Thank you for reporting what former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has to say about what should be the correct response of the ummah to the terrorist attacks in Washington DC and New York City.

Islam has never condoned terrorism. When Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) and early caliphs fought defensive wars to protect the freedom of religion of Muslims, they always enjoined and instructed Muslim soldiers not to harm innocent and unarmed children, women, elderly people and religious teachers of all faiths. Even fighting defensive wars, Muslim soldiers must never destroy hospitals, places of worship of all religions and orphanages.

To fight a defensive war, it must first be declared by competent authorities who must first seek all peaceful means of negotiation with the other side. Before war is fought, civilians on the other side must be given enough notice and time to leave for more secure places to protect themselves. Muslim soldiers, like soldiers of other civilisations, can only fight among uniformed and armed soldiers on the other side.

Seen in this perspective, Osama bin Laden and his cohorts are desperate terrorists, pure and simple. They are not serving any good Islamic cause because by engaging in terrorism that killed and maimed innocent and unarmed people, which might include American Muslims, randomly without warning or notice given, they are merely despicable and irresponsible cowards. No Muslim should support them or sympathise with them.

Neither should Muslims support or be tempted to support any repressive regime that might camouflage themselves as an "Islamic state" or "Muslim country". Oppression is oppression, whatever name opportunists would label themselves.

Muslims must also be wary of ultra-left-wing xenophobic anti-Americanism or anti-Western attitudes that attribute every weakness of Muslims to others.

There are rights and wrongs in Western societies, as there are also rights and wrongs in the ummah. The weaknesses of the ummah can also be found within: despotism, lack of freedom of expression, socio-economic exploitation, vanity, power craze, dogmatism and exclusivism.

We, Muslims, must be courageous enough to wage the highest form of jihad within our hearts and minds, to self-improve ourselves, to learn from the positive aspects of western, Chinese and other cultures that is not against the belief in One God.

In fact, the Christian civilisation also shares our belief in the same One God/Allah, the God/Allah of Prophet Muhammad, prophet Jesus (Nabi Isa), prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) prophet Moses (Musa) and the mother of Nabi Isa, Mary (Maryam) (may peace be upon them all). Muslims, Christians and Jews are one "People of The Book".