Arbibi Ashoy's mail underlines the very types of arguments among Islamists that cause many to frownupon them as hopeless terrorists in the making. To these types, the world is a place where Muslims are oppressed (often by either the Great Satan or their bogeymen, the Jews). Never mind that the oppressors are often their own kind, such as the likes of the Taliban, the kings of Saudi Arabia, Saddam (now the 'Great') Hussein, General Zia, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi etc.

Witness a drought, and it's a Jewish plot; a stock market crash, and it's a Jewish plot. Don't support the Iraqis, and you're a CIA agent. Have a despot leader who gives all business in country to his cronies, and it's the fault of the Chinese minority. It is this form of thinking, and the laying of all problems faced at the feet of the dhimmi and the unbelievers that will forever disable these types in looking at their own weaknesses and addressing them.

One might well ask, why there remain many who persist in supporting the likes of Bush and Blair? Well, to many neutrals, the alternative is a world where the likes of ultra fanatical types like
Osama and company continually lay the blame for the backwardness of the entire Arab world at the feet of unbelievers. Yes, not o­nly the Americans but surprise, surprise, the French, Germans, Russians and Chinese. To these types, the 'war' will not end till the unbelievers are destroyed and the dhimmi subjugated. All ostensibly in the name of their god.

Sadly, the Arab world and its many so-called moderate thinkers have not come out to dispel this myth. Their inaction means that the beautiful religion that Islam is is now hijacked, and the portrayal to the world is that Islam is a religion of hate, of religious intolerance and of a two-class populace. Believers, who can claim the mercy of God whenever, wherever and after committing whatever, and unbelievers, who are infidels and will serve believers in heaven o­nce they are slaughtered.

Personally, I believe this war is unjust, and that Islam in its pure form is a religion that begs respect
and embracing. Until however, the Muslims win back their religion from the hijackers like Osama, equating Saddam as a hero will not work.

Back to Arbibi: He justifies Saddam's role as a hero in the eyes of the Muslim world by, invoking the mercy of god as part of his argument. What then should happen if a convict found guilty under the laws of syariah begs for god's mercy before the commencement of punishment? Is anything done in the name of god justifiable, even the disgusting act of bombing innocent bystanders?

Many stand against this war for pure and simple reasons, and these are logical and perfectly
substantiated reasons. Sadly, the arguments emanating from some Muslims are naive at best, racist and reeks of Wahhabistic religious chauvinism.