Programs teach about Islam in Cedar Falls and Waterloo

Tonight is the first of three programs in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area on the religion of Islam and the culture of Afghanistan. U-N-I language professor John Grinstead says understanding other cultures is part of the U-S position as fair arbitrator of all disputes.He says if the government wants to get Bin Laden, let’s use due process as was done in Kosovo to distinguish us morally from the terrorists. Grinstead says people in Iowa and Cedar Rapids reacted with grief to the September attacks, which were in a way the first of their kind.The U-S hasn’t really been attacked since the war of 1812, since Pearl Harbor was a territory when it was bombed. The title of the series is “Who is My Neighbor,” and Grinstead explains it will teach residents of the local and school communities about life in Islamic countries.He says a big consequence of the war will not be getting at terrorists, but making innocent civilians suffer. The first program is tonight at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, and more are scheduled Sunday and Monday in Waterloo. Speakers will include lawmakers, professors and a local Islamic community leader.