After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, many people took up the belief that the religion of Islam promotes terrorism and that all Muslims are terrorists. But it is radical Islam which promotes terrorism. Islam itself is a very peaceful religion which is much like Christianity or Judaism.

In every religion you will find people who do not truly believe and follow that religion's teachings, but instead distort that religion to justify their own actions. Those who do this are known as radicals.

In Christianity there are radicals as well.

Radical Christianity gave the world the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, witch burnings and other brutal events.

Today, terrorists are distorting Islam and its teachings to try to convince others that the West is evil. But true Muslims hold fast to Islam's true teachings and do not bomb buildings or hijack airplanes, just as true Christians hold fast to Christ's teachings and do not murder or burn people at the stake.

It is true that there are passages in the Quran which speak of violence. But there are even more passages of violence in the Bible.

An example of this is Deuteronomy 2:32 where God's people massacre whole villages of men, women and children and leave none alive.

I'm not trying to turn people away from religion. How you interpret these passages is a matter of your personal belief. This shows that both Islam and Christianity are similar.

If you believe that Islam is a religion of terrorism I simply ask that you read a bit of the Quran or speak with a true Muslim. You might be surprised at what you find.

Mattheis S. Lorimor

Rural Carlock