Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

Re “Obama Tries to Calm Tensions in Call for Religious Tolerance” (front page, Sept. 11):

One of the best courses I ever took in college was a yearlong course on
world religions. It opened my eyes to other cultures and is certainly
one of the factors that led me to become an anthropologist. It would be
even better if such a course were required in high school.

While Americans are encouraged to learn more about Islam in order to
combat the widespread misconceptions of that faith, are Muslims being
encouraged to learn more about faiths other than Islam? Very few Muslim
countries have incorporated the academic study of other religions into
their curriculums [sic].

How can there be understanding and tolerance if such teaching and learning are mainly on one side?

Carol Delaney
Providence, R.I., Sept. 11, 2010

The writer is emerita professor of cultural and social anthropology, Stanford University.