In his Aug. 22 letter, David Hammel takes exception with Steffen Schmidt's contention that religion is the root cause of the troubles in the Middle East. He narrows that explanation to "extreme Islamists" specifically.

Hammel may be right regarding the Middle East. But he seems to be making a point that there are only Muslim extremists in the world and have never been any others. He cites "religious people" who fought slavery and were in the forefront of the civil rights movement. Interestingly, before the Civil War, as Southern preachers climbed into their pulpits on Sunday and extoled the Biblical sanctity of slavery, those who felt slavery defied the teachings of Jesus were reviled as religious extremists.

Religion, extremist or not, has long been a bone of contention among peoples. Mere mortals struggle to interpret the word of God, as it's been codified by mere mortals. And then they argue. And fight. And die. In the name of God.

Infidel in the Muslim community means not just a non-believer. It also includes those who believe but believe differently. At least to the extremists. But what of the Christian world? Who were the Spanish Inquisitors ferreting out? Why did Protestants and Catholics take to killing each other in Ireland. And how, in the name of God, were millions of Jews gathered up in Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and all across Europe to be sent to the gas chambers?

There is grave danger in religious extremism. And extremism seems to be a constant byproduct of religion.

— Tim Howland, West Des Moines

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