Love thine enemy

don't burn their sacred books

Terry Jones, leader of the fundamentalist Dove World Outreach Center, has the blood of those who were killed in Afghanistan on his hands ("Ignorance and opportunism," April 5). Obviously, he is not a student of history. During the Crusades, hundreds of thousands of Muslims were murdered unless they converted. This was also done to the Jews and others during the Inquisition. Christians have had blood on their hands for all that was done in the name of God.

All religions, whether they are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, all have the same basic tenets. Confucius taught three hundred years before Christ, that you should "Love thine enemy".

Jones and his followers do not practice their faith, they use it as a sword against those who do not believe as they do. A statement by one of his followers on its web site stated "The teaching of the Koran is to be blamed. The leaders of Islam who teach the violence and hatred it contain have blood on their hands". "Free speech, We still have that in America." Free speech is one thing, to use it in hatred for others makes a mockery of that freedom.

It was Jones's actions that prompted the violence. Many Muslim's have said that they reject any killing in the name of religion anywhere, even if it is done in the name of the most sacred scriptures. It's a shame that some religious fanatics in America would destroy another religion's scriptures, then fail to realize they are wrong.

Lois Raimondi Munchel, Forest Hill