Recently, there have been many letters as well as statements from politicians and columnists urging Muslims to voice out against the terrorism that is raging at this present time.

Terrorism is not new. Menahem Begin, a former Israeli prime minister, was leader of the Irgun, who were classified as terrorists by the British before Israel gained Independence. His actions were just as bad for his time as al-Qaeda's have been for the present.

But the term now ceases to apply to him or his group. But Irgun's targets were a lot more precise and justification for their actions hardly imposed itself on the Torah or Judaism. Rather, justification for it was on the romantic notion of reclaiming 'a God-given land'.

We also had the Japanese Red Army Brigade and the German Baader Meinhof group. They found justification for their actions within the aims of their own existence. No one batted their eyes when these radicals got caught or were killed because their identification and justification found no common ground with any other.

Similarly, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam of Sri Lanka, too, having confined their justification for separate statehood, have not necessarily found support even amongst the only people their name identifies with - the Tamils. And for that matter, neither have the Tamil people of the world found themselves having to find excuses or having to defend the actions of the LTTE.

What is the impetus which set off al-Qaeda on its plan for Sept 11? What was it that justified it for Osama bin Laden? How does he comfort himself at night that what he did was humanly or divinely acceptable? He has invoked his motivation as being derived from his Islamic faith and his obligations as a Muslim.

So have almost all the others who were involved in similar acts be they in Bali, Jakarta, Beslan, and of course, Iraq. Except for the suicide bomber who blew up Rajiv Gandhi, almost all the other suicide bombers have been most probably moved to their actions by the urging of their Islamic peers who know only too well, that in the name of Islam and the promise of martyrdom, there will be a whole lot of volunteers for the cause.

Strangely, none of the raging mullahs (or their offspring) themselves strap bombs to their waists in the name of their religion.

What is however most troubling, is the lack of an equally vociferous voice from the rest of Islamdom, censuring Osama and the rest of these terrorists without reservation and exception. Yes, we hear condemnation, but this is followed by the urging to seek the 'root causes'.

Like as if we all don't know what the 'root causes' are. Why dilute the condemnation by trying to placate the terrorists at the same time? As for the 'root causes', Muslims alone do not have sole right to define what the 'root cause' might be.

Obviously, the protagonists too, must be allowed similar latitude to define their version of the 'root causes'. Every side must have equal say on their justifications. Muslims cannot hold on to the point that because theirs is mandated of them by their Holy Book, then and therefore, theirs is a just stand and position.

For the moment, so long as Muslim terrorism is concerned, as long as the motivation and the impetus for their justifications - as pontificated by those involved in these terrorist acts - derive from or are claimed to be derived from and out of Islam, it is inevitable that the term Muslim terrorism will stick to Islam and all Muslims, just as the term Holocaust and everything that it exemplifies, the Germans.