Religious Intolerance

Still grappling with a 2003 sexual-assault scandal, the U.S. Air Force Academy now faces charges that overzealous Christians are creating a culture of religious intolerance on its Colorado campus. Cadets have lodged 55 complaints of religious harassment since 2000, including a Jewish cadet being blamed for the death of Jesus and cadets who missed chapel being put into a "heathen flight. " Cadets feel pressured by faculty who reportedly led prayer before exams, signed newspaper ads promoting Jesus, and posted a banner proclaiming, "I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Turley is a professor of public interest law at George Washington University Last week in Washington, the United States hosted an international conference obliquely titled "Expert Meeting on Implementing the U.N. Human Rights Resolution 16/18. " The impenetrable title conceals the disturbing agenda: to establish international standards for, among other things, criminalizing "intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of . . . religion and belief. " The unstated enemy of religion in this conference is free speech, and the Obama administration is facilitating efforts by Muslim countries to "deter" some speech in the name of human rights.

The government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been a key player in the Bush administration's efforts against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants that have retreated into the largely impenetrable areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. However, the Musharraf government has done little to combat Islamic extremists within Pakistan who promote violence and discrimination against religious minorities. When President Bush visits Pakistan tomorrow, he should remind Musharraf that his support for these groups is at odds with not only the protection of human rights but also with his commitment to fight terrorism.

ON SEPT. 7, my faith in the kindness of Philadelphians was restored! My car stalled at the bottom of a hill at Lansdowne Drive and Sweet Briar Road. There's really only a short shoulder and one lane going up to Girard Avenue. Cars are going straight, turning left, and there are only stop signs to slow down traffic. While I put my hazards on and awaited a tow truck, my sister and I counted 21 people, including a police officer, who stopped to see if we were alright, needed a jump or gave us helpful tips, like: "Put your hood up so people will know something's wrong" and "Don't sit in your car, stand on the side.

It crossed my mind (and many other minds) early in the Beltway Sniper case that this might be a terrorist attack. I reserved judgment, realizing - unlike the armchair experts who filled the cable news channels - that I did not know all the facts. But the moment I heard the suspect's name, John Muhammad, the conclusion was obvious. These killings were motivated by a version of the same Islamic ideology that has inspired mass murder around the globe. So why are the government and the mainstream media rushing to avoid that judgment?

Freedom to speak Re: "Air Force Academy/No place for religious intolerance," editorial, May 9: Inappropriateness is not the same as intolerance. The editorial was right to say that instructors leading prayer in classrooms is questionable. People in power should never open themselves to the accusation (however false) of using their position improperly. But the editorial steps over the line into religious discrimination when it condemns evangelism by labeling it religious intolerance.

CATHOLIC CHURCH'S JOURNEY IN AMERICA Perhaps our experience in the United States assisted the Roman Catholic Church in the evolution of its thoughts about church-state relations. Under an American government that constitutionally prohibited an established church, or state church, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States flourished. Often persecuted Roman Catholics from other parts of the world fled to the United States to be able to practice their faith freely. Certainly, the official religious tolerance of the United States attracted other persecuted religious groups, like the Jews and some groups of Protestants.

It's tempting to ignore a Florida pastor's plans to burn copies of the Quran, and deny him the publicity he so obviously craves. But the Rev. Terry Jones would pursue his lunatic-fringe stunt whether it was attended by a solitary blogger or a convoy of satellite TV trucks. Jones' brand of malevolence must be condemned whenever it slithers into the light of day. Saturday is the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Jones, pastor of a church with the incongruous name of Dove World Outreach Center, thinks it is fitting to mark the occasion by torching 200 copies of the sacred text of the Islamic faith.

"I sincerely wish that you may enjoy the holiday and/or celebration of your religious, ethnic or socio-political choice over the coming weeks whenever it/they may fall and whatever it/they may be so named . . . "Now if this card still makes someone angry, the hell with 'em. " When a friend of mine sent the card bearing that message, I thought it was funny. Now I'm not so sure. "Merry Christmas," it seems, is turning out to be bad form - maybe even illegal. A Loudoun County, Va., principal, apparently stung by a lawsuit that accuses him and several other school officials of unconstitutionally encouraging student prayer, recently asked the school's newspaper staff not to use the word "Christmas" in its late December issue.

Jonathan Turley is a professor of public interest law at George Washington University Last week in Washington, the United States hosted an international conference obliquely titled "Expert Meeting on Implementing the U.N. Human Rights Resolution 16/18. " The impenetrable title conceals the disturbing agenda: to establish international standards for, among other things, criminalizing "intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of . . . religion and belief. " The unstated enemy of religion in this conference is free speech, and the Obama administration is facilitating efforts by Muslim countries to "deter" some speech in the name of human rights.

By Babak Ashrafi Philadelphians celebrate the city's well-known place in political history, but we tend to forget our equally exceptional and fascinating scientific heritage. The same Enlightenment ideas that animated the Founding Fathers' creation of the United States also motivated many of them to apply reason toward understanding the natural world. As we prepare for a future increasingly driven by science, technology, and medicine, our history in those fields can provide invaluable perspective.

ON SEPT. 7, my faith in the kindness of Philadelphians was restored! My car stalled at the bottom of a hill at Lansdowne Drive and Sweet Briar Road. There's really only a short shoulder and one lane going up to Girard Avenue. Cars are going straight, turning left, and there are only stop signs to slow down traffic. While I put my hazards on and awaited a tow truck, my sister and I counted 21 people, including a police officer, who stopped to see if we were alright, needed a jump or gave us helpful tips, like: "Put your hood up so people will know something's wrong" and "Don't sit in your car, stand on the side.

It's tempting to ignore a Florida pastor's plans to burn copies of the Quran, and deny him the publicity he so obviously craves. But the Rev. Terry Jones would pursue his lunatic-fringe stunt whether it was attended by a solitary blogger or a convoy of satellite TV trucks. Jones' brand of malevolence must be condemned whenever it slithers into the light of day. Saturday is the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Jones, pastor of a church with the incongruous name of Dove World Outreach Center, thinks it is fitting to mark the occasion by torching 200 copies of the sacred text of the Islamic faith.

The government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been a key player in the Bush administration's efforts against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants that have retreated into the largely impenetrable areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. However, the Musharraf government has done little to combat Islamic extremists within Pakistan who promote violence and discrimination against religious minorities. When President Bush visits Pakistan tomorrow, he should remind Musharraf that his support for these groups is at odds with not only the protection of human rights but also with his commitment to fight terrorism.

Freedom to speak Re: "Air Force Academy/No place for religious intolerance," editorial, May 9: Inappropriateness is not the same as intolerance. The editorial was right to say that instructors leading prayer in classrooms is questionable. People in power should never open themselves to the accusation (however false) of using their position improperly. But the editorial steps over the line into religious discrimination when it condemns evangelism by labeling it religious intolerance.

Still grappling with a 2003 sexual-assault scandal, the U.S. Air Force Academy now faces charges that overzealous Christians are creating a culture of religious intolerance on its Colorado campus. Cadets have lodged 55 complaints of religious harassment since 2000, including a Jewish cadet being blamed for the death of Jesus and cadets who missed chapel being put into a "heathen flight. " Cadets feel pressured by faculty who reportedly led prayer before exams, signed newspaper ads promoting Jesus, and posted a banner proclaiming, "I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.

It crossed my mind (and many other minds) early in the Beltway Sniper case that this might be a terrorist attack. I reserved judgment, realizing - unlike the armchair experts who filled the cable news channels - that I did not know all the facts. But the moment I heard the suspect's name, John Muhammad, the conclusion was obvious. These killings were motivated by a version of the same Islamic ideology that has inspired mass murder around the globe. So why are the government and the mainstream media rushing to avoid that judgment?

DEAR RAMONA Africa: Regarding yet another attempt by MOVE to fortify your home (article, Sept. 17), you stated that "they know how we feel about our children. " Let's see what history has taught us about how you feel about your children: You have a history of letting them live in filth. The've been blessed with the right to run around naked. You've used them as shields against the police. You held them prisoner in a home that was an inferno. And MOVE shot at the police officers trying to aid "your children's" escape out the back door of a burning building.