It is fair to say that women in many parts of the Muslim world have been prevented from receiving equal rights with men. But it is not fair to say that the rights of women in Iraq have somehow gotten better because of the presence of American troops in the country, an idea Karen Hughes tried to sell to Muslim women who oppose the war in Iraq.

The lack of understanding towards Islam and the Middle East among Americans was displayed openly in the efforts of Karen Hughes to urge Saudi women to demand more “freedoms” that allow them to “fully participate in society” like women in the United States do (“Saudi women give Hughes as earful,” Sept. 28).

Reading about how 74 percent of Americans do not believe “the goal of overthrowing Iraq’s authoritarian government and establishing a democracy was by itself a good enough reason to go to war” should make all Americans wonder if describing their beloved country as a democracy is still appropriate (“55% reject using force to spread democracy,” Sept. 30).

As the U.N. Security Council prepares to hear Iran’s violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it would be useful to remind them of what happened in Iraq when sanctions were imposed (“Nuclear agency votes to report Iran to UN council,” Sept. 25).

The newest reports of abuse in Iraq by American soldiers is just one more reason why we need to bring our troops home now (“GIs: Beating of prisoners was routine,” Sept. 24).

In the Chicago Tribune article, Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza, Victor Davis Hanson does nothing more than point fingers and demonize the Palestinian people. It is true that the Palestinian Authority has seriously lacked in making progress in peace and solidarity with Israel. But the Israeli government is far from “welcoming a democratic Palestinian state” as Hanson claims in his article. The mere removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied territory is not a grand step for peace on Israeli side when there is many innocent Palestinians that die daily at the hands of the Israeli government.

Victor Davis Hanson fails to recognize the primary difference between Iraq and Afghanistan and the situation in Palestine (“Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza,” Sept. 23). He writes, “President Talabani and his Iraqi parliament, like President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, are making progress as they fight the radical Islamic enemies of democracy and the rule of law. Mahmoud Abbas, in contrast, has not begun.” Perhaps it would be easier for Abbas start a battle against militants if he too had the American army to back him up.

In the article, "Al-Qaida Set to Infiltrate Gaza: Israeli Security Chief," it states the fear of Israel security chief, Yuval Diskin, in relation to al-Qaida finding their way into Israel. With no proof of such a thing occurring, it is hard to believe that this is truly a threat to the Israeli people.

When Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, called Hurricane Katrina “a punishment from God for President Bush’s role in forcing Israelis to leave the Gaza Strip,” there was no mistaken demand made that all Jews worldwide rise up and deny these statements (“Israeli rabbi makes Katrina comments,” Sept. 16). People did not ask, “Where are the moderate Jews?” even though it is a reflexive question asked today whenever something is said or done by people claiming to be Muslims.

When Dr. Wiley Bennett, pastor of a Baptist church in Texas, called Hurricane Katrina “a warning shot” and claimed that New Orleans was targeted for punishment from God because the United States “‘right now is in a deep state of sin,’” there was no mistaken demand made that all Christians worldwide rise up and deny these statements (“Pastor’s sign rubs salt in wounds of downtrodden,” Sept. 16). People did not ask, “Where are the moderate Christians?” even though it is a reflexive question asked today whenever something is said or done by people claiming to be Muslims.

Since Israel’s two chief rabbis have requested that the pope condemn the dismantling of the synagogues in the Gaza Strip in an effort to improve Christian-Jewish relations, there are a few things I am sure all Palestinians would also like to see the pope do (“Rabbis urge pope to condemn synagogue destruction,” Sept. 16).

Rep. Tom Tancredo has once again proven that fanatic, close-minded people can be of any religious background (“9/11 memorial under fire,” Sept. 14). His assertion that the Flight 93 memorial “honors the terrorists” because it is shaped like a crescent is comical. According to this logic, a person who hangs the cross pays tribute to the crusaders, the Ku Klux Klan, the people who bomb abortion clinics and all other Christian terrorists.

The September 14 editorial titled “The UN and Sheriff Bolton” claims that the United Nations has been corrupt for years and that finally the United States is standing up to this world body and demanding reform. “Americans can be proud of their government's long overdue assault on UN timidity, negligence and corruption” wrote the editorial board. Unfortunately there is absolutely no blame placed on the United States for the current obsoleteness of the United Nations.

There is a wealth of irony in the appointment of Tariq Ramadan to the British task force to aid the British panel in examining the roots of extremism in the country. Ramadan has been accused by the country on numerous occasions of being “more dangerous than several well-known radical preachers”.

While our country struggles to ensure democracy grows all over the world, it seems that our politicians forget that we already have an established democracy here at home, one that holds them accountable to the American people. This responsibility is ignored when it comes to the Patriot Act, which both the House and Senate voted to renew despite its baffling objectives and provisions (“Poll: Patriot Act mystery to most,” Aug. 31).

The article “Bush Hails Freedoms, but Experts See Confusion and Trouble” in the August 30, 2005 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times by Anne Gearan illustrates confusion with Iraq’s new constitution on the subject on Islam and democracy coexisting. The article, with a sub-heading entitled Islam or democracy? insinuates that the two cannot exist together.

There is a myth circulating around the world that women’s rights in the West are perfect. Thus any other body of rights is automatically labeled as discriminatory. In his column Derrick Z. Jackson propagates this myth by claiming, “It would be a travesty of American women, who have fought for equality to the level of dying in the military, did all this dying only to watch the burials of women’s rights in Iraq” (“What are our women fighting for?” Aug. 15).

Instead of letting emotional photographs and one-sided stories get the best of us, the facts on the Palestinian-Israeli issue should be reexamined. Everyone has seen the footage and heard the stories about the sadness and disparity of the Jewish settlers who were evicted from the Gaza Strip, but one must not forget the reasons for the removal of the settlers in the first place.