Way back on September 2001 - before GW Bush launched his revenge war on Afghanistan, Bernard Haykel, a professor of Islamic Studies at New York University, published an acutely reasoned article "Avoid Osama's Trap" in which he showed that it would not be difficult at all to get the Islamic community worldwide to condemn and then appropriate punish the perpetrators of 9/11.

The Islamic community worldwide, with but a few exceptions, were at that time as horrified by 9/11 and in general they had strongly condemned the act as being 'unIslamic': what was needed on the part of the US administration was to properly utilise this sense of outrage to bring the criminals to book for their unspeakable crime. [Bernard Haykel's article is copied below my signature for easy reference].

Many political leaders worldwide had also echoed Haykel's reasoning on the 'right way' to proceed on the matter. What was really needed at the time was to utilise the outrage felt worldwide at this terror crime, and to channelise this outrage effectively to defeat terrorism on the ground so that it could not pose as 'militancy', 'freedom fighting' and so on.

GW Bush and Gang would not listen to such wise counsel of course, being advised as they claimed by Jesus Christ every step of the way, each and every day!

The results of the GW Bush 'War on Terrorism' are still being seen and felt today in every sphere - and I'm afraid it will be decades or more before things take a turn for the better.

This phoney GW Bush 'War on Terrorism' is matched in every sphere, in every dimension, by GW Bush's equally phoney excursions into disaster relief (Katrina); international relations; education ("No Child Left Behind"); social security; medical health; the economy (see what's happening today, the bloodshed on the bourses for the investors while the Bush-buddies make away with their millions and even billions....

-- Of course the US is losing in Afghanistan! It is led by GW Bush, War Criminal!

-- Of course the US is losing in Iraq! It is led by GW Bush, War Criminal!

-- Of course the US is losing in every dimension, in every sphere! It is led by GW Bush, War Criminal!

GSC

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The article "Avoid Osama's Trap" is pushing this letter above the 1000-word limit. I shall therefore post it in a separate message.

We must engage our own Muslim community leaders, and send the respected ones among them with facts to the Middle East and South Asia to meet with impartial and respected Islamic legal scholars; people who are respected by the man on the street and who are clearly not in the employ of their respective Governments. Scholars in Mecca, Medina and Riyadh will be central in this regard, as will scholars in India and Pakistan.

These scholars must be convinced to issue fatwas declaring Osama bin Laden's teachings and opinions illegal. Because it is prohibited by mainstream Islam, they cannot declare Osama bin Laden an infidel (a practice called takfir) and we should not expect this of them. These opinions will help bolster the consensus mentioned above and may convince the Taliban that they need to hand Osama bin Laden over.

We must encourage Muslim countries to lead the fight against Osama bin Laden. Support the Northern Alliance which has 15,000 troops in Afghanistan and work on the Pakistani moderates to get involved in the fight.

If retribution, as seems to be the case, has to take place and America must feel it is the prime agent in the pursuit of justice, then no military action can afford not to involve moderate Muslim forces and their cooperation. This is not a plea for war, far from it: there is too much bellicose rhetoric as it is.

In the not too distant future, we must make some subtle noises that we will be willing to reassess our foreign policies in the world.

I think if we take the steps outlined above we may be able to ostracise Osama bin Laden from the Muslim community and energise moderate Muslims to take centre stage again.

(The writer is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, New York University.)