2005-07-06 - 9:29 a.m.

I am so excited that this weekend I am planning on seeing two of my closest friends from Undergrad Days at Canisius College in Buffalo.

One is Soren's Godmother, and the other was my partner in writing many letters to the Editor during college when we were zealous in our political efforts. I am happy to see my friend continues with that commitment!

I did a search and found her latest letter to The Buffalo News:

I've re-printed it here as I know the link only will work a few days before it is archived.

Opinion

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Front Page > Opinion > Everybody's Column


Desecration of Quran an affront to decency

7/1/2005

In a recent letter to the editor, Anthony Stevens writes that he has been "following the mishandling of the Quran with dark amusement but little outrage," as many of those offended are beheading noncombatants and detonating car bombs killing innocent people.
Desecrating the Quran is an affront not only to Muslims who are terrorists, it is an affront to all Muslims, just as desecrating the Bible would be an insult to all Christians.

Most Muslims are not terrorists. Many are U.S. citizens; many are even serving in the U.S. military, putting their lives at risk for us every day.

Stevens then points out that Christians here have to suffer when their symbols are defiled as when "artists show crosses in jars of urine and pictures of Mary surrounded by dung." These things do cause outrage, but does that in anyway excuse further sacrilege against another religion? And there is a difference: The urine display is an expression of one so-called artist whose intention is not particularly clear. Any U.S. soldier who debases the Quran is seen as a representative of our entire country, and this stinging religious intolerance is seen to be part of a greater American mind-set.

That any intentional mishandlings of the Quran by U.S. soldiers fuels heightened anti-American sentiment is not just a theory. It is painful reality, as seen in the violent demonstrations that followed the allegations of Quran abuses at Guantanamo. These misdeeds also destroy the reputation of honest soldiers, making their job more dangerous. We should therefore all be outraged, regardless of our religion, at any intentional defilement of the Quran by Americans.

Elizabeth Calamita

Cheektowaga

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