Pleas for tolerance

Re “A blow to American Muslims,” Nov. 7

It’s not fair to the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims to have to defend themselves and their religion every time a tragic incident is committed here or anywhere else by an individual who happens to be a Muslim.

Islam does not advocate violence. We as Muslims do not condone such cowardly acts. Islam is a religion of peace and coexistence with all mankind.

Mustafa Murgos

Hemet

::

Physicians take an oath to do no harm. Soldiers swear to protect their nation. True Muslims who follow the sacred teachings of the Koran love their fellow human beings and profess their faith with peace, not bloodshed.

The alleged Ft. Hood shooter, sadly, violated all three covenants.

May God bless the fallen and wounded and grant strength and resolve to their families.

Ahsan M. Khan, M.D.

Yorba Linda

::

The Ft. Hood shootings appear to be again raising the specter of religious scaremongering against Muslims.

Your correspondents should learn more about Southern California’s large Muslim community, as we have. As a faith community, we have visited mosques, heard speakers and studied the roots of Islam. What we’ve found are beliefs and values that reflect our common Judeo-Christian roots, and whose commitment to tolerance and mutual understanding is impressive.

Before they condemn all Muslims as terrorists, Southern Californians might take the effort to meet their Muslim neighbors. They might just find that they are folks like us, not hostile terrorists in our midst.

Dee Abrahamse

Long Beach

The writer is clerk of the Orange County Friends Meeting (Quakers).