Madam, - Ray Millar writes in your edition of July 3rd: "Al-Qaeda is first and foremost a phenomenon motivated by ideology and religious fanaticism rather than a defined set of limited political objectives or geographical boundaries."
However, Mr Millar gives us very little analysis or understanding of the origins of al-Qaeda and why the West, especially America, is the focus of its ire.
Al-Qaeda's origins date back to the Afghan-Soviet conflict in the 1970s and early 1980s. By way of undermining the Soviet Union in Afghanistan the United States sponsored politically and militarily a disparate army of Islamicists, including Osama Bin Laden.
Sections of the Western media lionised these men as freedom fighters and warriors against godless communism. Of course the reality was much more complex. For as well as being anti-communist they were also opposed to the whole concept of modernity. Not only Soviet soldiers, but teachers captured by these fanatics met a most gruesome end - and this was particularly true if you had misfortune to be female.
Following the withdrawal of the Red Army from Afghanistan the United States discarded its erstwhile allies, expecting them to fade back into the sands of Arabia. However, they metamorphosed into the organisation we know today as al-Qaeda.
George W. Bush is allegedly a religious man. If he requires any insights into why the West, including Ireland, is a target for these fanatics, he might consider holding a séance and calling forth the spirit of Mary Shelley, the authoress of Frankenstein. She might be able to tell him what is likely to happen when you create a monster that turns on its master. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN WHELAN, Ormond Keep, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.