When Faith Is Twisted by Blind Hatred

As a proud Arab and Muslim American, I speak on behalf of both communities in condemning the twisted perpetrators and heinous attacks against America. While we will continue to shed tears and feel unbearable pain for the thousands of innocent victims, we shall not allow hate-drenched comments targeting any religious or ethnic group to prevail during a period marked by more questions than real answers.

I was in the third grade during the Persian Gulf War and was called a “Saddam Hussein worshiper” because of my ethnicity and religion. After the Oklahoma City bombing, my community was immediately suspected of the gross attack. At this grim moment in time, mosques in Texas and Virginia have been desecrated and Islamic Web sites have been flooded with hate mail--all while the malicious culprits have yet to be officially identified.

Islam in its purest form has always been a religion of peace. As one Koran verse proclaims, “Unite to do good, do not unite to do malice and destruction.” Unfortunately, as with other religions, it can also be subject to gross deviations and abuse by convoluted minds.

Farrah Hassen

West Covina

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Allah weeps for what his wayward sons have done in his name.

Betty Wiede

Los Angeles