Sholeh Patrick's 29 March column "Sharia, Islam not uniform" is, at best, naive or, at worst, worse. The question is not whether any religion is practiced perfectly. We're all sinners, we all mess up. The question is one of DOCTRINE. If one religion's doctrine says "love your enemies" and the other says "kill your enemies," they are mutually exclusive. A person cannot partake of both except by taking neither seriously. That's how the Unity Church operates.

As to Islam specifically: One example - Sura 2:256 says, "There is no compulsion in religion." But in steps the DOCTRINE of abrogation, whereby newer verses supercede older. Hence, we have Sura 9:29, "Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth" and Sura 8:12, "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, therefore strike off their head and strike off every fingertip of them." Christianity, on the other hand, tells me to "shake off the dust from my sandals" and move on if someone declines to believe. Mutually exclusive.

A quandary: Muslim scholars teach that it is permissible to lie to non-Muslims for purposes of war, safety and ADVANCING ISLAM. Given this DOCTRINE, no matter what a Muslim says - good, bad or indifferent - we can never be sure what he believes; we can never trust him. This is why the term "moderate Muslims" is meaningless. We all saw the hordes dancing in Arab streets after Sept. 11 and we all hear the thundering silence of those who claim the "religion of peace" (which means peace once the whole world is Muslim). How many Christian churches survive in Muslim countries? How many Christians must pay the "jizya," the tax for being allowed to live as a non-Muslim? How many converts from Islam have been executed or live in hiding because of their faith?

A Pastor from a Washington church, who converted from Islam, sounded a warning at the Candlelight Fellowship about a week ago. He originally came from Iran and warned that blind self-deception about Islamic intentions amounts to suicide.

HANS NEUMANN

Spirit Lake