To the Editor:
The "sharia" or Islamic code of law - not to be confused with the Koran itself - calls For whipping homosexuals and stoning adulterers. Surely homosexuality and adultery are what we call "abominations", and Jesus taught forgiveness and said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
I'm a big sinner so I'm not going to stone anybody, yet it is my right and duty to at least specify that homosexuality and adultery are mortal sins. David committed adultery with Bathsheba. He did penance. A sin can be Forgiven.
Maybe this is the key difference between Christianity and Islam. We who are at least would-be Christians believe in the power of forgiveness.
The Koran itself is a beautiful poem, like Dante's Divine Comedy, but it is not an infallible guide to faith. It resembles the Old Testament. There is now conflict in European countries where Muslims are increasing in number, about whether the harsh code of law ("sharia") should be tolerated.
Can there be too much tolerance? A woman in Nigeria was almost stoned for adultery after being raped. She had no blame, but can we tolerate fanatic Muslim extremists such as these? It isn't just about head-covering anymore. Nevertheless, many Muslims are as tolerant as can be and, in general, they have character superior to the jaded, perverted character of those in the "Christian" world. Salaam. Peace.
Richard Kovac