I join others in objecting to the number of hate-filled letters published in The Times each week. It reflects very poorly on our town and is especially upsetting when the claims are false.

Last week Dorothy Wolovlek bemoaned the fact that an Islamic Shariah tribunal had been formed in Texas and implied that it would replace local law and brutal punishments would follow. PolitoFact judges this accusation as “False.”

To quote them: “The Tribunal’s constitution states: ‘The objective of the court is to resolve any dispute among Muslims residing in USA while complying with the federal laws of the U.S. and Texas state laws under the approval of Texas Judicial System.’”

These courts are similar to Jewish rabbinical courts and Catholic tribunals. They apply only to Muslims who request their services (usually for marital counseling or business affairs) and never apply to non-Muslims. They’re totally voluntary and non-binding.

BJ Taylor stated: “Multiculturalism equals loss of our heritage and tradition which creates chaos, lack of patriotism and terrorism.”

Wow, that’s quite an indictment since this country has always prided itself on our multiculturalism — calling ourselves the melting pot and touting the richness we acquire from the various traditions.

It’s up to the individual cultures to maintain their own heritage — and they shouldn’t be blamed for wanting to — as long as they also strive to become an integral part of our nation as Muslims have done.

Native Americans try desperately to reteach their heritage to their youth — a heritage that white Americans stomped out of them by taking their children away to boarding schools, cutting their hair, and punishing them for using their own language. This was a very dark period for the U.S. Let’s try not to repeat it!

The fact is that this hate speech fuels terrorism instead of combating it!