I, as a curious reader, have

a couple of questions about Mr. Bryant's comments on Islam. He states

he read a large portion of the Qu'ran, which apparently led him to the

conclusion that Islam is a religion of violence.

Now, in this large portion

of the Qu'ran he read, he must have stumbled upon "And make not God's

name an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or

making peace between persons; for God is One Who heareth and knoweth all

things" (002.224). I guess not. Mr. Bryant says Islam is not a religion

of peace? Well, read on.

Mr. Bryant fallaciously said

that Mohammed preached "convert or die." Once again, his ignorance

has amazed me. If Mr. Bryant had decided to actually take a look into

Islamic history, he might have found that Mohammed accepted all faiths

during the early spread of Islam and advocated that anyone had the right

to pray to any God of their belief.

In addition, I believe he might

have skimmed (or skipped) this in his large reading of the Qu'ran: "Those

who believe in the Qu'ran, and those who follow the Jewish scriptures,

and the Christians and the Sabians any who believe in God and the Last

Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord;

on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve" (002.062).

So why exactly would Mohammed

persecute others if the Qu'ran so implicitly states otherwise? Right,

because all Muslims were born mean, horrible people, right, Mr. Bryant?

Please excuse me, I almost forgot my stereotype.

As a member of the Muslim community,

I belong to a faith that places a strong emphasis on peace, brotherhood,

and unity. Events in history, the teachings of Mohammed, and the words

of the Qu'ran all clearly state Islam has and always will be a religion

of peace.

Mr. Bryant states he lived

in the "heart of Islam." In my opinion, I believe Mr. Bryant

did not live next to one Muslim. Mr. Bryant lived in a world of extremists,

so-called Muslims who radically interpret the Qu'ran for their own ulterior

motives.

I, like the millions like me,

interpret the Qu'ran through my ethical standards and live life everyday

centered on those beliefs. Those Muslims, mainly the government agencies

that take control over a group of people without proper consent, believe

in ideas that many Muslims across the globe detest. These extremists are

not Muslims, but hypocrites, since they act against principles of peace

and tolerance, values Islam passionately supports.

As for Mr. Bryant, I am not

upset at his remarks on Islam. As an American Muslim, I value any man's

opinion and right for freedom of speech. However, I am critical of his

ignorance while commenting erroneously in his editorial. Someone once

said, "A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate

depth of his ignorance."

For all those Mr. Bryants in

the world, realize that everyday we act as brothers and sisters. We are

constantly meshed together in this small world God has placed us in. The

only way to create something positive is cooperatively working together

to achieve better goals. Please do not draw a line that separates us,

Mr. Bryant. We are all on the same side, all under God.

Arif S. Noorani

Fayetteville

Sandy Creek High School

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