La Voz

I'm quite taken back and disappointed by Reginald James' letter to the editor in the Oct. 16 issue titled, "Violent response does not represent Islam".

The overall message is swell. Don't get me wrong. I wholeheartedly agree that Islam is misrepresented in the media. But frankly, I'm insulted by the little messages in between the lines and the greater things that they imply.

To begin with, shame on you, La Voz, for publishing the letter. Your letters policy states, "Letter content must not be libelous." Dictionary.com defines libelous statements as those that are "harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign." James mentions in his letter that, "much of our news is Zionist-controlled."

Ouch? Indeed.

First of all, a response to harmful and false generalizations about Muslims with another harmful and false generalization towards another culture is just backwards and ridiculous.

Second of all, the accusation is as false as false can be. There is no proof, no evidence or even any reality backing James' statement. It's just a common and hateful stereotype that's easier to say than it is to actually think about - the same as saying all Muslims are terrorists.

And finally, the greatest ouch of them all. In a country where critical thinking takes a back seat and dichotomies rule our lives, it is crucial that we remove our blinders and question the trash we're fed.

There's a lot of skewed information out there. There are false stereotypes and sketchy half-truths used to create a black and white image of an infinitely complex world. Isn't it time to leave "good guys" and "bad guys" to science fiction writers? Isn't it time to fight racism and ignorance together?

-Amit Deutsch

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