Show TMIIMMI Friday March 1 2002 A4 The Herald journal iedU Our view The Olympics: A storied affair ' ’ tary and against the law his show had nothing on the fireworks Recently a group of Russian exchange students visited Sky View High They were welcomed with the Russian national anthem and cheering students - Meanwhile a Salt Lake City television station was rushing to cover the event but they arrived late By the time they showed the students had —for the most part — dispersed So wanting to recapture the magic the school and television requested that the smiling masses take their places once again and dial the band reassemble The Russian students were loaded back into a van They jumped back out of the van a second time and were cheered ' enthusiastically and the band struck the national anthem again That seems distinctly Utah: Being gracious enough to welcome guests twice but too frugal to pay for two welcoming committees Well the Olympics arc over and now everyone has slumped into a Games funk Our Olympic covhas arrived hack in Logan team erage and life has gone back to abnormal While the media did story after story on almost every conceivable aspect of the games here arc a couple of collected stories about the media during the Games: On the way to the media shuttle bus alter the closing ceremonies nature placed an urgent call to one particular' journalist Instead of walking the SO feet to a has which was equipped with a lavatory the journalist ducked behind a tree to relieve himself While being disrespectful unsani- post-Wint- er Making case for Islam harder By Be sty Hart s Your view To the editor: On Feb 22 2002 The Herald Journal ran an article titled “Logan businesses endorse conservation" in the Outdoors section According to this article 50 Logan businesses signed a petition written by the USU Ecological Coalition of Students The petition listed five “issues" the ' first of which was “recommending the Mi Naomi roadless area for Wilderness designation" Designated Wilderness docs not permit motorized or mechanized vehicles Aside from a 15 mile the Boss Canyon trailnear the Utah-Idah- o border this area is already closed to summer motorized vehicles and will remain closed ' Jews” At the Wasatch-Cach- whether Osama bin Laden is just a victim of prejudice and “maps of the Middle East hang on classroom walls but Israel is missing” Several students at the Saudi Academy told the Post that “in Islamic studies they are taught that it is better to shun and even to dislike Christians Jews and Shiite Muslims" One student said his instructors “teach students that whatever is kuf-fir is okay for you’ to hurt or steal from that person” Don’t lookto UN for peace National e ar m (non-Musli- 1 ne ed - ' a stu- dents discuss John Boig North Logan Forest (WCNF) planning team's pro-- ’ posed plan To the editor Mechanized vehicles include bicyThere are those who believe Sep- cles Consequently the petition signtember 1 1 makes the case for an ers are telling the WCNF planning international coalition That we must (earn and the community that they work with the world’s nations to help want the following trails (and several ' combat terrorism Making short-termore) closed to mountain bikes Jardine Juniper strategic alliances to accomplish our nation’s military objectives is one Blind Hollow ' Hansen Pond (connects Twin thing Entangling ourselves indefiCreek and Blind Hollow) nitely with a whole ledgue of ' Twin Creek nations some of whom are avowed and historic enemies is altogether Creek Bunchgrass different The United Nations (UN) Tony Grove to White Pine Lake is this league of nations to which I White Pine Creek refer To those not familiar with this While Pine Creek to Bunchgrass international body may I suggest ' Creek ' that you find out everything you can Steam Mill Canyon Green Canyon Upper Singletrack ' because this entity that pontificates peace and security for the world is (up to Naomi Wilderness) not what it seems to be: Why is it Mountain bikes were banned from that we can spot a spurious salesman' trails on 25 of the Logan Ranger District in 984 when the Naomi and or have a healthy distrust for our Wellsville Wilderness Areas were nation's politicians but become' san-guiwhen a stranger from a foreign designated I regularly rode many of ' ' those trails before they were closed- country talks about world peace and And while I hated to see them security? One would think after9-- H that closed I've accepted the need for some of the National Forest to be Americans would never ' ' trust their freedoms to Strangers or designated Wilderness But enough is enough' V foreigners again Indeed we mustn’t We must muster that old jealousy Do the 50 business owners really : sired by our founding fathers and think it’s necessary to close these trails to the many folks who ride start standing fierce guard over our mountain bikes in this community?- v liberties We must rise from our Trails fort haVe'alrcady been closed slumbering trances in front of our to motorized users in an area where televisions and pick up our pens and ' ' there’s little to zero possibility of ' future commercial logging See YOUR VIEW on A6 Al-Qal- ' school seg-ment- of underthe ed tudents at the Saudi Islamic Academy according to The Washington Post “study energy and matter in physics write out differential equations Then they file into their Islamic studies class where the textbooks tell them the Day of Judgment can’Lcome until Jesus Christ returns to Earth breaks the cross and converts everyone to Islam and until Muslims start attacking This is just one consequence of the petition measures that may not have been fully explained by petition promoters There are many others that uninformed signers may not agree with once they understand all the facts The WCNF planning team has spent a tremendous amount of time and effort preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Plan for their forest plan revision I’d suggest that anyone at least make a quick scan of these documents before signing up to draconian measures that are neither desirable or necessary for forest health Wilderness doesn’t permit vehicles ' Saudi money tips the scales towards the latter says Ali who is both Saudi and Muslim He runs the Virginia-base- d Saudi Institute that promotes religious tolerance in his homeland Al- Ahmed is outspoken about what are by all accounts large amounts of Saudi money supporting an array of institutions in this United States including schools like the Saudi sees Academy and what as its “corrupting” influence in American Muslim life The Saudi regime backs a rigid branch of Islam known as Wahabism organization has exten- No these are not schools in Muslim countries They are elite Muslim (fay schools in the United States near Washington DC educating both American-bor- n Muslims and diplomatic children There are hundreds rrf Muslim day schools in America serving all ages and die number is growing The struggle these schools face suggests the POst is between die path some have choseii of greater tolerance and openness to the world or becoming places where1' they (Muslim students) don’t have 'to assimilate ” as one teacher described her school’s mission ed sively reviewed Saudi textbooks including those used at the Saudi Acad- emy and other American Muslim schools (The Institute will soon publish an expose “Saudi Religious Curriculum: What Do They Tkach?”) He told me standard instruction focuses on Jews that “they are behind eve con- spiracy they created the French Revolution in order to destroy morality and even started World War L” Christians and Shiite Muslims are also excoriated As outlined to the Post' an llth-gratextbook used at the ' Academy teaches a “sign of foe Day of Judgment will be that Muslims will fight and kill Jews who will hide behind trees that say : ’Oh Muslim oh servant of God here is a Jew hiding ! behind me Come here and kill him”’ ' So what do prominent Muslim organizations have to say? My calls on the matter to the Saudi Embassy ed de went unrctumed The spokesman for the Council on American-Islami- c Relations a leading American Mus- lim group would only refer me to the Council on Islamic Educatiori (CIE) The CIE spokesman (who did not want to give me his name even ' though he was quoted in the Post piece) told me that maps excising Israel must be “ancient maps” They are not He mqmtams his organization’s goals are to five up to the ideals of Islam and America Does the teaching apparently going on at these schools qualify? He refused to say arguing that these reports might not be true or might be taken out of context and in any event foe media were trying to create an impression of Islam that's not real The Council on Islamic Education will not be looking into foe matter he said because it only deals with public schools Some argue that such teaching is only “extreme” Islam anyway and that some things taught at Christian schools can sound strange too But of course no one is worried about genuinely peace- -' ful Muslims nor are “extremist” Christians blowing up airplanes Since private schools are rightly free to preach virtually anything foe only response may be to expose what’s being taught in trany such schools and for prominent Muslim groups to actively denounce and disassociate froth ' them Already one anonymous official at the Saudi Academy told the Post that he had no knowledge of intolerant passages or views being taught but that textbooks with sudh (offensive) passages would be replaced soon” Oh really? Aqd how soon? Leaders of the American Muslim community must forcefully respond now If they don’t it will make it harder for them to credibly argue that the media are trying to create an impression of Islam that’s not real This column and other personal columns in foe Herald Journal may express opin- ions that do not align exactly with your own If you disagree please respond wjth a letter to foe editor or contact adtor Charles McCollum about a possible guest comExt 3020 mentary (Phone:752-212- 1 cmccollumOhjnewscom) See information box at bottom of page for more details : Lawmakers LOGAN-MUNICIPA- COUNCIL L Thomas Kerr 35 N 1400 East 2 Logan 84321 Alan Allred 1535 E 1500 North 4 Logan 84341 Steve Thompson 37 S 200 West Logan 84321 753-601-9 Karen Borg 1 670N1 600 East Logan 84341 753-696-3 TamI Pyfer South PI 84321 753-752-8 752-315- 753-822- 52-13- CACHE COUNTY COUNCIL Darrel Lee Gibbons —representing the north dstrict — 840 S 1600 : West Lewiston 84320 258-523-8 Layrie Beck —representing the northeast district— 628 E 380 South Smithfield 84335 563-322- 8 John A Hansen —representing the south district— 252 EJtain Hyrum 84319245-658- - 4 Larry Anhder— representing the southeast dhtrict — 3475 S 250 West Logan 84321 7595104 Cory Yeates— representing Logan district No 1—281 S 100 East Logan 84321752-902- 7 Robison— representing Logan Kathy dstrict No 2-- 335 N 400 WMt Logan 84321753-510- 9 Craig Petersen —representing Logan dstrict No &— 1440 E 1220 North Logan 84341752-667- 8 I Mallard Fillmore ' I'- ' - ' Herald Journal ISB npnsa intondarf to aoqusH wm i variety ov VNupurei on immi of puMc Importance and prams members of community sehataiantiy to vlawa iwoot fa PeraoratoounriB cartoons end toSenfean vw opwons 01 vhr ennofs ira EdVortais under Vw hearing T)ur iHKmmK( aS La IaAaJ IA VWIVSIMl JOUnW VUr lwlliniVUVMW0i yltnridlfrftyfr rllkyMPftMtf DARRBlEHRUCKtityadbor : ' CINDY YURTHAaaturNadhor : BRUCE SMTHpuMehar CHARLES MoCOLLUMhHeNtfng edtor tatebsmuim mm Mfhf fa kfttljazdjmtcf tmMttuUoftaym ifm tfimyi tnjfyUofmi tfaitttfcseUaim ' - i: ' " - ' ' "'V A- ' n ra IaMaAA SSaa ta L The rmn i in jounw wmooivm mwi dSor Polanlafly teetoue oroftaQrivs letters wN not bs publehad however and adhor JSaA Ltf IaMam Ia (INfVlBVItnlDUBlMMIfSViOOIlOim to tfelaigh and atyto requirements of V ereWve Letters ehoddba:' V' a’ e typewritten and double epaoed No more than 450 words to tangto' Addressed snd Include dqtbnephoiM number for purposes Of vsrVfoadon y 8lgnsd byt tutor i IndMduaii are Imbed to one publehad let-tor islhln any 8May period Address Mtotsto hpsasr9NmwsremGusslaom-iy- ! mflnMaamriMuikoiirimfMriiitf vr sI VaedmdbatotaA V - ' ' : 'ip'"' v -- j - |