May I refer to your report: More Muslims will die if Saddam is not stopped: CAMU chief .

I agree with Dr Malik Hassan's analysis of the Saddam Hussein regime. Many Muslims in Malaysia have known this for years but the problem is Muslims and, for that matter, Malaysians of all races and religions cannot really speak up their minds as freely as Dr Malik Hassan who lives and works in the US.

Besides the fear of being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows detention without trial, there is also the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) that bars academics from airing their opinions. Recently, the Umno government has also enforced the Aku Janji pledge that effectively gags all tertiary students and academics.

All the mainstream newspapers in Malaysia are also strictly controlled and manipulated by the Barisan Nasional government, and little room is allowed for free expression of opinions that contradicts the official lines. o­nly anti-American and anti-Western outrage is given outlets in the mainstream media to divert attention from serious issues, or to blur debates o­n issues that might affect the electoral performance of Umno and the ruling BN.

However, to say that all academics and well-educated Muslims are not given the right to air opinions in mainstream media is also not true. Some of them who are approved or sponsored by Umno or powerful personalities in Umno are sometimes tasked to show a bit of window-dressing critical reasoning and thinking as long as the targets of their "criticisms" and "moral outrage" are

directed at the US, Australia, Singapore and elsewhere.

So, please do not think that all Muslims in Malaysia are supportive of Saddam Hussein like those in Umno. We are just not as free as Dr Malik Hassan to speak up although we share the same ideas.

Last but not least, I wish to express my gratitude to Dr Malik Hassan for the brave and honest analysis. I would also like to thank malaysiakini for publishing, without fear or favour, the views of Dr Malik Hassan and others o­n the crisis in Iraq.