Readers React to Letters About Muslims

I am absolutely amazed at [two letters] published in Southern California Living (“Reactions to Stories on Muslims,” Nov. 7).

They state as fact that Osama bin Laden and the Taliban are responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The accusations against Bin Laden and the Taliban are merely something said by George W. Bush, a man whose friends need to build an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. I’ve seen no evidence that, if I were on a jury, would cause me to vote “guilty.”

MICHAEL DAVIDSON

Long Beach

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I am wondering to what extent the first two letters in the Letters column are representative of the correspondence you are receiving from the public. I pray that such frightening, bigoted attitudes are aberrations and not a sample of a larger population of narrow-minded, ignorant Americans. If they are typical, then I am deeply ashamed of my fellow citizens.

Islam is as much a religion of peace as Christianity. Maybe these folks ought to learn about the Koran before they draw their inaccurate conclusions. Also, Christianity has been used to justify torture and wholesale slaughter on many occasions in history, though Jesus also preached peace and tolerance. Apparently many people who call themselves Christian have yet to comprehend this message.

In the past two centuries, America has had problems with its own home-grown terrorists. The fault is with people, not religions. The fact that people write to The Times to express such sentiments just supports this point.

NANCY J. MELUCCI

Huntington Beach