Letters

Christianity, Islam and the Pope

In anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, we explored how the Pontiff's remarks on Islam have made him a lightning rod in conflicts worldwide pitting that faith against the West. Prayers for peace, suggested readers, would be answered only through some soul searching by members of all faiths

It would be better if Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders would seek open dialogue with Muslim clerics rather than confront them with inflammatory debate [Nov. 27]. Christianity and Islam have glorious yet violent pasts; both have lost their way with stubborn claims to exclusive truth and the consequent rise of intolerant fundamentalism. Leaders of neither religion can claim the moral high ground, given their failure to shelter the innocent during the great wars and genocides of the 20th century. In the 21st century, both religions have the moral obligation to face the future together.

EDWARD D. WALKER

East Lansing, Mich.

TIME's story said,"The Roman Catholic Church's own record in the religious-mayhem department is hardly pristine," suggesting that the church has no business criticizing jihadist Islam. But right now Muslims are free to practice their faith in Christian-dominated nations, while non-Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries are severely, sometimes violently, restricted. The Pope is to be commended, not sneered at, for sticking his neck out for the sake of interfaith dialogue based on doctrine, reason and truth.

DAVID PEARSON

North Branford, Conn.

Demagogic leaders can exploit a host of religious texts to advocate the use of violence. Even Satan can recite Scripture. Perhaps we should be less concerned about the particular doctrinal precepts of Islam and more concerned about poverty and insufficient educational standards in the Middle East.

STEPHEN D. WAGNER III

Massapequa Park, N.Y.

If Islam is such a peaceful religion, why are so many of those who engage in terrorism avowed Muslims? Why do Muslims claim the West is oppressing them when oil prices are going through the roof? Muslims must take a good look at themselves and their way of thinking to find out what has gone wrong with their societies for the past five centuries.

LEO W. DAVIS

Waco, Texas

Any decent, fair-minded person has a moral obligation to condemn extremism, religious or secular. But the Pope's peremptory linking of Islam and violence is irrational and irresponsible, especially when such a wildly inaccurate judgment comes from somebody whose religion has historically caused much more extensive and brutal suffering than Islam ever has.

HUSAM DUGHMAN

Toronto

The article on Pope Benedict XVI leaves one with the impression that the Pope is a moral leader of great stature. He is not. His stances on abortion, contraception and stem-cell research are deplorable and, because of his authority, extremely harmful to many innocent people. Since Islam shares many of his mistaken values, we should fear that he will use any contacts made during his visit to Turkey to expand the influence (and harm) of his moral mistakes.

GERALD H. PASKE

Wichita, Kans.

Monotheistic religions that lay claim to the one and only possible truth are doomed by their very nature to end up in conflict. The only way out is to free ourselves from these ancient divisive creeds and thus extinguish their fires of righteousness. A little more humility about the human condition and our relation to a higher power would go a long way toward healing what divides us.

CAROLYN D. LEWIS

Ocean View, Del.

It is strange to find the term reason in a religious debate, especially when there is no mention of that single most important human value that defines what we really want and need and that allows everything else to fall into place: namely, compassion.

SERGEI HEURLIN

Culver City, Calif.

The Challenge to Islam

Re Father Richard Neuhaus' Viewpoint [Nov. 27], in which he explained that Pope Benedict XVI is challenging Muslims to confront hard truths: Islam indeed has a menacing aspect, and the Pope finally addressed it directly. Since the defeat of the Turks in Vienna in 1683 and the subsequent decline of Muslim power, jihadists have dreamed of reconquering the Christian West. Islam has an expansion policy, which is that every Muslim has a duty to spread the religion in the name of the Prophet. Criticized as a myopic hard-liner when elected, Benedict might become the Pope of progress in Christian-Muslim relations.

VEITH RUEHLING

Augsburg, Germany

Neuhaus made the most important point of all when he said, "Mosques proliferate throughout cities in the West, while any expression of non-Islamic religion is strictly forbidden in many Muslim countries." No matter what moral failures we find in the "Christianized" West, people have the freedom to exercise their faith and religion. For people to be deprived of that freedom in Muslim countries is immoral.

JAMES E. RUARK

Kentwood, Mich.

Defining Europe

Commentator Tariq Ramadan's Viewpoint column urged the West to remember "the critical role that Muslims played in the development of Western thought" [Nov. 27]. If Ramadan wants to bolster the image of Islam in the West today, however, he would do better to implore Muslims around the world to protest any and all acts of violence, intimidation and terrorism committed in the name of Allah. Only when Muslims learn to accept Christians and members of other religions will they no longer be taken as a threat to world peace.

JACK TREESE

Simi Valley, Calif.

Ramadan listed "mutual respect of human rights, basic freedoms, rule of law and democracy" as values common to Christianity and Islam. But instead of claiming that Islam is misunderstood, why don't Muslims openly oppose Islamic nations that do not share those ideals? And even if Islamic radicals make up only a "marginal minority" of the roughly 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, that is still an enormous number of fanatics willing to die and take as many infidels with them as they can.

RICHARD COLE

San Jose, Calif.

Lessons of Vietnam

President George W. Bush's visit to Vietnam was another missed opportunity to make amends for his failed policies [Nov. 27]. Instead of acknowledging the peaceful nature of his visit to a former enemy nation and declaring that, despite the present situation in Iraq, he looks forward to the day when a future American President can visit Baghdad and safely travel by motorcade through the capital, he sheepishly avoided the comparisons of Iraq with Vietnam. Americans know Iraq is a mess, and maybe the President knows it too. But before it can be cleaned up, we need a President who can engage the world and pony up to reality.

CHRISTOPHER E. BERG

New York City

Bush seemed to suggest that the lesson of the Vietnam War was that we should have stayed the course. But the real lesson of the Vietnam War was that we should never have intervened. The U.S. war against that poor country left millions of innocent Vietnamese civilians dead and millions more wounded. The other lesson we failed to learn was how easily the U.S. government can lie and lead us into war. In Vietnam it was the big lie about a U.S. warship's being attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. In Iraq it was the even bigger lie about weapons of mass destruction.

MASSIMO PODRECCA

New York City

While in Hanoi, President Bush said, "We tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while." I would like to remind everyone that it was the Administration that said invading Iraq and securing the country were going to be a walk in the park, an affair of a few months at most.

PHILIP DE LOURAILLE

Los Gatos, Calif.

President Bush demonstrated that he has learned little if anything from history when he said that the main lesson of Vietnam is, "We'll succeed unless we quit." The Vietnam War was lost after 58,000 American troops and millions of Vietnamese civilians died over 14 years. More bombs were dropped on that tiny country than were used by all sides in all of World War II. That's giving up? The lessons of Vietnam are many, but chief among them are that invading forces cannot subdue a native population fighting a guerrilla war; that Americans will not support endless costly wars of choice; and that humility, caution and planning are essential in military operations.

DANIEL BREZENOFF

Long Beach, Calif.

Rebuilding the House

Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed in her campaign to elect her ally John Murtha as House majority leader [Nov. 27]. But why should anyone have been surprised by Pelosi's decision to support the populist Murtha? The Democrats' gain in the election was primarily driven by dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, not support for left-wingers. I'm not sure, however, that either party deserved to win. The constant bickering by both parties is appalling and discouraging.

GLEN WILSON

Westerville, Ohio

Less than two weeks on the job, and already Pelosi is screwing up. I have to admit I am loving it. After years of hearing Republicans called everything from cowboys to Nazis, it's a blast watching the Dems fall over one another to make fools of themselves.

MICHAEL CHIMENTI

New York City

Heading South?

Your article on the disintegrating state of affairs in Miami struck a personal chord in our home [Nov. 27]. My wife lived in Miami for 14 years, and when I was a child, I would visit the city each year with my folks. We both have seen vast changes to the lifestyle that Floridians used to enjoy. When we visited Miami a year ago, we were dismayed to find it overcrowded with traffic, lacking in customer service at retailers and restaurants and generally difficult to enjoy. It seems Miami has big-city problems and a small-town mentality. What was once a beautiful, pleasant city has become an example of expansion and corruption gone wild.

VICTOR PEREZ

Schaumburg, Ill.

TIME's story was way off base. Miami boasts the most beautiful beaches in the U.S., and it attracts tourists from everywhere in the world, so many that airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale are being expanded. Miami has a perfect climate for a stress-free lifestyle, with no snow to shovel or heating bills to pay. The city will continue to attract young families.

BRIAN KOSLOW

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Healing the CDC

"What Ails The CDC" [Nov. 27] provided an incomplete picture of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's reorganization and recent achievements. Here are a few: for the first time in 10 years, childhood immunization rates in America do not differ by race and ethnicity. The CDC is collaborating on efforts to help save 100,000 lives from hospital infections. We've also created faster diagnostic tests for influenza, botulism and other illnesses and created a campaign to make HIV testing routine, so that people can more readily access lifesaving treatment and prevention services. The CDC has increased its ability to face urgent threats like bioterrorism and flu pandemics, and we want to do the same for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and obesity. While we are proud of our accomplishments, our reorganization is based on the recognition that we must create new networks and greater collaboration, both inside and outside the agency, to succeed.

JULIE LOUISE GERBERDING, DIRECTOR

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Atlanta

Win the War! Save String!

TIME reported that American troops in Iraq are using Silly String to detect trip wires affixed to bombs [Nov. 27]. Rather than ask civilians to mail cans of it to the troops, shouldn't we just ask Halliburton to order it by the truckload? That would be quicker since the company seems to have an unlimited government expense account. Or have the Defense Department buy Silly String directly from the manufacturer and ship it on military transport. Here's a third idea: buy all the Silly String you can find, and drop it off at the closest military base to be shipped along with the same troops whose lives the stuff could save.

KAREN GARNER

Newport News, Va.