Letters to the Editor | March 22, 2026

Rep. Andy Ogles (R., Tenn.) recently posted on social media that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.”

Similarly, in February, Rep. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) wrote on X: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) has declined to condemn these comments, asserting, “I’ve spoken to those members and all members, as I always do, about our tone and our message and what we say.”

Anti-Arab racism receives little pushback in our country. Imagine the furor if the word “Jews” was substituted for “Muslims” in these statements.

Bigotry against any faith community undermines the principles our nation claims to uphold. History shows where such dehumanization leads. Both citizens and elected leaders must insist that dignity and equality belong to all Americans, without exception.

Terry Hansen, Grafton, Wis.

How is it that Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville can make anti-Muslin attacks on social media, but anyone who criticizes Israelis is labeled antisemitic and at times fired or forced to resign? Is Islamophobia acceptable in this country now?

Julio Casiano Jr., Philadelphia

I voted for Sen. John Fetterman because I thought he was going to protect regular Pennsylvanians and further American values. Through his immediate and unquestioning support of the Iran war, his real goal is to protect Donald Trump at any cost.

The United States did not need to start this war. If Trump had said no to Israel, there would be no war. We were not at risk of attack. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then lied to us when he said the killed soldiers were in a safe location. They were not. He also said that our soldiers won’t be abiding by the rules of engagement, which are designed to avoid civilian deaths. Our troops might have killed more than 175 people at an Iranian elementary school, most of them children.

We are now at a higher risk for terrorist attack. And, after decapitating the leadership of Iran, we will walk away, leaving the country with worse leaders than they had before we started bombing and blame them for the ensuing chaos.

Sen. Fetterman was not elected to be a lapdog for the administration. The Constitution gave Congress the power to declare war. By voting against the War Powers Act, Fetterman thinks he is keeping his hands clean. He has abdicated his responsibilities and shares the responsibility for the lost lives of civilians and service members.

Gina Snyder, Philadelphia

The deaths of American service members, Iranian schoolgirls, and Iranian civilians are tragic, and, coincidentally, they occurred around the 81st anniversary of another war time calamity: the American firebombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10 in 1945, which took the lives of an estimated 100,000 people.

There was no congressional investigation of the Tokyo firebombing or of the attacks on other Japanese cities that suffered high numbers of civilian casualties from American bombings. The hackneyed “war is not healthy for children and other living things” comes to mind to describe what has happened since Feb. 28 — and what will continue to occur during Operation Epic Fury.

Paul L. Newman, Merion Station

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