I am confused by a letter to the editor of March 23 titled: "Media must be honest about role of Islam." My response was to reread a 1998 Sojourners Magazine article titled "Is Islam the Enemy?" by Charles Kimball, author and professor of religion at Wake Forest University. Kimball's article stems from his more than 20 years of involvement in Middle East affairs, church-related ministries in Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, and helping to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the 1979-1981 hostage crisis.
His impression from this work, including work with US congregations, led him to find "a pervasive ignorance of and misperceptions about Islam." He writes: "The facile association of Islam with fanaticism and violence confuses rather than clarifies issues." Hence my confusion with the March23 letter to the editor.