To the editor:

Facts can often be grossly misleading, and the (July 1 letter to the editor) from Gretchen Obert is no exception. Obert claims that Thomas Jefferson had two English translations to the Quran. Indeed he did. Obert claims, however, that he procured those documents to prepare America for Muslim immigration. The truth is that he wanted to learn as much as he could about the Muslim faith because he was dealing with the treachery of the Muslim Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean. These pirates were robbing, raping and murdering people with reckless abandon. They were also taking prisoners as slaves and sex objects.

Obert claimed, too, that Muslim terrorists have killed far more Muslims than people of any other religion. That, too, is only partially true. It's true in recent times, but the history of Islam tells another story. Some scholars have estimated that throughout the history of Islam, Muslims have butchered some 270 million people from a variety of regions. These numbers include 120 million Africans, 60 million Christians, 80 million Hindus and 10 million Buddhists.

In her letter, Obert opines that "Freedom of religion is a beautiful thing." The idea behind that part of the First Amendment states that there will be no national religion imposed on Americans, and that runs contrary to established Shariah Law. The founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Omar Ahmad, made the following statement: "Islam in America is not here to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Quran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth." It surely does not appear that he - and others of the Muslim Faith - are willing to accept the established laws of the United States or the Constitution.

Jerry Haberer

Prescott Valley, AZ

(Former Alexandria resident)