Brother Aemilius Paullus,

Peace be unto thee.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Obeza binte Laden, the daughter of you-know-who. My father would kill me if he knows I have written to you. But I feel I must to respond to your letter to him .

While I don't disagree with the points you expressed in your missive, they are so typical of Western views. Apart from making a perfunctory reference to the American people objecting to the Iraqi war, you did not make mention the US's litany of political interference in the affairs of sovereign nations around the war. And those had not been for democracy, freedom or that terribly hypocritical word 'regime change', but rather for America's interests.

We had suspected but now know for sure that the US had attempted to influence the last elections in Iraq, using retired CIA operatives and untraceable funds to promote Allawi and his party so that he might retain the prime minister post, for America's interests of course.

Well, if that's America's idea of democracy, may merciful Allah prevent us from ever receiving its brand of freedom for the Middle East.

Talking about democracy and freedom, the US today continues to support undemocratic and draconian dictatorships around the world. You only need look at Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Pakistan as some typical examples.

Do you recall the Shah of Iran and his secret police, the dreaded Savak? How many were tortured by them? How many disappeared into the fog of the night? Do you remember the military dictatorships of South Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Chile? And don't forget that once-blue-eyed boy of the US, Mr Saddam Hussein.

I am so glad you brought up the issue of Palestinian and Israeli violence. As a woman who understands what it is to bring life into the world, nothing repels a mother more than the utter senselessness of political killing. Had America been more even-handed and reined in the excesses of people like Ariel Sharon the Middle East situation would have been less antagonistic.

We are tired of only hearing about Palestinian violence and Israeli self-defence. Have you considered a different picture, Palestinian self-defence - of their land, people and rights - and Israeli violence?

Wasn't Ariel Sharon implicated in the Sabra-Shatila massacre? Yet, the White House treated many of these terrorist and murderous Israelis, with innocent blood on their hands, like honoured guests.

While the Sept 11 attack was a horrifying crime, especially to a woman and a mother like me, we cannot pretend that the attackers - even in their sick and demented minds - were not out to 'punish' the US for its crimes. It was an unmitigated crime of hatred but fueled by provocations, instigated by wicked mullahs and galvanised by false religious salvation.

I do hope you are not taken in by Bush's nonsense that those evil criminal attackers were jealous of America's freedom, baseball and apple-pies.

I, too, bowed my head and stood in silence for our brethren and sisters who lost their lives in the recent terrorist attacks on London, as I did for those innocents in other lands killed by America's powerful and callous military. Please recall the wedding parties in both Afghanistan and Iraq, where an American fighter jet annihilated many at those supposedly happy events. Were any criminals punished? And what about the innocent people of Fallujah?

Did you, too, stand in a minute of silent respect for those fallen by the US' callous and murderous assaults, or did you subscribe to the American sinister euphemism of the slaughtered innocents as 'collateral damage' or even the more vogue US term, 'terrorist suspects', many of whom were children hardly in their teens.

How many innocent lives have been lost because of Bush and his cohorts How many people have lost their families, future and hopes because of the US' arrogant disregard for others?

My father is, of course, beyond redemption, consumed by hatred for the Americans without appreciating the good that lies in so many Americans. But should we, too, be blinkered like him, and ignore the equally evil in some Americans and British, who went to war on a pack of lies, as they did in Vietnam with the equally deceitful lie of the Gulf of Tonkin affair?

May the Compassionate One shower his blessings upon thee.