To Terrall Putnam

Submitted by Mink Rivers (United States), Jan 6, 2003 at 14:50

There are plenty of people screaming that Islam and terrorism are one and the same. Powell's is the voice of reason.

Unless of course, you agree that racial profiling is acceptable. "Anyone who suspects a Muslim of terrorism is a bigot" expresses the same concept as "anyone who suspects a black man is a rapist is a bigot." The point is that we should avoid judging people by religion, as we ought to avoid judging people by race. I kind of thought those were cherished America tenets. I appreciate the honor and courage of Mr. Powell in reminding us of what America stands for.

Why should you suspect a Muslim is a terrorist if you don't suspect a black man is a rapist? And if you suspect either, well hey, you're a bigot!

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".