Letter from a New Jersey Housewife

The following letter was written by a housewife from New Jersey, and has made its way around the Internet. It is currently playing in an inbox near you:

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not
started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September
11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally
murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our
nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible,
burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated"
when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I
don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents
for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start
caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime
in Saudi Arabia ...

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking
off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed
throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out
and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search
of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their
suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First
Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead
of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up
an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have
been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest
assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told
not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the
bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat,
and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is
complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can
absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran"
and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it - I
don't care !!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail
friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this
ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should
you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities
committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may
I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a
difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem" --
Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND......I hope you
forward all this.

"If we ever for get that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be
a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American
sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister
Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his
Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: "A
simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want
in. And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:



1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM. AMEN!"


This letter displays an almost embarrassing lack of knowledge about Islam, war and the way America works. It is little more than an ill-informed rant. This woman has a right to say as she pleases. However, we as Americans have a responsibility to inform ourselves as much as possible before we begin expressing opinions. An opinion formed in ignorance is invalid.

At the beginning, this woman seems to put forth the notion that Islam is an inherently violent, destructive religion. Using the same logic, one should come to the conclusion that Christianity is an inherently violent religion because of events like the Spanish Inquisition and "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. An article on Islamic website Submission.org reads:

"Some of the terrorist groups which massacre innocent people consider
themselves martyrs. Those who kill the innocent people in the name of their
religion or the name of God, who think of themselves as martyrs should think
twice. Their act is actually strongly condemned by God in the the verses of the Quran."

The woman then states that she will begin to respect the Quran when "the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible." The problem with this is that she clearly doesn't hold the Quran in high regard. Expecting non-Christians to respect the Bible is unreasonable if Christians continue to hold this position. As a Christian, I am ashamed to be associated with this line of thinking. I hold no doubt that this woman would be angered if she saw a copy of the Bible treated in such a way.

Later, she takes issue with the news industry. News outlets make easy targets, so this tends to happen quite a bit. To begin with, she, like many others, speaks of "the media" in the singular, as if it were a single entity rather than a collection of competing organizations. Furthermore, what she says doesn't make a lot of sense. Must journalists chronicle every single opinion held by an American on every single issue? She seems to feel that because she hasn't seen her particular opinion reflected in a media outlet, the news industry must have its hands tied by some overseas power. This is not what journalism is for. Journalism is meant to report facts, not to pander the cockamamie opinions of housewives from New Jersey.

She speaks of the brutal beheading of American businessman Nick Berg by Abu Musab al-Zarquawi. This is clearly inexcusable. No rational person would claim that there is any legitimate reason for Berg's treatment. I certainly will not attempt to. But we must not allow ourselves to believe that the United States is spotless. To my knowledge, no American has committed an act as atrocious as Berg's beheading. But U.S. Marines have also deliberately gunned down civilians in Iraq, and, as yet, none have been charged with murder.

She also complains of the treatment of prisoners, including the fact that they are issued prayer mats and copies of the Quran and fed food that meets Islamic requirements. She says she is especially upset that her tax dollars are going to support these practices. However, the upkeep of prisoners of war is part of the cost of war. If she doesn't like it, maybe she shouldn't have voted for George Bush.

One of the more distressing things about this line of thinking is those who hold these opinions tend to shout down those who disagree as anti-American and treasonous. This is not only ludicrous but also dangerous. Our nation's greatness lies in its willingness to accept more than one idea. Diverse perspectives form the basis of self-government; without them, America would limp along and never make any kind of progress at all. This woman's line of thinking is not patriotism. It is bigotry in the guise of patriotism. We must take care never to confuse the two.