Editor, The Auburn Plainsman
Dear fellow students, those of you who believe the basis of Islam is that "all infidels must be killed," are sorely misinformed.
Allow me to set the record straight.
Islam is based on five pillars, some of which have striking similarities to Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and--you guessed it--Christianity.
The five pillars include the acceptance of the one God and the prophet Muhammad, the expectation of praying at certain times throughout the day, the obligation to practice charitable giving, fasting as a sign of dedication to God and Muhammad during the month of Ramadan and the expectation of all Muslims to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
How, may I ask, is that at all related to the "killing of infidels?"
As for the similarities Islam has with Christianity: Does the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before Me," not sound awfully similar to the first pillar of Islam?
Is it not a Christian's duty to play the good Samaritan? Are Christians not asked to regularly pray to our one God and prophet, the Christian prophet being Jesus Christ?
So, in certain respects, Islam and Christianity are not so different.
So what if President Obama has appointed two Muslims to Homeland Security?
Just because those individuals practice the same faith as a group of people who actually do seek to destroy us "non-believers" does not inherently mean true Muslims and Muslim extremists are one in the same.
Everyone views his or her religion in a different way.
How are Muslims any different? Extremists do not speak for an entire religion or ethnic group; they speak for themselves.
Eric Robert Rudolph bombed Centennial Olympic Park during the Olympic Games in 1996 in the name of Christ.
And we cannot forget the Ku Klux Klan: a group which promoted extreme violence, a group that not only terrorized African Americans, but also Jews and Catholics.
History has shown that acts of terrorism are not specific to Muslims.
Perhaps we should see President Obama's appointments as his way of promoting unity among the religions of the world, instead of "sleeping with the enemy." After all, the "enemy" is an extremist group separate from the average Muslim.
So yes, I will pray for our nation, not because of President Obama's sympathy towards Islam (and all faiths), but instead because people like Mr. Anderson of Talladega are encouraging intolerance toward others.
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