"Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance."
That well-known quotation has been attributed to a number of people, including Albert Einstein.
Its origin, however, is less important than its application, and it applies notably to critics of a state agency's inclusion of Islam in its diversity education programs.
The Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT's) plan to include "Islam: 101" as part of its diversity training has prompted some inquiries among our readers, which generated a story in Saturday's News Tribune.
In the story, former state Rep. Carl Bearden, executive director of United for Missouri, said the class on Islam shows MoDOT is "politically correct" and "tone deaf," which he linked to the failure of a recent ballot issue to fund highways.
At the risk of being labelled "politically correct," we believe this criticism is wrong on two counts.
First, instruction - on any topic - increases knowledge and understanding through investigation.
Rudy Nickens, MoDOT's director of equal opportunity and diversity, said: "Classes like this are made available to MoDOT employees who are interested in learning about the subject. The goal is building awareness, which may help us to think and act in ways that make our co-workers feel included."
Other diversity training topics are Judaism, LGBTQ issues, American Sign Language, women in the workplace, generational diversity and more.
Second, equal opportunity in employment is the law of the land. Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or age.
Condemning what we have not taken time to understand is ignorant stereotyping, which leads to discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.
And discrimination is not only rude and inappropriate - it is illegal.