What is it with this thread?? Am I ever going to escape from its grasp

True Arab, I don't think most of the replies tried to connect the terrorist attacks directly to Islam and Muslims. I think a majority of the replies were defending Islam (well, actually a majority of the replies were probably concerned with everything and anything other than what the thread was originally about, but that's another story )

I think the US and its allies have seriously messed up things and made a bad situation worse by invading Iraq. But I don't think it was intended as a war against Muslims although sadly it might appear like that now in Muslim eyes. Also, I find it hard to see the Iraqi insurgents as brave resistance fighters. It seems to me, a huge number of their attacks are deliberately aimed at murdering as many innocent Iraqi civilians as they can. There doesn't seem to anything noble or admirable about that. Many of these groups seem intent on provoking a bloody civil war between Sunni and Shia to create as much chaos as possible with the hope of driving the Americans out. That might achieve its objective but at what cost? both for the people of Iraq and for everyone else in the region.

As regards Palestine, I think Muslim anger at the suffering and treatment of the Palestininans is justified. Most people in Europe understand what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank: they want the land but they don't want the people. They continue to grab more land to build ever bigger settlements while leaving the Palestinians without a state and without a voice. Unfortunately the media in the US tend to see things only from the Israeli perspective. You have to ask though, what have the suicide bombings by Hamas and the other groups achieved? They have succeeded in killing hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and hardening public opinion there against compromise and strengthening Sharon's hand. Similarly, in the States, a media which is already sympathetic to Israel is not likely to change its position while both countries are under threat from suicide attacks. At the end of the day, if it's true that Arabs will not be beaten into submission, then it's also true for Israelis, Americans and everyone else. There has to be a better understanding of everyone's position and a more considered approach to dealing with the conflicts than just brute force.

Again, it's not black and white, there's right and wrong on all sides. But it's probably misunderstandings more than anything else that drive the conflict.