Manjit Bhatia (' Edward Said and Palestine ' ) takes issue with Edward Said because his ideas on culture and imperialism are used against America and Jews.

It is important to be precise here. Mr Said criticised Israel for the displacement of Palestinians from their homes, and the United States for military and political support for a morally repulsive Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and a long litany of human rights abuses against Palestinians as well as the few Israelis who oppose this occupation.

Israeli practices of torturing and killing ordinary people, bulldozing homes and destroying livelihoods have been well documented since 1948 and continue to this day. Mr Bhatia has omitted to mention that these crimes are the source of hatred towards Israel.

Yes, terrorism is wrong - and it is remarkable that Mr Bhatia managed to make this observation within four paragraphs, while he says Mr Said failed over a writing career of 28 years. But surely it is important to understand the roots of terrorism. One glaring answer is that it grows from other forms of terror, such as those practised by the Israeli Defence Forces and Mossad.

Some Asians and Arabs do, of course, use Mr Said's writings to instil hatred against Jews, which is, again, wrong. But it is crucial not to say "Arabs and Asians" as if we were describing "carrots and peas". Surely a population of over half the world's population would have more complexity? And what of those in Africa, North America, Europe and Latin America who oppose the Israeli occupation and America's militancy?

The United States government has chosen a path of unilateral military action, fuelled by economic gain, in the form of oil revenues and re-construction contracts, and domestic political gain, in the form of responding to anti-Muslim feeling after the carnage of Sept 11 and the upcoming event of the 2004 elections.

If it smells like imperialism and it tastes like imperialism, then it's highly unlikely to be a mission to save the world from terrorism. The apocalyptic "good vs evil" rhetoric, and the grotesque misrepresentation of "American values" of freedom and progress set against the dark forces abroad, are a shining example of the symbiosis of ideas of cultural superiority and power which has helped sustain colonialism, which Mr Said described in his writings.

Mr Said contributed a courageous, compassionate and learned voice to the debate on post-colonialism and politics. Of course he had inconsistencies and of course he changed his mind over a long life as a writer and an academic. Wouldn't one be suspicious of someone who was unquestioning and consistent all his life?

Mr Said also said that intellectuals have a duty to speak out for the voiceless, to speak out against abuses of power. He demanded that intellectuals forego the easy plaudits achieved by repeating conventional wisdom, which is the path taken by "organic intellectuals", a term Gramsci used - and which I think of as describing those who bend with the wind, and thrive on manure.

Finally, it is perhaps worth pointing out that half of all Palestinians are refugees, because of the occupation of their homes and villages by Israel, and not because Yasser Arafat, self-serving as he is, burnt books or closed down newspapers. They ran from Israel, not Arafat.