Rush Hour Terror

Rush Hour Terror
Our special report on the terrorist attacks in London and the hunt for the bombers drew mail from readers expressing sympathy and solidarity with the British as well as anger against Muslim radicals. Others debated whether the war in Iraq has contributed to the global climate of Jihadist hatred

The London bombings were another useless attempt by the losing side in the war on terrorism to spread fear in the West [July 18]. You would think that after the retaliation for 9/11, which resulted in the overthrow of regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, the terrorists would have learned their lesson. The mindless acts of random violence against innocent civilians indicate the terrorists' desperation. Misguided and self-destructive, the attackers are destined to lose as we become stronger and more unified after each test. Freedom will always prevail.
Alex Curley
Washington

Thumbs up for your extensive coverage of the 7/7 bombings. I offer sympathy and condolences to the British and those who lost loved ones in the cowardly acts against humanity. Unfortunately, it is usually innocent civilians going about their daily business who are killed and maimed. All peace-loving people should fight against those who carry out such acts. Negotiating with terrorists is like squeezing water from a stone.
Chimasia Ondiaka
Winnipeg, Canada

As a Muslim and a student of Islam, I was utterly distressed by the bombings in London . Although I know that many educated non-Muslims understand that terrorists are a fringe element in the Muslim world, I still feel ashamed that such atrocities could emerge from among my people. While the whole world opposes the terrible evil of terrorism, the greater fight for the Muslim community is to wipe out that ugly blemish. At this moment, while feeling grief for all affected, I want to cry out to the world, "I am a Muslim. And like most of my fellow Muslims, I don't hate or kill non-Muslims. I love my non-Muslim friends dearly — including many Americans — as they love me." The power of love is greater than the evil of senseless hate.
Asif Iftikhar
Lahore, Pakistan

My heart goes out to the bombing victims. I know that brave Londoners will bounce back, as they have so many times before. It is high time the British and U.S. governments go after the root cause of the Jihadist problem, namely the fundamentalist mullahs and Islamist preachers who hide behind a façade of being religious men as they sow seeds of hatred and violence among young Muslims. Those preachers are evil and should be treated as terrorists and fully prosecuted. That would rid the Muslim community of some real troublemakers and ultimately help young and mainstream Muslims.
Rob Keshav
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.

I couldn't stop looking at your cover picture. I didn't dwell on the disturbing gauze mask the bombing victim was holding to her face, but I was struck by the astonishing compassion of the man helping her. For every stone-cold killer, there is an equal and opposite force for good.
Josephine Bestic
Cape Town

The bombings left scars on the whole nation, though none so deep as the baseless charge that Islam incubates terrorism. Such an accusation threatens to divide Muslims, Jews and Christians just when we most need to close ranks to fight terrorists wherever they are. The one consoling thought is that the British people have shown compassion and the will to rise above obstacles and join together to safeguard the key principles of our society: tolerance, forgiveness and racial and religious harmony.
Munjed Farid al Qutob
London

It may not be enough for Muslims in London to launch mass protests against the bombings. They should actively participate in community activities and ensure that those who have lost faith in the Koran and in Islam as a peace-loving way of life return to the fold and follow the path of peace.
Edward Haeems
Maninagar, India

No War Connection?
In his viewpoint "Why Iraq Has Made Us Less Safe ..." Daniel Benjamin pinned the cause of the London bombings on the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq [July 18]. His thesis, however, doesn't explain the motives behind the 9/11 attacks or the 2002 Bali bombing. The U.S. had not set foot in Iraq when those acts took place. The alarmists, especially Benjamin, need to recognize that success in Iraq — at a high yet reasonable cost — will make the world safer in the long run. Democracies don't export terrorism.
Matt Motherway
Manhattan Beach, California, U.S.

For those who say the terrorist attacks in London are a result of the war in Iraq, I ask, Would a U.N. endorsement of the war or the finding of weapons of mass destruction have made the slightest difference to the London bombers?
Jacob Brauner
London

The Iraq Effect
In his viewpoint claiming that the Iraq war has not increased Muslim resentment of the U.S. [July 18], Charles Krauthammer stated that the U.S. will be blamed "whenever there is a terrorist attack anywhere in the world." It is true enough that the extreme radicals of al-Qaeda will always find some excuse to attack the U.S. and its allies. That does not mean we should give terrorists additional excuses to do so. Rather than fostering democracy, our belligerent invasion of Iraq has destabilized the region and convinced many Muslims, whose hearts and minds could otherwise have been won, that the terrorists' depiction of us is true.
Adam Marczyk
Highland Mills, New York, U.S.

The "democratic stirrings" in the Middle East that Krauthammer noted with such satisfaction would, if they resulted in free and fair elections, probably return an overwhelming victory for anti-U.S. Islamic parties. Krauthammer claimed, "We have recruited tens of millions of Afghan and Iraqi Muslims" to our cause. Why, then, is there a vocal movement even among Iraq's long-oppressed Shi'ites to remove U.S. forces so Iraq can get on with forming an Islamic republic? Why, then, is there sufficient support to fuel an insurgency that shows no signs of waning? Why, then, are nearly all of Afghanistan 's provinces outside Kabul effectively ruled by tribal leaders and warlords?
Philip K. Lentz
Amman, Jordan

Sharing Journalists' Notes
I strongly disagree with the decision made by Norman Pearlstine, Time Inc.'s editor-in-chief, to comply with a federal grand jury's subpoena and surrender the notes and files of White House correspondent Matthew Cooper [July 18]. Pearlstine said the company had an obligation to follow the law. But throughout our country's history, it has been those who have stood up to the misuse of laws who have brought about the social changes needed to protect our constitutional rights. The American press has been justifiably criticized for being too easy on the Bush Administration and not practicing real investigative journalism. I fear that Pearlstine's decision reinforces those views and further weakens the power of the press.
Patricia Lake
Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Where does journalism go from here? The answer is simple. On any story of this kind, a professional and trusted journalist, having properly researched and written the story, should destroy the notes or at least any part of them that identifies a confidential source. That way, the law is observed and the informant protected.
Alan Davis
London

On behalf of the Kenya Union of Journalists, I wish to express solidarity with New York Times reporter Judith Miller for standing firm on the cardinal principle of ethical journalism: to protect sources even on pain of imprisonment. Journalism will be the better after this trying moment if we remain firm in the face of cajoling and intimidation by those who know they have been exposed.
Eric Orina, Secretary-General
Kenya Union of Journalists
Nairobi

The Spirit of Survival
I agree wholeheartedly with the praise bestowed upon the British by Andrew Sullivan in his Essay "The Quiet Power of the Stoic" [July 18]. The manner in which the Brits handled the tragedy was noble and inspiring. But the response of Americans, especially New Yorkers, to the events of 9/11 was equally so. While Americans may react less stoically and with more surface passion, New Yorkers rescued others from burning buildings, went back to work on 9/12 and spent two years digging through rubble to find any dna that could be used to bring closure to grieving families. No act of terrorism could diminish our American spirit, nor should the world fail to recognize that we too have grace and dignity under pressure.
Andrea Pines
New York City

A Good Shepherd's Tale
"How the shepherd saved the seal," about the rescue of a wounded U.S. Navy seal on a commando mission in Afghanistan [July 18], was an excellent story. It's good to know that an Afghan shepherd in the rugged mountains was free to take the moral high road and provide safety to a U.S. serviceman in his country.
Roger B. Stern
Detroit