Letter to the ICON from Wendy Chappell-Dick:

This is a facebook discussion on the following article : http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/10/22/2010-10-22_with_f... which defends the NPR decision to fire Juan Williams. It is appropriate for public discourse, so I'll send the comments and invite others to join in.

Wendy Chappell-Dick: Go NPR. You're righteous.

BC just posted an article about what Williams said after his "scared of terrorists" comment which gives it more context. However, in this landscape of Islamophobia, I still think NPR was right to crack down

BC: If you read NPR's public comments, it seems that he was violating their policy before this particular comment. But I also think NPR is a little too superior about their own prejudices. Anyway, he should have known better than to talk like that in the belly of Muslim-hating. Well, they've got him on their team now.

BA: They should be torched. This is still America, we still have free speech. The only reason he was fired is because it was on FOX. I am tired of political correctness. For now we are a free country for how long I don't know. Tell me why you would not have an instance of fear after all, the terrorist of the last 10- 15 years have been Muslim.

GR: Oklahoma City bombing? Unabomber? Anthrax attacks? attacks on abortion clinics & providers? Sometimes we only see what we expect to see.

LRM: This wasn't the first time he's given personal opinion on Fox while under contract with NPR as a news analyst. I can guarantee that had someone reversed the situation- a Muslim saying they would be concerned when seeing an African American in a dashiki roaming urban streets- it would have been Juan that was up in arms. You can't effectively hold a position in which one is expected to be impartial and be as vocal as Juan was; his firing was bound to happen.

BA: In response to the people that have no fear and to Gregory I did not list some American Citizens attacks. A look a the list below is the reason I fear. Date Country City/State Killed Injured Description... (goes on to list 58 specific incidents of attacks by Muslims in the US)

GR: I guess I'm looking at my own experiences. I've flown on lots of planes, and been in many places -- some of which had a wide diversity of people, including Muslims & Arabs. I've never been afraid of some kind of random attack on me by someone motivated by Islam (or any other religion for that matter). The closest I've come to that kind of fear would be some mild fear when I'm in a public place with friends who "look different" than the average white Ohioan. On a few occasions, based on looks, body language, and some comments, I've encountered some people who appeared to be agitated& perhaps violent toward me because of who I was associating with.

Oh, a few other times I felt a little fear (and this is coming from someone who used to be a cop): some times when I was in a group of friends that included gay men, I've had some concerns, given the news accounts of the repeated violence toward homosexuals (like that preacher who advocates violence & celebrates military deaths- I guess he's motivated by religion).

If we broaden the scope of the conversation, beyond mass terror attacks, to accounts of individual violence motivated in part by religion, I fear that people of all religious backgrounds (or maybe not Buddhists?) much too long for Facebook to allow as a post.

LRM: Times I have felt fear- being chased off of property where a solstice gathering was being held. The chasing was done by angry Christians screaming how all us pagans were going to hell. Muslims on a plane- I'll take my chances with them any day over self-righteous Baptists.

BA: I can understand that. I have travel in Africa on African airlines. The fear comes from Muslim terrorist attacks and the Muslim population does not refute them. If they are not against the extremists then they must agree with them.

BC: Ok Bob, now make a list of all murders committed by nominal Christians in the same time period and we'll compare

BA: No you make the list. I am not the one comparing Christians to Muslims. It is like you need to defend the Muslims and not Christians. I would like to see your list. Start it in 1972. I am a Christian and proud of it. When Muslims stand up against extremists I will stand up for them. I will not stand up for a Christian extremist that would kill because of hate.

BC: You said "the terrorist of the last 10- 15 years have been Muslim." That means that terrorists have not been members of other religions. That is a comparison. The evidence you provided is a list of instances of Muslims killing people. A similar list could be made of members of all major religions. It does not support your argument that Muslims have been uniquely responsible for terrorism. So far you have failed to demonstrate that it is rational to suspect Muslims of terrorism. http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php

BA: Make a list of all major religions and show me. Show me another religion that has killed as many Americans or destroyed American interest as the Muslims. Show me another religion that has killed as many people world wide as Muslims. Show me a religion that has a extreme faction that is tolerated in that religion. Make the list. Either put up or shut up.

Wendy: (Quoting DS): knows this is politically incorrect, but whenever I see a white guy, I wonder what he is up to. Is he going to fly a plane into an IRS building? Shoot up the Pentagon or Holocaust Museum? Or another health club or Unitarian church? Maybe he is going to bully a gay high school student or just shout pro-rape chants on an elite university campus. Let's face it, white guys are scary.

LK: Disagree