Gail Rosenblum's April 17 column ("Time to look at the coverage of Muslims and terrorism") about the work of Augsburg College student Amineh Safi to look for misrepresentation of Muslims in society is one that we should all reflect on. I hope that all Christian Americans would respect our Muslim brothers and sisters as children made in the image of the creator and not paint all who practice Islam with the same brush of emotion that the 9 / 11 and Boston bombers evince. But the list of crimes for which Safi analyzed media characterizations included "blasphemy." Since when is blasphemy a crime in America? I and others hear the name of the Lord Jesus taken in vain all over society, and we are disturbed by it. But we do not hear of crimes being because others do not love the name of Jesus as we do. Respect and tolerance for the other should be taught and practiced on both sides, and creeping sharia law thinking should be avoided.
Patricia Katagiri, Minneapolis
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It is not the media that is bringing the religion of the terrorists into the picture. The terrorists themselves have said that they are waging jihad on infidels. They have declared war on the United States and on the West. They have cried out "Allahu akbar" as they have launched their attacks. Their religion is not incidental to their terrorist crimes; it is a key element. And the fact that most Muslims are not terrorists does not change that fact or the need to report it.
