As an American living in the United Arab Emirates who has extensive ties to Malaysia, I am puzzled and disappointed by the recent absence of editorial policy in malaysiakini . I am referring specifically to your distasteful practice of publishing hate-mongers such as Chiaroscuro's 'America gets its "Mother of All Battles"' (Sept 13).

Those dead Americans were innocent civilians, perhaps as many as 20,000 of them. And I would like to remind any other Malaysians who are rejoicing, that hundreds of foreigners from around the world were also killed in New York City. So far, Britain, Japan and Australia report approximately 100 confirmed dead. Many other countries, including Malaysia, have lost some of their people at the World Trade Center.

A visit to international chat rooms such as Dave's ESL Caf (popular with international students of English) will show you that citizens all over the world are now disgusted with Muslim fanatics. The free world regards this attack as an assault not just on Americans but on freedom and democracy. Those images of Palestinians dancing in the streets celebrating the deaths of thousands of ordinary civilians only reinforce that feeling.

So do not expect the world to celebrate with you. The 52-nation Nato alliance has already invoked its Article 5 stating that a foreign attack on one member is an attack on all members.

Furthermore, Nato has specifically stated that it will provide full military support for the eventual retaliation (which, I suspect, will take a long time to organise first and will strike at many terrorist organisations around the world, and nations that harbour them, not just a few key individuals in the Middle East). Japan has also pledged full logistical support for any military anti-terrorist actions.

Many of the Sept 11 terrorists have already been identified. Not surprisingly, they are from the Middle East. This is the terrorist act that will spawn a new international order of military and intelligence co-operation and cause a worldwide backlash of anti-Middle East sentiment, greatly damaging the reputation of Islam and its peoples.

Those hate-mongers who gloat about civilian deaths will soon find themselves more isolated than ever.