Let us not mistake the capture of Baghdad as a triumph of good over evil. It is nothing more than a well-deserved victory for the most powerful fighting force the world has ever seen. And nothing less than a defeat of a tyrant who did not enjoy broad-based support of the very people he ruled over.

There are lessons yet to be learnt in the aftermath of the carnage, blood and gore. There will be a time soon for true intentions to manifest themselves.

If the actions of the occupying forces henceforth do not match the declared motives for this war, then sadly for the Iraqis, there will be no more salvation. It is not conceivable for anyone else to be able to dislodge their powerful new rulers in the near future.

Iraqis had passed up their chance to defend with their lives, their sovereignty as a truly independent nation. It seemed that life under Saddam was so untenable and without hope that anything else must surely be better for those Iraqis who are celebrating the occupiers' victory.

Looking at Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and the Emirates, these Iraqis will probably get their wish for a comparatively better life, albeit like the proverbial dogs in the manger in their own homeland. But then, are the victorious invaders compelled to give anything more?

As a Muslim educated for 10 years in the US, I do not rejoice at the sight of American victory. I had been acquainted with the side of America that care no more than material pursuits and self-centredness.

The media spin of Americans caring for a just world and willing to lay down their lives to liberate oppressed people anywhere is laughable, if not for the gullibility of millions around the world seduced by the desire for the same prosperity and freedom which Americans seem to enjoy in America.

The Americans deserve to enjoy what they have. They earned it by cherishing their independence. The other peoples of the world who do not, o­nly deserve much less. Ask the ordinary Saudi, Jordanian and Kuwaiti. Client-states are the colonies, vassals and protectorates of the modern era.

The true Muslim, brought up with Islamic values which prohibit the attainment of material wealth at the expense of that personal autonomy which he must have in order to actualise as an enlightened being, is not too terribly excited by the West's lure of milk and honey.

This is not to say that Muslims do not value worldly progress. We do. Hundreds of years of Caliphate rule leading the world in scientific discoveries is sufficient proof of its worldliness.

The accompanying grandeur and material comfort were well-earned bonuses, but never the ends. And never at costs that negate our integrity as beings who believe in the Afterworld.

As such, Muslims all over the world are watching events unfolding in the Middle East with much trepidation. The are lessons to be learnt indeed.

For the conquerors; to understand the Muslim psyche.

For Muslim despots the world over, including at home, to take cognisance of the price to be paid for ignoring the spiritual foundation of the Muslims' well-being under their care.

And for all fair-minded people who share this planet; to seek to co-exist peacefully through the downgrading of greed and egotism in our agenda of life - an integral part of the professed ideology of all religions, except maybe that of the "Chosen People".

Let the world beware.