pope do (“Rabbis urge pope to condemn synagogue destruction,” Sept. 16).

Rep. Tom Tancredo has once again proven that fanatic, close-minded people can be of any religious background (“9/11 memorial under fire,” Sept. 14). His assertion that the Flight 93 memorial “honors the terrorists” because it is shaped like a crescent is comical. According to this logic, a person who hangs the cross pays tribute to the crusaders, the Ku Klux Klan, the people who bomb abortion clinics and all other Christian terrorists.

The September 14 editorial titled “The UN and Sheriff Bolton” claims that the United Nations has been corrupt for years and that finally the United States is standing up to this world body and demanding reform. “Americans can be proud of their government’s long overdue assault on UN timidity, negligence and corruption” wrote the editorial board. Unfortunately there is absolutely no blame placed on the United States for the current obsoleteness of the United Nations.

There is a wealth of irony in the appointment of Tariq Ramadan to the British task force to aid the British panel in examining the roots of extremism in the country. Ramadan has been accused by the country on numerous occasions of being “more dangerous than several well-known radical preachers”.

While our country struggles to ensure democracy grows all over the world, it seems that our politicians forget that we already have an established democracy here at home, one that holds them accountable to the American people. This responsibility is ignored when it comes to the Patriot Act, which both the House and Senate voted to renew despite its baffling objectives and provisions (“Poll: Patriot Act mystery to most,” Aug. 31).

The article “Bush Hails Freedoms, but Experts See Confusion and Trouble” in the August 30, 2005 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times by Anne Gearan illustrates confusion with Iraq’s new constitution on the subject on Islam and democracy coexisting. The article, with a sub-heading entitled Islam or democracy? insinuates that the two cannot exist together.

There is a myth circulating around the world that women’s rights in the West are perfect. Thus any other body of rights is automatically labeled as discriminatory. In his column Derrick Z. Jackson propagates this myth by claiming, “It would be a travesty of American women, who have fought for equality to the level of dying in the military, did all this dying only to watch the burials of women’s rights in Iraq” (“What are our women fighting for?” Aug. 15).

Instead of letting emotional photographs and one-sided stories get the best of us, the facts on the Palestinian-Israeli issue should be reexamined. Everyone has seen the footage and heard the stories about the sadness and disparity of the Jewish settlers who were evicted from the Gaza Strip, but one must not forget the reasons for the removal of the settlers in the first place.

University of Chicago’s decision to renovate the basement of Rockefeller Chapel so that all of its faith groups have a place to worship should be applauded nationwide (“U. of C. seeks to give home to all of its faiths,” Aug. 26).

In regard to evangelical Rev. Pat Robertson’s suggestion of the assassination of Venezuela president, your editorial “Reverend Terminator,” (Editorial, Aug. 24) said, “His words aren’t representative of people of faith.”

In the August 24, 2005 article, Pulling up Stakes Doesn’t Mean Israelis are Settling for Less, Gerald D. Skoning gave a rather weak and disturbing metaphor for the Israeli government’s eviction of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip.

In the Chicago Sun-Times article entitled “Bad PR for U.S.” published on August 24, 2005, I found a strange correlation to the commentary made in regard to Pat Robertson’s suggestion to assassinate President Hugo Chavez making Americans look bad and how unconstructive violence and hate used by people claiming to be Muslims give all Muslims a bad rep.

The article about the Arab-Israeli orchestra is a welcome change to the usual coverage of the Middle East in the media (“Barenboim seeks peace with his baton,” Aug. 23)

By warning against British policies towards Israel, London Mayor Ken Livingstone is not trying to appease the terrorists as Sheryl Jedlinski claims, but rather is considering how British citizens feel towards their government’s positions (“There’s no future in appeasing terrorists,” Fencepost, Aug. 22). There is obviously disconnect between the country’s 1.5 million Muslim citizens and the greater population, and Livingstone is trying to figure out why it exists.

While the suggestion of Wayne Oras that Muslims help fight terrorism by not allowing “radical extremists to hide among them” (“Muslims’ interest in exposing terrorists,” Fence Post, Aug. 18) seems to be better than using profiling, it still wrongly makes all Muslims responsible for terrorist actions.

A grim picture of a Gaza settler’s life emerges from the editorial “Clinging to Gaza,” (Aug. 17) a picture that is not entirely accurate. The article offers a wrongful depiction of settlers living among animals just waiting to attack.

In his letter (“Breaking ties to Israel,” Aug. 17), Isaac Cohen cannot understand how the Presbyterian Church dares to divest from companies such as Caterpillar, which sells to Israel the equipment used to bulldoze the homes and farms of innocent Palestinians.

I would like to remind Tony Scaminaci that it is the protection of civil rights in the United States that allows his letter criticizing Washington lawmakers to be published (“No place now for political correctness,” Aug. 14).

In his letter “Hanania’s way would spell end of freedom,” (Aug. 13) Al Andreoni claims that Ray Hanania calls for the “appeasement and pacification” of the American people when dealing with terrorists. But what Hanania actually wants is an end to the senseless and inhuman characterization of Muslims, the same characterization that Andreoni displays in his letter.

I would like to thank the Tribune for a great article on the ability of Muslim-Americans to bridge two worlds (“U.S. Muslims span 2 worlds,” Metro, Aug. 12). The article does a good job of working towards assuring the American people that their Muslim neighbors are not here to destroy them, but rather here to lead an average American life just like them.

In his August 12th column, Charles Krauthammer plays down threats to our civil liberties by writing, “We have fluctuated between more or less openness depending on need and threat” (“Situational libertarianism”). It is astonishing that he can refer to the internment of Japanese Americans as a minor infraction of civil liberties and since it only lasted for the duration of the war, it is excusable and even justified.

Stanley Crouch seems to think every Muslim in the world fits this description: uneducated, elitist, sexist, anti-modern, immature and angry (“Backward thinking, democracy can’t coexist,” Aug. 12).

I would like to thank Andrew Greeley for reminding us that all Americans have ancestors that immigrated here (“Bigots forget own immigrant roots,” Aug. 12). Recent immigrants face hard times today and it is good to know that not everyone is demanding the United States continue supporting actions such as those against Ibrahim Parlak and his family.

I would like to thank Leonard Pitts for his wonderful handling of comments such as those of Rep. Tom Tancredo that do nothing but incite fear and hate (“Inflammatory remarks feed the enemy,” Aug. 2).

In his column “Why politically correct profiling is stupid,” (Aug. 1) Charles Krauthammer writes, “The fact is that jihadist terrorism has been carried out from Bali to Casablanca to Madrid to London to New York City to Washington by young Islamic men of North African, Middle Eastern and South Asian origin.” Using this “fact” to justify ethnic profiling is like using the “fact” that Japan attacked the United States to justify internment camps for Japanese Americans; or using the “fact” that blacks are intellectually inferior to justify segregation.

The July 21 article in the Chicago Sun-Times entitled “Iraqi constitution framers promise to make deadline” warned that Islamic law “could erode women’s rights in such matters as marriage, divorce and inheritance.” While a woman does have different rights under Islamic law than she does under Western law, using the word “erode” adds a judgment to the status of Muslim women that does not belong in a news article.

Dear Mr. Burt Constable, I am writing in response to your July 2nd column. I appreciate your response to the reader who was attacking your faith and patriotism, and at the same time attempting to rouse anger towards Muslims by painting all issues in black and white.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/8/05) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said that the Fox television network aired a disclaimer Monday night during its drama series “24″ stating that American Muslims reject terrorism. SEE: http://www.fox.com/24/

Friday morning, on one of Chicago’s main talk radio stations – WLS 890 AM (ABC) – CAIR-Chicago’s communications director, Ahmed Rehab, took on Eileen Byrne, a talk show host whose show precedes the Rush Limbaugh show. Eileen and her callers were throwing accusations and condemnations of Muslims – CAIR in particular – in lieu of CAIR’s condemnation of General Mathis’ “it’s fun to kill” quote.

Dear Ms. Burnett,

I received yet another call today.

“Are you Yaser Tabbara?”

Here we go again I thought.

I read with great interest your article entitled “How to Deal with American Muslims” (The Jewish Week, 09/10/04). The same points could have been made by an American Muslim asking how we should deal with American Jews. How ironic is it that our differences are so similar. In a way, that comforts me. There is hope.