Shairul argues in his letter, 'Perang sesama Muslimin salah', (6 Okt) that the reason Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad cannot send our armed forces to Afghanistan to fight terrorists is because Muslims do not fight Muslims.

Assuming the writer is right in his defence of Mahathir's decision, then why did the Muslim-predominated Federal Reserve Unit fired chemical-laced water and tear gas on the predominantly Muslim demonstrators in Kuala Lumpur in the past three years?

Why did the police, the Special Branch and FRU surge into mosques to arrest and beat up Muslims in the reformasi demonstrations in and around Masjid Negara?

Why was a blind-folded and handcuffed Muslim, Anwar Ibrahim, beaten up by another Muslim, Rahim Noor?