Supporting Bush, Government
Dear Editor,
Three cheers to Carole Eoff! Her response to Frank Crosby was superb. I, too, am fed up with people who criticize the government, but refuse to give alternatives.
I have lived through many war years. It was always the same. People criticize but are not willing to do anything constructive.
My hat is off to Carole Eoff.
Francis Haskell, Morgan Hill
Mosque Project Represents Unity of Faiths
Dear Editor,
This is in appreciation of the article on the Islamic Center and Mosque proposal for the South County. It is great that the plans for this project reflect the times when all the three major religions were practiced peacefully in Spain under the Islamic rule.
As troubling as Mr. Bill Currie’s June 1 letter was, the response in the form of letters and columns is heartening.
I am not only a proud American, but a proud Muslim American who has made the South County her home for decades. I have been fortunate to have wonderful Christian Americans in my life who have always shown the real American values of generosity and fairness.
In the world today, we need to promote peace through integration, rather than division through misinformation and disintegration.
The scores of Muslims that live in South County are contributing to the society as teachers, doctors, engineers, businessmen, members of the Armed Forces and more. The Mosque will be a place whereby we can share our expertise and resources with all.
Nuzhat Alavi, Morgan Hill
Letter Cites Unflattering Muslim Study Responses
Dear Editor,
I was gratified to read the well written letter from Andrew Serrano which appeared next to mine in the July 3 Morgan Hill Times. I’m gratified because, with just a little bit of analysis, it rebuts itself and supports the points made in my letter.
First, towards the end of his letter, Mr. Serrano mentions the recent Gaza conflict and quotes “Sheikh Abu Saqer, leader of the group Jihadia Salafiya.” The quote is accurate but I fail to see what it has to do with a mosque in San Martin. Abu Saqer and the Jihadia Salafia (more common spelling) are fanatical Islamic terrorists who make Hamas look like Boy Scouts. They are among the nut jobs on the fringe I wrote about, have nothing to do with American Muslims and have no place in this debate.
Second, in his letter, Mr. Serrano cites responses to four questions in “The most recent PEW Survey.” I checked this out on the Internet and discovered that the PEW research organization did publish those responses. What Mr. Serrano doesn’t mention in his letter is that these responses came from a 108-page study entitled “Muslim Americans, Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream.” This study is available online for anyone to read at http://pewresearch.org/assets/pdf/muslim-americans.pdf and is fascinating reading. Having read it, it would appear that Mr. Serrano cherry-picked the four most unflattering responses out of more than 60 survey tables appearing in this extensive study. The study actually shows that Muslim Americans are, overall, pretty much like the rest of us, hence the title. Or, as I said in my letter: “Folks are folks.”
Steve Harkness, Morgan Hill
