With the anniversary of 9/11’s tragic evil events so fresh in our minds, it may seem an odd time for me to write positively about the Islam I know. The airwaves have been packed with shrill, demonizing rhetoric about radical Islamic terrorists who are consumed by hate and seem unfazed by the slaughter of innocents. I understand this is a face of Islam and one that must be taken seriously. But it is not the Islam I know. It is foolish to base our perception of reality solely on our personal experience; it’s also foolish to form our perception of reality on events we see, and interpretations we read, when they are at odds with our personal experience.

(Dick Staub is the author of “The Culturally Savvy Christian” and the host of The Kindlings Muse (http://www.thekindlings.com). His blog can be read at http://www.dickstaub.com)