Once again, the left-wing media that dominate the news cycle have perpetuated a lie by accusing President Trump of religious bigotry in his temporary ban on immigration from seven Muslim countries with known terrorism problems.

The dishonest media forgot to acknowledge the fact that there are more than 40 predominantly Muslim nations in the world and less than 20 percent of Muslim nations were affected by the temporary order.

Certainly, one can put forth reasonable arguments about the merits of the ban on a number of fronts, but the divisive, radical left-wing movement has no interest in truth or accuracy, so it instead made this a religious issue.

Remember this: The left-wingers never marched or protested after 3,000 people were killed on 9 /11, and they never marched in such large numbers to protest the atrocious murders of innocents killed by illegal aliens or gang members, either.

The left-wing people of our nation only care about the lives and safety of Americans when it serves their political agenda. They are a shameful, divisive and hypocritical lot indeed.

Corby Pelto, Plymouth

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President Trump's executive order that bars or discourages Muslims from visiting or immigrating to America will mean that fewer Muslims will learn firsthand what actually makes America great: individual Americans who extend a welcoming hand to "the other" before making judgments.

I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years, and I saw how that worked with Saudi Arabs who spent some time in the U.S. One Saudi friend — we are both in our 81st year — calls me on Christian holidays to wish my family well. I remember when he returned to Dhahran in 1967 from a year at an elite East Coast university. As tears formed in his eyes, he told me he had found in his landlady a second mother who had soothed his insecurities and made his American experience so positive. She was an elderly Jewish woman. "I had been brought up to believe Jews had horns growing out of their heads," he said, shaking his head in shame.

Another Saudi colleague took up the company's offer for a year of college in the U.S. at a midpoint in his career as a reward for outstanding job performance. He was excited to accept the offer, but opted to leave his wife and teenage daughters behind because he feared the crime and violence that permeated news and the drama programs he had seen on American TV. Within weeks of his arrival in a small Pennsylvania college town, he had been so cordially received that he gave the go-ahead for the family to join him. Upon his return to Saudi Arabia, he proceeded to bore all of his friends, Saudis and Americans, with the hundreds of pictures he had taken on weekends when he had piled his family and textbooks into a rental station-wagon to explore America.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant can load its propaganda with all of the "alternative facts" it wants, but the pitch won't go far with Muslims who have seen America's better angels for themselves.

Bob Norberg, Lake City, Minn.

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A majority of citizens of the countries cited by President Trump's travel restriction are governed by Islamic-based sharia law, which treats women as second-class citizens and criminalizes homosexuality. It can be assumed that a good share of those citizens, especially men, agree with these principles. This means the same people who protested en masse on Jan. 21 for the rights of women and homosexuals were again protesting over the weekend for the rights of people who oppress women and homosexuals to enter the U.S.

Further, critics were quick to condemn Trump's act as a "Muslim ban." The travel restriction applies to citizens of seven countries, which were originally identified as areas of concern for terrorism years ago by the Obama administration. What critics fail to realize or acknowledge is dozens of countries with significant or majority Muslim populations were excluded from the list. Yes, the travel restriction only applies to a small percentage of the world's Muslims, meaning plenty of foreign Muslims entered the U.S. over the weekend and will continue to going forward. Did any of the protesters clogging the airports actually bother to welcome any of the Muslims who arrived from foreign countries unfettered, or were they too busy once again attacking the president without bothering to first educate themselves about the merits of their cause?

Jay Gabbert, Plymouth

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Trump's executive order to limit refugees just placed at risk all of our military serving in the designated countries who rely on the services of translators. But wait! These are our troops. We support them! (When convenient.) And we can keep in mind, as a Republican ex-friend once said to me, regarding my Army sergeant stepson, "He volunteered. And besides, he gets paid."

Miriam G. Simmons, Stillwater

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Two risks: Which is the most dangerous? Which problem needs the most attention?

In the 10 years up to and including 2016, drunken driving killed more than 117,000 people in the U.S. During the same period, terrorists of Islamic persuasion killed 90 in the U.S. The FBI, Homeland Security, local police, etc., have done a good job of minimizing the terrorist threat. Reducing the risk to zero is impossible.

The war in Syria has caused more than 100,000 deaths and produced over 3.8 million refugees. There are many refugees from other areas. There are Muslims who translated for the U.S. and NATO armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq who are at risk in their native lands. What is our responsibility as humans? Are we going to cause more death and misery for refugees from Islamic countries to protect ourselves from a miniscule risk?

I thought we belonged to "the land of the free and the home of the brave." I believe most Americans are brave enough to help some of the Muslim refugees in the world. We are a land of immigrants. Except for the Native American population, every one of us has an immigrant past. Let us live up to the image of America as a country with the willingness to help our fellow humans.

Mark Brakke, Coon Rapids

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Seventy-five years ago, Japanese-Americans were not named or mentioned in the executive order that mandated their incarceration. Muslims are not named or mentioned in the recent executive order that mandates their exclusion. To the recurrent question, "Could it happen again?" we now have our answer. It's happening now.

Gordon Nakagawa, White Bear Lake

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To all my Muslim students, friends, and brothers and sisters: Although it seems like the U.S. hates you right now, please know that it is only a scared and ignorant few. While those people most unfortunately have power at this time, know that the majority of your fellow citizens and peers love you. We love and respect you, and we will continue to fight with you.

Lauren Anastos, St. Paul

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My partner and I booked a weeklong vacation to Minneapolis this spring to visit old friends. Then your president decided to ban some Muslims from entering the U.S. While neither of us is Muslim, we cannot in good conscience travel to a country where others are barred because of their religion; nor can we spend our vacation money supporting the economy of what has rapidly transformed into a fascist country.

We're greatly disappointed to have to cancel our vacation, but we also recognize that this is, so far, the worst thing to happen to us personally during the Trump presidency. Our thoughts and prayers are with the millions in America and abroad who will be harmed far more significantly than we have.

Hope to see you all in 2020!

Walter Tull, Toronto, Canada