Justice Officials Deny Ashcroft Insulted Islam

WASHINGTON--After Muslim and Arab American organizations wrote letters of complaint, the Justice Department has denied that Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft characterized mainline Islam in an offensive manner.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations was among the organizations that voiced concern about a report they said appeared on the Christian Internet site Crosswalk.com from an interview Ashcroft gave late last year to syndicated columnist Cal Thomas.

According to Thomas, Ashcroft said: “Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you.”

Justice Department spokeswoman Susan Dryden told the Washington Post that Ashcroft’s statement reflected views of terrorists and not mainstream Muslims.