Letter: U.S. is at war abroad, and at home
In her column "Rise in Islamophobia is troubling for all of us" [Opinion, Aug. 5], Kavitha Rajagopalan asserts that "people and organizations that openly seek to restrict the rights and freedoms of Muslims" do so "for no other reason than prejudice," and that, "Promoting the wholesale disenfranchisement of a segment of its population is a surefire recipe for trouble in a multicultural society."
First of all, Rajagopalan does not name even one of these "people" or "organizations" she says discriminates against Muslims for being Muslim. Who are they? Second, she asserts the United States is "multicultural," which it is not. Here, we have one culture, the American culture.
Because we are an open, democratic country that values freedom and liberty, people from around the globe can come here and choose to participate in the American culture or not. Most choose to assimilate. Those who do not can still enjoy the fruits of our unique experiment in democracy, but they should be aware that we are at war with Islamist extremists.
Most reasonable people can distinguish between the peace-loving Muslims next door, and Islamo-fascists killing our brave military personnel and innocent civilians, at home and abroad. If the war were isolated abroad, most reasonable people would have no need to fear potential attacks at home from Islamists extremists. But, as the author points out when she mentions the tragedy at Fort Hood, perpetrated by an American Muslim, we have reason to fear, to be alert, and "say something" if we "see something."
If that "something" is a man of apparent Arab descent abandoning a loaded vehicle in midtown Manhattan, as happened last year, then we all still have a problem, don't we? And lamenting this mythical Islamophobia will do nothing to keep this country safe, or to prevent another Sept. 11.
Montgomery J. Granger, Port Jefferson Station
Editor's note: The writer is a retired U.S. Army Reserve major and author of "Saving Grace at Guantánamo Bay: A Memoir of a Citizen Warrior."
