Steve Harmon: Mosque Burning Only Fuels Fear and Hatred

Steve Harmon is a professor at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan.

The fire at the mosque of the Joplin Islamic Society, located in Carl Junction, in the wee hours of Aug. 6 has been called “suspicious” by local investigating authorities. Destroying a mosque is not only a crime, it’s a hate crime.

We, as Americans or as Christians, have no quarrel with Muslims. There is no war between the West and Islam or between the United States and Muslims. The war is within Islam. It is a war between violent, extremist Muslims, who comprise a tiny minority of Islam, and peaceful, moderate Muslims, who comprise the vast majority. It is a battle for the soul of Islam and for the future of the Middle East.

The United States and its Western allies have been caught in the crossfire. What we, as Americans, need to do is to support moderate Muslims in their struggles against the extremists....