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October 4, 2002/Tishri 28 5763, Vol. 55, No. 6
Letters to the EditorOctober 4, 2002
Wariness, not wishful thinkingEditor:The question of whether there is a silent majority of moderate Muslims was answered by Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, in conjunction with the publication by a local extremist Muslim of the insidious "Multicultural Yellow Pages." ("Ahmad represents Muslim Minority," Jewish News, Sept. 6) In his response to my letter, Bob Rosenberg assured us that the majority of local Muslims are moderate ("Moderate Muslims exist," Jewish News, Sept. 20); and Jasser's father then accused me of pushing aside a friend ("Sense of fair play?" Jewish News, Sept. 27). I did no such thing. They all miss the point. The attitude of the Muslim community toward America and Jews is important because it makes a difference to America's support for Israel and to domestic security. The only way we can know this attitude is to conduct a scientific opinion survey of the Muslim community, which, to my knowledge, has not been done. For Jasser and Rosenberg to assure us, without any evidence, that the Muslim majority is moderate and friendly, is doing us all a disservice, however well intended it may be. The only thing we know for sure about the local Muslim community is that it is largely in the hands of the extremists and that there is no audible protest from the moderates. Wariness, and not wishful thinking, is called for. Carl Goldberg Tempe 'Pax Americana' claims called to questionEditor:I cannot allow the Commentary, "Bush's proposed Pax Americana," (Jewish News, Sept. 27) by Dwight Owen Schweitzer, to go unchallenged. While Mr. Schweitzer is entitled to his opinion, as are we all, his assertion that members of the Supreme Court placed party loyalty before intellectual integrity in causing George W. Bush to become president serves only to call into question his own integrity. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim. As editor and publisher of a newspaper, Mr. Schweitzer owes it to his readership to be factual. It would be helpful if he would share the academic credentials that enable him to judge the Supreme Court. Eugene Schupak Scottsdale Congrats to 'Day School Roundup'Editor:As the parent of a student at The Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School and a professional in the Jewish community, I'm very happy to see the terrific new feature "Day School Roundup" (Jewish News, Sept. 27).. Our day schools are a significant part of the foundation of Jewish life here in the Valley and a key piece in the role of Jewish continuity in our world today. It's great to see the students and faculties of our schools getting the recognition they deserve. Robin Loeb Phoenix
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