Since converting to Islam more than five years ago, Paul K. DeMelto of Cleveland has done all he could to become a more knowledgeable Muslim, attending a new converts class and hiring Arabic tutors to help him learn to read the Quran.
A survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals that Muslims in the U.S. are more moderate than Muslims in other countries.
The report, "The World's Muslims" shows Muslims here are more likely to believe that people of other faiths can attain eternal life in heaven and are less inclined to support suicide bombings.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the second suspect in the horrific Boston Marathon explosions has been apprehended. Presumably, we can take a break from round-the-clock coverage of the chase that has consumed the nation.
Yesterday, I read an article entitled “Please, God, don’t let the Boston Marathon bomber be a Muslim” and found it to be one of the best op-ed pieces I have ever read. And, unfortunately, the current reports show that the brothers involved in the Boston Marathon attack are, in fact, Muslim. The article as a whole, though, raises personal questions about the ideas of terror and terrorism.
American Muslim leaders said they stand against terrorism committed in the name of Islam, trying to distance themselves from the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings who were identified as Muslims with ties to Chechnya.
"We will never allow ourselves to be hijacked by this attempt, and we will not allow the perception to be that there is any religion in the world that condones the taking of innocent life," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The obscene atrocities associated with extremist Islam certainly convince many that any form of genuine dialogue is impossible. These groups seem to be thoroughly preoccupied with their own ideology and both intellectually and psychologically incapable of reaching across the boundaries that circumscribe these ideologies.
Muslim worshippers are reeling from an arson fire at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, but are grateful for an outpouring of support from the local interfaith community.
“All the support we get is very welcome because if you are going through a tragedy and you have a friend who is holding your hand it means a lot,” said S. Zaheer Hasan, a spokesman for the United Muslim Association of Toledo.