June 30, 2017   Below is a LTE (Letter to the Editor) I wrote to the local pooper-paper after reading the April 2017 edition. On page six of that "paper" I read a comparison that turned my stomach. It sickened me to read the author equate the Jews on the St. Louis running for their lives from Hitler with the Muslims trying to enter our country today. Some come legally; some illegally, but even those who come and try to enter via the correct channels if they lie about why they are coming here, or who they were while in their former country -- a country shepherd compared to an ISIS fighter, or some such thing -- then they should be kicked out and sent packing back to ISIS or whatever. If they are not truly being persecuted back at "home" (no matter where that may be) then we've got enough Islamic people here and we've had enough people overstaying their visas and/or lying about their circumstances to get in here who actually want to do us harm and we don't need more. The September 11th attacks were committed by 19 men who overstayed their visas and came into our country via lying to authorities about why they were here. It's time we start protecting ourselves with our first line of defense, "Just Say NO!", and send them packing! If they want to get on a wait list and come over in due time, that's fine. We can do that. But the influx right now is killing America, overloading our systems and it's costing America jobs, peace of mind and security. It needs to stop.

Putting all of that aside for a moment, though, she did a disgusting comparison and I wrote to tell them about it. I sent this to both the author and the owner/editor. Will it ever see print? I doubt it. But that's why I have my website. Read it below.

Letter to the Editor:

In the April 2017 of your paper I was appalled to read in the article by Maureen Rupe on page 6 the section titled "I am an Immigrant". I waited to respond because I hoped that a Jewish Rabbi or someone of the Jewish faith would write in and destroy the nonsense of the opinion, but it did not happen. Or, if it did happen, you, the owner/editor chose to not publish it. The portion that appalled me was this:

"My heart goes out to all refugees and Muslims that have nothing to do with terrorism, yet are targeted for their country of birth.

"In World War II, the United States refused a ship full of Jews sanctuary, but sent them back, where they were sent to the gas chamber and their death."

Second, I am appalled by the whole idea of equating the Jews who, at the time, were fleeing Nazi Germany's inroads into the rest of Europe and Hitler's hatred of Jews, with "Muslims that have nothing to do with terrorism". The Jews on the St. Louis were trying to escape someone who was set on murdering them, as history proves. They were not part of a very violent religion or sect: they were fleeing for their very lives. Of the thousands of Middle Easterners who have been given entry into America under the previous administration, very few of those have been in fear of their lives; i.e. Christians facing certain death if they did not leave before Muslims murdered them. Of the Muslims currently entering the country, they all have the same holy book and it teaches them certain things.

Islam, as a religion, teaches hatred of Jews, specifically, and "infidels" generally. In the Koran/Qu'ran, we see in "The Cow":

"[2.88] And they say: Our hearts are covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief; so little it is that they believe."

"[2.98] Whoever is the enemy of Allah and His angels and His apostles and Jibreel and Meekaeel, so surely Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers."

"[5.33] The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,"

"[9.30] And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"

I think this is an abominable equation in many other ways. Even those Muslims "that have nothing to do with terrorism" are told to pay (sometimes by the government of their country) the "zakat" - a kind of tithe and that tithe often goes to their mosque, which in turn can give it to support terrorist organizations. So even those who have never picked up a gun to kill, or participated in a violent riot can be supporting terrorism. If a Jew gave to an organization that supported killing Muslims because they are not Jewish I'd be equally appalled.

The history of Islamic countries attacking the only Jewish country on the face of the earth is legion. From the first days of Israel's existence to the way the Islamic country representatives speak in public, there has been a long history of Islamic physical and verbal attacks on Israel. To equate Muslims to Jews after this history is like equating Hitler to his victims.

Muslims fight amongst their own sects: Sunnis kill Sufi, and they both hate Ahmadiyya Islam. There are sects within Judaism, too, but rarely (if ever) do you see them fighting and killing each other. When Judaism fights you see them fighting to defend their small nation against Islamic attackers.

The Jews who were on the St. Louis were true refugees in fear for their lives; the current crop of Islamic immigrants can be anyone from terrorists lying about their true intentions to the child accompanying a parent whose company transferred him/her to an American branch. Muslims today have not just their own countries to go to, but forty-eight other Muslim majority countries around the world. Why here, or in any of the other Western countries where they know they'll be the minority (at least for a while longer)? Why not go to a country where Islam is the majority and there will be no problem integrating? As for them being "targeted for the country of their birth", what is the country of their birth? Just because some are coming over from "Country X" that doesn't mean they were born there.

The thing that sticks with me is that 9/11 was committed by Islamic men who lied about their reasons to be here, overstayed their visas and "allegedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel" among other alleged reasons. Before that, we saw the first attack on the World Trade Center (its parking garage) done by followers of Islam. Since then we've seen many other instances of Muslims killing innocent people from the Boston Marathon bombing to Fort Hood, none of those attacks were carried out by Jews. Equating the two is revolting.

If the author wants to feel sorry for someone let her give her compassion to the Christians who tried to immigrate from the majority Muslim countries because they were being persecuted, their neighbors, fathers, brothers, children murdered in front of them and those who weren't murdered by Muslims [I didn't finish the thought: Add "were taken as slaves"]. How about feeling sorry for the less than two percent of Christian applicants the former president allowed into America although they are the ones who are really facing persecution? How about feeling sorry for them and comparing them to the Jews because that's a more realistic comparison. Jews fled for their lives and to save their children as do modern day Christians in majority Muslim countries. How about she stop wasting her pity on the perpetrators and start giving it to the actual persecuted victims: Christians from Muslim countries?

The author of your paper's outrage may be "an immigrant" but she is also ill-informed, willing to put our country at risk for the sake of being politically correct and it's not just wrong, it's despicable to equate Jews running for safety from a terrorist-cum-dictator with those who could be repeating the history of 9/11's terrorists. We know where she stands. As for me, I stand with Israel.

Linda McKinney

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