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editorial 18 THE COURIER SUN • SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SNAPS QUEENS DANCE IN THE PARK // PHOTO BY ORESTES GONZALEZ Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). Strength through tolerance Nine days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush delivered perhaps the fi nest address of his administration. He specifi cally highlighted the strength and resolve of the American people in responding to this act of war. He also made it perfectly clear to the entire world that the enemy America faced was not a nation or a religion, but a faction of radical terrorists. “We respect your faith,” Bush said, speaking directly to the Muslim community across the globe. “It’s practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. ... The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.” Fifteen years later, and America’s war on terror is still going. If we’re honest with ourselves, the war may never end, because new terrorist groups seem to rise up when others wither away. Al-Qaeda, which coordinated 9/11, has been diminished, but the world now faces threats from another group of radicals that calls itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Whatever they call themselves, and whatever some of us wish to call them, these terrorist groups do not represent anything religious. They do not speak for Islam, and they never will. While our resolve to defeat the enemies of freedom has never waned since 9/11, we seem to have forgotten President Bush’s reminder that Islam itself is not our enemy. We see this in the shameful presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, and his legion of misguided surrogates, who have championed an anti-Islam agenda that includes the wholly un-American idea of travel bans on people based on religion. This must never be accepted. More than 81,000 Muslims live in Queens, according to estimates from city-data.com. Over the last month, the Queens Muslim community has dealt with incredible tragedy, including the execution of an Ozone Park imam and the recent murder of a businesswoman in Jamaica. The motives for these crimes remain unclear and under investigation, but let there be no doubt that there is no acceptable motive for violence of any kind — especially against people of faith. Queens’ Muslim population must be respected, and Queens residents should always be respectful and tolerant of the differences we all share. “For in the fi nal analysis,” as President John F. Kennedy once said, “our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s futures, and we are all mortal.” sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA SUZANNE MONTEVERDI KATARINA HYBENOVA CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI JACLYN HERTLING DEBORAH CUSICK WARREN SUSSMAN CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR ARTISTS STAFF REPORTERS DIGITAL EDITOR CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS EVENTS COORDINATOR ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com Entire Contents Copyright 2016 by The Courier Sun identify this All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. PLACE VIctoria Media Services assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE COURIER SUN and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the Photo: Stephen Reina/QNS publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.


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