Front-page news story was more an editorial

Your lead news story on Aug. 19, with an Associated Press byline, sounded like you and that agency were apologists for the promoters of the Muslims building this New York City mosque. There was no mention of those opposed except for the implication that some Republican leaders objected. The news story had nothing but praise for Iman Rauf, its promoter, without mentioning a good number of previous controversial remarks.

It seems that the writers of this story are more concerned with the rights of the Muslims, who already have more than 25 mosques in Manhattan, than the sensibilities of the relatives of those killed by Muslim extremists on 9/11. Not mentioned in this article were the more moderate suggestions from David Patterson, the Democratic governor of the state of New York and Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, that it be built elsewhere.

This “news” story belonged on the editorial page, where the Aug. 20 paper properly placed their unbalanced agreement.

Dick Roggensack

Waukon