In his Sept. 30 letter, "Article that showcases tolerance," Muhammad Abu Yousuf thanks The Japan Times for the Sept. 26 article reporting that a Muslim prayer room has opened in a Sapporo mall.
I respect Yousuf's right to believe in Almighty God. And I don't have a problem with shopping malls providing him with a prayer room. But the "tolerance" he mentions is a two-way street.
We must tolerate Islam and other belief systems, but we have no obligation to follow Islam's prohibitions or to force those prohibitions on the public with Draconian censorship and blasphemy laws. Islam is one worldview, and it needs to learn to coexist with others.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.