terrorists

In the opening weeks of this class, students will read a novel with a high-school senior as one of its central characters.  The young man has grown up in the Muslim faith, in New Jersey.

Today (08 March 2001), The New York Times has three separate writings about some Americans' views of Islam.  On the front page appears a story about a Lebanese woman, now an American citizen, who writes and speaks about the dangers of Islamic radicalization (author/speaker Brigitte Gabriel).  The second piece is the paper's lead editorial about the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee ("Peter King's Obsession").  The third writing, "Flailing After Muslims," comes from columnist Bob Herbert (Herbert).

Please comment on your reactions to any of these writings.  What do you think of the ideas in the writings themselves?  Do you have opinions about the editors' decision to place all three pieces on the same day?  How much do you see real issues and political posturing?