Islamic silence on terror is deafening

To the editor:

Tani Bohnert is, of course, correct when she said that terrorism is not always religious. However, in recent history innocent blood has been shed by true believers of Islam. The children in the Beslan school were the target. One terrorist was apparently murdered by his leader when he objected to killing children, but he still apparently had no qualms about murdering their unarmed and defenseless parents. Does it matter that the Beslan terrorists might have been motivated by a desire to have Chechnya free of Russia?

If you prefer to believe the means justify the ends, you will want your news sanitized to avoid facing reality. We need to be reminded who our enemy is. I believe that the silence of Islamic religious leaders on these murders is deafening but telling. The telling being that they may be in fear for their own lives if they denounce them.

ROBERT T. LUCAS, Cape Girardeau