Don’t Let Extremists Spark Conflicts

Unyielding tough guys leading the United States and Israel were all that Osama bin Laden needed to push the button that could set off World War III. As the year 2001 and the war in Afghanistan wind down, it’s deeply disturbing to see the explosive turn of events unfolding in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians, and in East Asia between Pakistan and India.

If common sense prevailed, and India gave Muslim Kashmir to Pakistan, Israel let Palestinians have their state, Arab nations left Israel alone, the United States weaned itself from Middle East oil and the news media quit provoking fights, the world might survive this deadly dilemma.

For whoever’s God’s sake, don’t let unconscionable troublemakers begin the year 2002 with the unspeakable bangs of winless global conflict.

Daniel B. Jeffs

Apple Valley

*

It’s puzzling that such a high incidence of recent terrorism can be attributed to Islamic sources. Clearly, Muslim extremists, especially fundamentalist clerics, prey on the religiosity of believers who are mostly young and poorly educated.

Instead of basic academics, hate appears to be the principal agenda in thousands of schools where the next generation of young minds is being molded into becoming fanatical devotees of destruction and mayhem. This blasphemy against Allah and Islamic principles has been tolerated by many nations that have permitted these hatemongering schools to proliferate relatively unchecked in their countries.

If responsible governments within the Islamic umbrella wish to minimize the potential for their own destruction, followed by the rest of civilization, they had better crack down on these (school) havens where warped mullahs promote sedition, jihads and downright murder of innocent civilians.

The Western world needs to do its part in helping minimize poverty, particularly by sponsoring education and the economic advancement of target nations that are at risk. Hopefully, this will happen before much of the Earth is destroyed in the name of God/Allah. Ditto Israeli extremists.

Manuel E. Nunes

Garden Grove

*

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says he receives 15 suspected locations for Bin Laden a day. Have they looked in Florida, where he may be attending flight school or getting a tan on the beach? Or perhaps he’s in that secure and unknown location visiting with Vice President Cheney?

Valerie Fields

Los Angeles