Getting facts

Samad Afridi. Touri Bolourchi. Osman Gani. Ayub Khan. Rahma Salie and unborn child. Robert Elias Talhami.

These are a few of the more than 60 names posted online of Muslims -- other than the terrorists -- who died in the 9/11 attacks.

Are these the names of real people?

I don't know.

So much of what is posted online is inaccurate or made up. Also online are claims that more than a thousand Muslims died in the 9/11 attacks. That figure has been debunked even by Islamic sources.

The list of 60-plus names appears to be the most accurate and most realistic out of a total of 2,995 people, including the terrorists, who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Of those, 184 were in the Pentagon. Other online postings claim there is a mosque inside the Pentagon. This claim is being made during the furor over a proposal to build an Islamic center, including a mosque, near ground zero in New York.

Please note: near ground zero. Most news reports and online postings have said the proposed center would be "at" Ground Zero. The proposed site is two blocks from the former World Trade Center location.

As for the claims that there is a mosque inside the Pentagon, that doesn't appear to be true. There have been Islamic prayer services at the Pentagon, which has a policy of allowing religious observances for special occasions by any religious group, including Christians and Jews.

Another online site claims that a mosque "near ground zero" was damaged in the 9/11 attacks.

I don't know if that's accurate.

Here's the thing: for many individuals with Internet access and e-mail, what they read online is what they believe. We all tend to believe whatever bolsters our point of view.

So if someone sends us an e-mail saying there's a mosque in the Pentagon, or a mosque near ground zero was damaged on 9/11, or President Obama is a Muslim, or all Muslims want to force everyone else to convert to Islam, there is a part of us that too often succumbs to bad information.

Muslims in Cape Girardeau tell me they want to coexist, be a part of the community, help those in need. When my wife and I attended a fundraiser a while back at the Islamic Center for victims of the Haiti earthquake, we were treated like honored guests.

Growing up in a strict Christian household, I was taught as a child that it was the responsibility of all Christians to save lost souls and to convert everyone who hadn't accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior in order to save their souls for eternity.

Might some Muslim or Jew or Hindu take that as a threat to their religious beliefs? I would think so -- just as many Christians feel threatened by similar teachings that the only path to salvation is through Islam.

As the debate over the Islamic center in New York continues, I look for reliable information beyond partisan websites and e-mails from "friends" with agendas. It's not easy.

jsullivan@semissourian.com