Stop Bias Agaisnt Muslims

BIAS AGAINST ISLAM - TOP Our Opinion: Community Should Speak Out Against Religious PrejudiceMiami Herald, 7/14/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15034596.htm
Shame on the Rev. O'Neal Dozier and his supporters for their brazen display of bigotry and ignorance in opposition to the planned construction of an Islamic mosque in a Pompano Beach neighborhood.Rather than challenge the location of the mosque on merit, the Rev. Dozier instead chose to attack Islam as a religion, and then to associate the religion with terrorists. He called Islam a "cult" and 'a dangerous religion." When challenged, he explained: "We feel this way because we know our country was attacked on 9/11 and is still threatened by radical Islamic terrorists."The Rev. Dozier asserts that he has the right to express his opinions -- and on that point he is correct. The U.S. Constitution protects his right to freely express himself so long as his speech isn't inflammatory. The Rev. Dozier's statements about Islam are harmful nonetheless. They also are irresponsible and flat-out wrong. He broad-brushes all who practice Islam -- and there are hundreds of millions of believers worldwide -- as belonging to a cult. Surely the Rev. Dozier and his supporters recognize that kind of blanket characterization as unmitigated bias. (MORE)