Many of your columnists and readers have used the terrorist attack on the US to argue their own political goals, whether to advance the cause of socialism, to complain of globalisation, or to plead on behalf of the Palestinians in their territorial conflict.

I believe, however, that the terrorists had a grander purpose than something so mundane as policy change. When 19 men believe in a cause strongly enough to commit suicide and murder thousands more, one would imagine that some effort would be made to communicate their purpose.

But we've been given no announcement, no surreptitious fax, nothing at all to explain the basis for their actions. One plausible explanation for this omission is that the intended audience for the attacks was God, not man, so no fax is necessary! Another possible explanation, consistent with the first, is that the terrorists have a broader political purpose.

The attacks were perhaps designed to provoke a broad-scale US attack against Muslim civilians both in the US and abroad. In the resulting turmoil, Islamic extremists might overthrow governments in the Middle East and south Asia, in line with the view that the overarching purpose of the attack is to spread a particular view of Islam. So far, this effort has failed, thanks to US restraint and the world's near-unanimous revulsion at this profoundly evil act.

The core issue in this conflict is not US policy, flawed as it is, but the struggle for the soul of one of the world's great religions. America, founded by religious dissidents, remains deeply religious and tolerant. Her secularism has co-existed with piety for over two centuries. Islam can flourish here, as can any of the world's religions.

I would venture to guess that nearly all Malaysians (even her intellectuals!) know that Malaysia is one of the lights of the world, with her peaceful and tolerant practice of Islam, secular prosperity, nascent democracy, and her large non-Muslim population may face a threat from the same reactionary and isolationist value system that launched this attack upon America.

Malaysians are a part of this battle, like it or not. And in a deeper sense, Malaysians have more influence over the long-term outcome of the conflict than Americans can ever have. America should, can, and will, hunt down and kill the terrorists, but we can't shape the future of Islam.

That will be done with words and actions of good people who follow the overriding principle of all great religions that we are all children of the same God, that there are no infidels and no heretics. We are, all of us -merely human.