In Islam, it is prohibited to accuse anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim, without presenting proof. Accusation without proof is considered an act of abomination.

In the case of Osama, PAS is merely exercising the teaching of Islam before making any stand on the issue. Since the US has failed to provide any proof to implicate Osama, PAS has openly supported the right of Afghanistan to defend itself from the aggression of another country (US).

Ejud's statement in his letter 'Unfair to stereotype a religion' that the demand by the Taliban for proof is a mere time delaying tactic has to be analysed carefully. To me this is a dangerous doctrine and it destroys the very basic tenant of justice - a person is innocent until found guilty.

Since Ejud claims that this is the claim made by US sources, could not we also deduce that such claim was made as an excuse to hide the fact that the US has no credible and incontrovertible proof of Osama's guilt? It works both ways.

Ejud also states that "the terrorist acts on Sept 11 were indeed carried out by religious Muslim extremists..." confirms to me that a different set of rules is applied to Muslims compared with non-Muslims.

This is because, to date, there has been no proof of who is responsible for the Sept 11 attacks. There are many theories flying around but, nobody actually knows who is behind the attacks, not even the FBI. Considering that the FBI does not represent the judiciary, their finding is also doubtful and cannot be taken as fact.

How come out of the 11 suspected bombers, four are still alive and well? Some of them are liquor drinkers and not very good Muslims to start with.

We must never forget that the US once faked the Gulf Of Tongkin incident to justify their claim to wage war against North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh. With the advent of technology and the existence of auto-pilot technology, the planes could have been controlled from the ground to hit both WTC and Pentagon. Sept 11 could just be another fake tragedy by quarters in the US to justify their going to war in Afghanistan. It has happened before.

The statement by the US claiming that it is only aiming at "military and terrorist targets" is clearly an excuse to justify the killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan. How many more children have to die, be maimed or orphaned, how many wives have to be widowed, how many more mothers would have to lose their sons and daughters before we start to see through the lies that the US is telling us. And the fact that up to now, hundreds of civilians have been reported killed or injured due to the bombings, shows that the claim is slowly turning into a lie.

What is the point of dropping food rations, and at the same time, send bombs to kill those whom you have fed? This is clearly an insult.

I fail to see how the call for jihad can be interpreted into promoting violence as suggested by Eric Koh in his letter 'Muslims, voice out against PAS' jihad', considering that jihad in Islam is not merely raising arms against the oppressors. Raising funds, sending logistical and humanitarian aid, offering prayers, and many other activities, are also practical forms of jihad . Why must one assume jihad of being none other than raising of arms?

Furthermore, the call for jihad was made by PAS even during the time of Russian aggression on Afghanistan and yet nobody said anything. PAS in fact sent their youths to fight against the Russians during the Russian war. Why is it any different now?

PAS' call for jihad is actually an echo of the same call by Islamic scholars all over the world, namely Dr Yusuf Al Qaradhawi, Sheikh At Tantawi (Shaikul Azhar)and many more. To reject PAS' call is actually disrespecting scholars in the Muslim world and in turn disrespecting Islam itself.

As a conclusion, I am appalled by the letters that I read in malaysiakini considering that these letters are supposed to be written by intelligent people.

I guess it's true what religious scholars and PAS leaders have been saying all this while. Muslims are 'second class' when it comes to justice and respect. Their lives can be thrown away cheaply without the need to justify it first.