Sir, - The US and its allies must not cease in their pursuit of justice. However, the pursuit of that justice must not be indiscriminate.
At a time of such tragedy it is natural to seek revenge and point the finger of blame. Yet the language used by many leaders in the West has echoes of fanaticism at its core. Phrases such as "civilisation versus barbarism" hark back to days of crusades fuelled by ignorance and fear.
Clearly those who perpetrated this heinous crime were fanatics. The finger is being pointed at Islam. However, one must distinguish between the majority of peace-loving followers of Islam and those of a fundamentalist persuasion, such as those suspected of the attacks on the United States.
By speaking in the divisive and general terms of a crusade, not only is the West playing into the hands of the terrorists, but it is also driving moderate followers of Islam into the hands of the fundamentalists. If there is a crusade, let it be against international terrorism - a phenomenon not limited to Islamic countries.
Who was behind the funding of many terror groups in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran during the Cold War? When talking of state-sponsored terrorism, one should remember that both the Soviet Union and the US were responsible for supporting domestic terrorists/rebels in the Middle East.
The US would presumably argue that it was fighting for the cause of freedom and therefore had right on its side. But would Islamic fundamentalist not use the same argument to justify their atrocities?
Those who died last Tuesday were victims of fundamentalism on the part of both "civilisation" and "barbarism" - direct victims of those who carried out the attacks, but also victims of 40 years of meddling by "civilisation" in the countries of Islam. - Yours, etc.,
Shaun Boylan, Hampton Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin.