As someone who is not Muslim but who spends a lot of time working in and around the Muslim community of Oklahoma, I invite letter-writer Al Langer (“What wasn’t said about Islam,” Aug. 2) to visit the Islamic Society of Tulsa.
Like the vast majority of American-Muslims, members of the Islamic Society of Tulsa condemn the actions of ISIS as terroristic, criminal, and un-Islamic. In fact, the Muslim community has released more condemnations of terrorism than the Christian community ever has, particularly in the wake of several faith-motivated attacks by terrorists who claim allegiance to Christianity. Are all Christians responsible for the acts of criminals such as these?
And, while it is true that Muslims follow Sharia in their daily lives, one vital component of Sharia is that it never supersedes the law of the land in which the Muslim lives: In this case, the laws of the United States. This has been a feature of Islamic jurisprudence for centuries — longer, in fact, than the Constitution has existed. Just like the teachings of other faiths, Sharia instructs its followers to be good citizens of the country where they live.
I invite Langer to spend time among the Muslim community of Tulsa to learn more about a community is truly a benefit to our state and our country. Part of Sharia, after all, asks that Muslims treat those not of their faith with respect and consideration — a concept that people such as Langer might also consider for themselves.
Editor’s note: Laizure is civil rights director for CAIR-Oklahoma.