“Islamophobia is growing in the United States. Hate graffiti is now discoloring my own building here in New York City – calling for the Holy Quran to be burned. The publicity-hungry Terry Jones in Gainesville could be discounted if he did not have his finger on the pulse of America. But the protests near the World Trade Center confirm that he is not alone….

“Why should this hate graffiti be littering our hallway? How could someone – maybe someone I pass every day – have so much hatred in their heart? I have numerous Muslim neighbors, both from around the world and born here. How does this ‘Burn the Quran’make their children feel? How does ‘Islam is Evil’ impact my own son – to witness such ugliness so close to home? …

“I believe firmly that the honor of those many, many who died on 9/11 – including our Muslim brothers and sisters – will be diminished if the country they died in cannot protect the concept of religious pluralism that our great nation was founded on.”

Jim Luce at the Huffington Post, 14 September 2010