I applaud, salute, and approve your protest of the use of the name of your faith in connection with Bin Laden, and others of this persuasion. While hiding behind the cloak of religion, these people seek to recast at least a part of the world to their own purposes; not all of which are without personal gain or avarice. They also do a huge injustice to the name of Islam - by making it appear not only totally intolerant; but exclusive. To most Americans is given the impression that they could not seek out or convert to this faith if they wished to - being born as hell bound infidels with no chance of redemption. I do not believe your faith, or scripture teach this. As for America\'s attacks on Afganistan; do not be decieved. While we have not known war here in over 100 years; MANY of us are filled with despair for the welfare of the Afgan people. War is a terrible thing. The problem is,the USA has not heard, nor been offered; any viable alternatives to military action against these known terrorist groups. The events of 9/11 DO require that our country address the situation. America has been informed that the Taliban is not the legal government of this country, and whether religious or not - constitute little more than a group of bandits that may even be finacially supported by Bin Laden. The legal controlling body of Afganistan is the Northern Alliance, who has requested our assistance and supports our activities. I fear that all we Americans hear from this part of the world is that we should abandon our friend and ally Israel. I believe our influence with Israel is of greater importance and has more potential of benefit to the Arab world than all the terrorists who ever lived. Rather than attacking the country that tries to help feed starving, war torn Somalia; we could meet as civilzed men and divise plans that would allow peace to be achieved in this region. Please do not let the mistaken notion spread any futher that America has territorial ambitions on any part of the world. America nor Americans are the least bit interested in increasing our possessions and it does not even occur to the American \"on the street\" to conquer, gain, or divide. We are dumfounded, stunned, and shocked at accusations of the terrorists that we \"invaded\" Somilia. We went to help feed people, and the people of that region do not know how to be helped. They are just a congloeration of warring clans that contribute NOTHING to the progress of mankind - we just felt that they shouldn\'t starve. And every American serviceman in Saudi Arabia would rather be home; I promise you. I REGRET that we had to be there AT THE REQUEST OF THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT, but at one time, wasn\'t the alternative to have Iraq overrun the entire region? We would like to see an impartial, effective world tribunial to which aggrieved parties could bring their complaints. The Palestinians, and even the Irish could have availed themselves to such a court. For that matter, the native American Indians, as well. Please know that in the heart of most Americans is the notion; to have peace, we must work for justice. Unfortunately, the path to justice is not clear cut for all people, nor univerally defined. May the one you call upon as God protect and guide us all, An American

Dear Sir / Madam, May I suggest you place a clickable link on your Home page, to a page where you could perhaps present in simple language, some short articles about your religion. These could be updated say once a week (Perhaps it would be better to even place them on your Home page, if they are>brief). From the letters sent to your site, it is quite apparent that many writers do not have the slightest idea what Islam is about, and many would not read the Newsletter (it goes beyond their simpler needs). Snippets taken from the blue panel on the left side of the September 2001 issue "Be conscious of God", might be a start (perhaps reduce them to more colloquial English, as many readers may not be accustomed to your language style - the aim is also to influence the simpler people, who don't read lengthy articles, but may spread anything they've gained, among their also-simple friends). Hopefully some readers will be turned away from wrath . . . , by reading a simple introduction to Islam's views. I wish for Peace for you in these difficult times.

Dear Sir, I read in your press release of 9th October 2001 that you hear talk of ' widening the conflict to encompass other Muslim countries.' I think your statement should read ' other terrorist countries.' It baffles me that people cannot see that it is terrorism that is on trial not The Islamic faith. I see reports where people demonstrate in the streets against this so called war in Afghanistan and I ask my self are they demonstrating because they feel that a people are being oppressed or is it because they wrongly feel that it is The Islamic faith that is under fire. I have a hard time at work trying to persuade people that Muslims are not all Bin Ladens. I have looked very lightly into The Islamic faith and I have not discovered anything that convinces me that Muslims are anything but peaceful law abiding people. I feel that the action now being taken is maybe over the top but I also feel that it is being taken against TERRORISTS and is not a war against The Islamic Faith. Please, if I am wrong in my assumptions tell me why.

>You flock to this country in droves to enjoy the freedoms and benefits our ancestors have laid their lives down for and yet all you can do is criticise us. When you enter this country, we don't confiscate your religious books, we don't jail you for having different religious beliefs and we don't prevent you from building places of worship where you can freely practice your religion. We don't take to the streets and riot when you do something we don't approve of. Neither do we complain when you segregate yourselves into Muslim conclaves in our cities taking over whole streets and areas where we are not welcome. You wear your clothes the way you want to, you go about your lives the way you want and all without complaint or protestation from the majority of the indigenous population even though some grow increasingly perturbed at the proliferation of 'Muslimness' in this country. You make no attempt to assimilate into our culture and yet you happily stand in line and claim various Government benefits, child allowance, etc., paid for by the British tax payer. Our royal family invites your leaders to their functions in an attempt to! better understand your faith and customs and our politicians even pass laws especially on your behalf to prevent you from being harassed by the growing number of frustrated, native UK citizens. Our schools accept your children to give them a free education and in some schools, the children of your community outnumber those of ours. Many schools now employ (highly paid) translators for the many children of yours who come to this country (or who are born there) but cannot even speak its language. This deprives the education system of much needed funds that could be better spent on the needs of the majority. We employ teachers from your community who teach not only your children but ours the ways of your culture. In other words, we bend over backwards to accommodate you and make you welcome in our country and yet you still claim to be hard done by. As well as this, despite having amongst your Muslim countries some of the richest people in the world, what do you do to support your people? The answer is.... nothing and it is the West that has consistently aided and supported the poor, the weak and the oppressed people of your Islamic regime. Our country has made millions of pounds of taxpayers\' money available to feed and clothe the people of Afghanistan and other Muslim countries even though our own pensioners, many of whom are widows of brave soldiers who fought for the freedoms you now enjoy in our country, go without vital services. We have relented to your faith's elders and changed the name of our Western offensive against terrorism because it offends the Muslim religion and our leaders have chosen to temporarily desist from our offensive in order to respect a Holy Day in the Muslim calendar. Even the female aid workers who bring food and clothes to your people are forced to wear head scarves so as not to offend your people. I cannot think of much more that we can do to accommodate you, your faith and your culture. But what is your stance? Condemnation of our desire for justice. We fought a war in Kosova to free oppressed Muslims and we were successful but how do your people repay the West? By committing the worst terrorist atrocity known in history - more people killed in a single action than in all terrorist attacks known collectively to man and all in the name of your religion, your fanatical devotion to Islam, your god Allah and his cruel and tyrannical teachings. In all of this, we are unable to speak out against your people, your faith, your religion, your culture, your conduct - indeed, your very presence in our midst - because to do so means that we will be branded as racists. However, you have the audacity to condemn our carefully considered and cautious reaction to these despicable events. I (and millions like me) just don't understand it. Muslims can say what they like about us and our institutions without challenge but we cannot speak our mind for fear of being branded 'anti-Muslim' or 'racist'? It has been claimed that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. How can you claim that it is peaceful given the barbaric and supremely violent actions taken by members of your religion against the very people who have done everything they can to help you? And how can you claim it is tolerant when even your own women are regarded as second-class citizens who must veil themselves into ignominious obscurity? Furthermore, how can the Muslim community of Britain justify its objection to our retaliation! To offer up even the slightest dissent to our action is to tacitly support the repellent actions of Bin Laden, his Taliban hosts and the lunatic fringe of your religion. With the advent of the September 11th atrocity (made in the name of your religion it has to be pointed out, regardless of the polite rhetoric your community may use in an attempt to distance yourselves from this vital fact), Afghanistan and any other Muslim country that supports its medieval regime are now the West's enemy! I'll admit that not every Muslim is involved with or even in support of the despicable atrocity that took place in New York last month. However, that said, not every German was in support of the invasion of Poland and not every Japanese was in favour of the attack on Pearl Harbour but that didn't prevent us from being at war with the countries and people of Germany or Japan. Did we drop supplies into these countries to feed and clothe our enemy? Did we go out of our way not to offend their delicate sensibilities? Were our politicians seen in public parading with dignitaries from these countries? The answer to all of these questions is an emphatic no! They! were our enemy and we took every step to bring them to their knees and annihilate them and their vile deeds. And did we let those countries' immigrants freely roam our streets as if nothing had happened? Again, the answer is no! We either deported them or locked them up. Yes - it was unfair in many cases but It was war.... As it is now! Your community may stand shoulder to shoulder with our world's politicians in carefully staged PR opportunities for the media but until your people stand shoulder to shoulder with our troops to rid the world of the pestilence that is Al Quiada, the Taliban regime that supports it and the hard-core fundamentalists working in the name of your faith, you have no right whatsoever to complain, no business, in fact, to utter a single word in opposition to what we choose to do in our country. You claim that the Muslim community is outraged at what happened in America on September the 11th but I see no real, tangible evidence of this outrage and neither do I believe it. I am sorry, but when I see your people walking our streets, unashamedly wearing 'the uniform of Islam', I just cannot help but look at them and assume that they approve of what has taken place and disapprove of the actions we are taking. When I see them skulking in doorways on their mobile 'phones, what am I to assume - that they are telling their wives that they're running late? No! My first thought is "what are they planning?". You are a community that is proven to bite the hand that (literally) feeds them - what else am I supposed to think? In my view, if any of your people do harbour any such thoughts of support toward Bin Laden or his Taliban hosts whilst claiming to be British citizens, then they are traitors to this country and we should not be mealy-mouthed and politically correct - we should deport or contain them. I will conclude by saying one thing. The Muslim community is (overall) a minority in this country. The wet liberals who don't have the spine to stand up to you will eventually be brushed aside as the huge majority of native UK citizens get truly fed up with all the consideration being shown towards your community at the expense of our own. I am not talking about loony, numbskull BNP white fundamentalists - I refer to lawyers, accountants, engineers, professionals, the ordinary man in the street, the neighbours who live around me, the people who come to my house, people too polite and generous to say anything (or maybe too scared to speak out against you for fear of what your community and the politically correct of ours will heap upon them) who almost unanimously express growing frustration and anger that the will of 'the Muslim' is being insidiously imposed upon our nation, a nation that has done everything it can to allow you to enjoy freedoms and liberties your countrymen! can only dream of. The British people have tolerated enough and, in view of the hand of generosity that has been extended towards the Muslim community here and in the world at large, the Muslim community of Britain has no right - no right at all - to say anything against the UK and the actions we intend to take against Afghanistan and if it continues to do so, you had better be prepared to reap what you sow.

Dear Sir / madam, I am very sad to read so many rude letter on your site. They just do not understand that being rude is not the way to solve any problem, real or perceived. I know there are many, many Muslims all over the world to whom these rude comments do not apply. It's like saying all Germans are Nazi's; all Irish are dimwits, all X's are Y, etc etc. These comments are as empty, as useful, as racial jokes, and are therefore not constructive, they do not promote dialogue. Can any of these writers make a statement that "Christians (or Jews) are . . . . . " and then complete that sentence by writing something that cannot be denied? Impossible, whether that statement be positive or negative. One must never write about a group as if all its members are identical, because one day someone will write something similar about your own group. I wish you Peace in these difficult times.