Muslims must denounce acts

As the whole world reels and grieves in the face of yet another horrific, cowardly and brutal radical Muslim jihadist attack on innocents, civilization, free speech and decency by a “small” part of Muslims, I am left to wonder: where is the voice and where is the outrage of the clerics, leaders, scholars and supporters of the supposedly nonviolent Quran who are in the vast majority of this religion? Why don’t I see or hear them on the news, in the papers and the media decrying this distortion of their “faith” and denouncing the obviously twisted and sick perpetrators of this disgusting and violent madness?

There are also those of us who rely on reality, feelings, the heart, compassion and an inner moral compass to guide us in life rather than gods, invisible “deities,” prophets, messiahs, gurus, popes, Bibles, Qurans and “holy” books. I have never read an account of agnostic or atheist or humanist slaughter and mass murder in the name of our beliefs.

Can we start to address the underlying root causes and insanity of “religious” wars, crusades and mental illness?

Robert Van den Akker

Monroe

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, April 24

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Patricia Robles from Cazares Farms hands a bag to a patron at the Everett Farmers Market across from the Everett Station in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Editorial: EBT program a boon for kids’ nutrition this summer

SUN Bucks will make sure kids eat better when they’re not in school for a free or reduced-price meal.

Burke: Even delayed, approval of aid to Ukraine a relief

Facing a threat to his post, the House Speaker allows a vote that Democrats had sought for months.

Harrop: It’s too easy to scam kids, with devastating consequences

Creeps are using social media to blackmail teens. It’s easier to fall for than you might think.

Comment: U.S. aid vital but won’t solve all of Ukraine’s worries

Russia can send more soldiers into battle than Ukraine, forcing hard choices for its leaders.

Comment: We have bigger worries than TikTok alone

Our media illiteracy is a threat because we don’t understand how social media apps use their users.

toon
Editorial: A policy wonk’s fight for a climate we can live with

An Earth Day conversation with Paul Roberts on climate change, hope and commitment.

Snow dusts the treeline near Heather Lake Trailhead in the area of a disputed logging project on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, outside Verlot, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Move ahead with state forests’ carbon credit sales

A judge clears a state program to set aside forestland and sell carbon credits for climate efforts.

Don’t penalize those without shelter

Of the approximately 650,000 people that meet Housing and Urban Development’s definition… Continue reading

Fossil fuels burdening us with climate change, plastic waste

I believe that we in the U.S. have little idea of what… Continue reading

Comment: Jobs should be safe regardless of who’s providing labor

Our economy benefits from immigrants performing dangerous jobs. Society should respect that labor.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, April 23

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.