Letter: Muslims can stand to meet Americans, too

Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006 | 7:28 a.m.

I read Charles C. Haynes' Aug. 22 commentary in the Las Vegas Sun, "Americans should meet their Muslim neighbors." Mr. Haynes points out that most Americans have a negative view of Islam. However, in his exhortation to get to Americans to understand Islam and its adherents, I would suggest he give the same advice to Muslim countries.

Americans are a tolerant people. Religious freedom is guaranteed here. With an occasional descent into religious intolerance (murder of LDS founder Joseph Smith, numerous arson incidents on Catholic parishes in the early Republic), we "live and let live."

But, in Saudi Arabia, having a Bible in your possession is illegal. If we were to travel there, my wife would have to wear a veil if not a full-blown burqa. And travel would be limited; non-Muslims are barred from Mecca and Medina. Such is the prevailing attitude in many Muslim countries: Allah's way or the highway.

Sensibilities? It's a two-way street. I certainly wouldn't require a Muslim to share in a pork chop dinner. Salt Lake City wouldn't ban Muslims from visiting.

Seeing Islam in a negative light cannot be helped when the media shows Muslims in a display of hatred of us and our ways. Nothing like an Internet video of a beheading of an infidel to garner bad feelings toward you and your religion. To the average Joe in Iowa, all he sees is hatred, terrorists, bombings and people screaming that he's an infidel that must be destroyed.

Getting to know and understand one another is a cause we should all ascribe to. However, I don't see much support for that from the sheiks in Arabia and imams in Sadr City.

Erik R. Batzloff, Las Vegas