I was disappointed that a cartoon in the Tribune exacerbated some of the worst stereotypes of Muslims there are (6/10/09). In failing to clarify any context to the caricatures displayed, the cartoon risks implying that this is a parody of Muslims at large. Contrary to that implication, most Muslim marriages are monogamous and entered into with a commitment to kindness, compassion, and love.

Thank you for bringing the catastrophic number of Iraqi casualties to America's attention.Your article, "Secret tally: At least 87,215 Iraqis dead since 2005," served as a much needed reminder for Americans that U.S. soldiers are not the only ones who are losing their lives in great numbers because of the Iraq War.

I would like to thank you and Christopher Hitchens for the editorial “Brits give Obama blueprint on torture.”

Thank you for allowing Interfaith Worker Justice to speak out against immigration raids. The December 13 editorial, "U.S. must stop workplace raids, enact immigration reform," was right to point out how inhumane, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous it is for the government to initiate these raids.

Thank you for portraying the actions of an individual that will have a lasting effect on an entire community. (Orland Park Teacher Honored for Work with Muslim Students 11/17).

Dear Mr. Nelson, In your recent OpEd you state:

“It must be recognized, sympathetically, that Muslims face a tough task to decisively distance themselves from cynical killers, like evangelical and fundamental Christians have had to do with, say, David Koresh's troublesome Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, or Fred Phelps' questionable, vengeance-stained, judgmental theology.”

Contrary to Nickels' claim, I have no qualms with freedom of speech. In fact, I am obligated to exercise my First Amendment right to refute your letter. The overriding concern remains that when misguided words are used to defame all of Islam, it creates an intensifying cycle of bigotry and that needs to be countered.

Larry Nickels letter, “MDH Should Research Islam” (Morris Daily Herald, Sept. 17) is an example of how ignorance incites hate.

The Associated Press article "Soap opera shakes customs of Arab married life" (July 28) was a nice change from the usual stories that only show Muslims in the context of political oppression and warfare. Unfortunately, the article is still guilty of conveying gross generalizations of Arab and Muslim people

I wish to inform you that I go to a madrassa. There I said it. No really, I go to a madrassa. Before you call the FBI, though, consider that just as "escuela" means "school" in Spanish, "madrassa" means "school" in Arabic.

Dalia Mogahed and John Esposito recently asked one of the most pertinent questions of our time: Who speaks for a billion Muslims? I won't tell you the answer because I recommend that you read their book. But I will give this away: the answer is not Edward Luttwak.

Too often, the news is filled with impersonal or sensational stories. So, I was pleased to read the article 'An Ancient Art.'

It was great to read how Brittany Whitfield’s perspective on Arabs changed for the betteras a result of studying the Arabic language. (More CPS students can learn Arabic, May 2, 2008).

I was surprised to read in the column by Ray Hanania, "Don't let violence sabotage efforts toward peace," that Christians, Muslims and Jews have "never lived together in peace."

Leonard Pitts' editorial "Even if Obama were a Muslim, so what?" (Jan. 29) addresses an issue that the Muslim community faces on a daily basis: the presupposition that there is something wrong with being a follower of Islam.

Tuesday's front page article on "hate Web sites" does a poor job of differentiating between Chicago's own respected community institution, Radio Islam on WCEV 1450 AM, and the foul fringe website masquerading by the same web name and featured in the article.

Goering's piece on the new Australian Burqini' was an eye-opener even for an already modesty-minded Muslim woman such as myself (*a burqa is a loose outer robe that some Muslim women wear to cover their bodies or heads). A spinoff of the word burqa and bikini, it’s swimwear that allows the entire body to remain clothed.

In these times of turmoil it is all too common to hear voices of fear and hatred shouting the loudest. That is why it made me so happy to read Margaret Ramirez’s excellent article, “Islam’s diverse faces take center stage” (6/22/07).