Letters to the Editor, January 8, 2005

A Letter to Winpress Publishing Regarding "The True Furqan"

Your publishing company has every right to publish any book it wishes. Being a student of Christianity and Judaism myself I am disturbed and disappointed at your Christian values to publish what is tantamount to a forgery "The True Furqan" and present and market it as the Real Qur'an. Sell it as you wish but don't place it under the heading of "THEOLOGY", it should rather be under the category of FICTION. Do you ever wonder why Muslims don't undertake such callous, hurtful, and denigrating tasks as RE-WRITING THE BIBLE, ATTACKING JESUS AND THE VIRGIN MARY (peace be upon them both)?

May I urge you in as peaceful manner as I can muster to either reclassify this forgery as FICTION or remove it from your site totally. Removing it would be the decision I strongly encourage you to do as a publisher with obvious love and belief in the PRINCE OF PEACE who came to declare the TRUTH he received from God. Don't undermine your faith and values for money, prestige, or for the satisfaction of committing "REVENGE" against another faith when Jesus taught to "love your enemy, and turn the other cheek". Be truthful to Jesus and you shall find true peace.

Mohamed Khodr, MD

Letters to the editor page

On Habib Siddiqui's article, The Turkish Experiment with Westernization

Here are Just two points about Mr. Habib Siddiqui's article:

"Glory" of the Ottomans along with their military might was long gone before any efforts to westernize the empire in 1800's. Westernization did not take the "glory" away.

Even during its heydays in 14th-16th centuries Ottomans adopted many institutions, inventions, customs from all around the world, and specifically from Europeans, who by this time were on a fast track for advancement in sciences and military institutions:

* Perhaps greatest of the Ottoman sultans, Mehmet the Conqueror was commissioning Italian masters to have his portraits painted.

* Mehmet the Conqueror, and many other earlier sultans, saw no problem in having European/Christian advise in advancing his military's might. His artillery was designed by a Hungarian engineer, and proved very valuable in wresting Constantinople --modern day Istanbul-- from the Byzantines.

Ahmet Toprak

Director San Francisco Turkish Radio

http://www.turkradio.us San Francisco USA

Palestine and Israel

Dear Editor,

The devastation brought on the innocent Palestinian and Israeli children by adults who are supposed to be older and wiser is unconscionable. When little children live in constant fear, they grow up to develop hatred for what they fear and that hatred turns into an unquenchable urge to destroy what they hate in order to remove the fear. Those who commit violence against the other side are looked on as protectors and idolized by those too young to understand the concept of escalation, and inevitably the radical few become the radical majority. This is human nature.

If give-and-take concession can be reached, Israel stops their heavy handed oppression, and the Palestinians accept that Israel is here to stay, I believe that the Palestinian communities will become a great tourist attraction in themselves. I would personally love to visit the Palestinian communities. I would love to sample their foods, shop in their markets, visit with them, and immerse myself in the rich beauty of their culture. Working in public relations, I believe that Palestine is very marketable, and some day I hope to have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of marketing tourism and Palestinian goods, services, and culture to the world.

Derrell Mundall