In the interests of fairness

For all the crap I shovel on Islam, it is only right that I say something when I see a Muslim doing the right thing. In the Dallas Morning News, an Imam writes:

Stand for what is right

Re: "Cleared man cites prejudice – He says being Muslim was reason he was arrested in cell case," Sept. 8 Metro.

I've been a Muslim for 30 years, and I have never been followed, harassed or stopped by the FBI or CIA or at the airport just because I'm a Muslim.

Our scriptures say, "Be fair and just in our dealing," and "Stand up for what is right regardless of whom it is against."

For someone on the Council on American-Islamic Relations to say, "Every Muslim has been the victim of suspicion," is ignorance. Neither CAIR nor any other group speaks for all Muslims.

Some Muslims have to stop thinking that Americans are unintelligent. As an imam, I will never say that I represent all Muslims because I know we have some bad ones and some who need to be checked out.

I'm all for that. I will not stand up for bad people.

Imam Muhammad Shakoor, Irving