Letters to the Press: For the Week of Aug. 26 – Sept. 1

Last week’s column by Jed Morey, “Behind the Mosque,” generated a fair share of responses from readers. Not surprising, considering the increasing intensity of the debate. Here are a couple:

Not All Muslims Are Terrorists

Dear Jed Morey:

Thanks for injecting sanity into the ongoing conversation about Park51.

I’m an American born and bred in New York City and a Muslim convert. I hope that my non-Muslim colleagues and classmates, through getting to know me (and many others like me) will come to know that Muslims are just regular people—with all of the foibles and aspirations—like themselves.

Sincerely,

Rahadyan Sastrowardoyo, Brookhaven Township

Mosque Builders Not to Blame

Dear Jed Morey:

Thank you for your words of sanity. And thank you in advance for listening to what I have to say:

You don’t blame innocent people for a crime they didn’t commit. You just don’t. No matter what you suffered on 9/11, you don’t get to do that. Period. End of story.

This is about more than just freedom of religion, even though the First Amendment couldn’t be clearer. This is about more than just how the mosque opponents are violating American values, even though I would like to ask them “Which part of ‘liberty and justice for all’ don’t you understand?” This is about more than just the way they’re playing into the hands of the terrorists, even though anyone who makes it easier to sell the story that America hates all Muslims is making it easier for them to recruit.

This is about basic decency. It’s that simple.

Wayne Karol, Levittown

Newsday Haters Run Deep

Dear Editor:

The recent published letter by Roy J. Scott [“Letters to the Editor,” Aug. 12] that criticized Newsday editorials since it has been sold to Cablevison is essentially a Long Island concern.

There is a greater concern that many of us have regarding the horrific deep-rooted and documented biases that permeates much of our secular daily major publications.

A major newspaper is expected to be objective and have their reporters be guided by reasonable balance and fairness. This is far from the current reality of our major secular publications!

Opinion should exclusively be confined to the editorial sections, where both balance and fairness should primarily be a guiding criteria!

Clearly, during the presidential election of 2008, the favorable frequency and prominence given to President Obama by far-left journalists was in no small measure significant in his election victory!

Thomas Dennelly, Sayville