For two years Baghdad and other Iraqi cities have been subjected to suicide terrorist attacks similar to what took place in London.Residents, pedestrians and commuters are terrorised and killed at random by a bunch who claim to be "Islamic freedom fighters", deluding themselves that they are in possession of the complete truth while everyone else is infidel.The war against terror must continue with radical measures to protect our cities and citizens from these mass murderers. However, as the Cypriot foreign affairs minister explained in the local media, their efforts have been frustrated by the fact that UK citizens do not carry personal IDs.ID cards could not stop this atrocity but would help identify those who are unable to identify themselves and spare their loved ones an agonising search.PANOS MOURYELASMANCHESTERBaghdad faces the same enemySir: From Baghdad to London, same terrorists, same acts. In my opinion he had the look of a guilty man who had just been found out.TIM FRANCISST LEONARDS, EAST SUSSEXPrice of sneering at secular Arabs Sir: Words cannot express one's horror and detestation at the London atrocities. Yet if they are the work of al-Qa'ida (or one of its groupings) it is worth looking at the part played by the British political and professorial classes in boosting the appeal of this devout organisation.From the 1950s to the 1990s Britain consistently derided and sneered at Arab nationalism, a reasonable patriotism that was secular, accepted the nation state, and was inclusive of non-Muslims. I bet they never apologise.CHRISTOPHER WALKERLONDON W14ID cards would help victims' familiesSir: As a citizen of a European country where carrying ID cards is mandatory, I have experience of their usefulness in my daily activities without ever having felt that my liberties have been compromised.The alarming noises made by civil liberty groups and parts of the media every time the government is looking into introducing ID cards have covered the whole issue in controversy and hysteria.In the aftermath of the London blasts, the Cypriot and Greek governments tried to verify rumours that some of their citizens that live and work in the UK were among those seriously injured or dead. Their derision encouraged the shift of allegiance to the fundamentalists They played a part in the blown-apart bus in Woburn Place.
They compared Nasser to Hitler.Their amazing short-sightedness opened the way for the devout puritanical terror we see today. Right-wing politicians and professors ganged up to oppose Arab nationalism, hoping that thereby the ragged remnants of the British Empire would be given a further lease of life. When government ministers say that we are morally superior to the terrorists, I feel extremely uneasy.JULIAN DAYCAMBRIDGESir: Many commentators described Mr Blair's appearance on Thursday when he learnt of the attacks in London as "devastated" or "anguished". Now both Spanish and British innocents have paid the price.JOHN DA SILVALEWES, EAST SUSSEXSir: I am appalled to see innocent civilians killed and maimed in London. Yet this does not make me feel any less critical of the "war on terror" that has been fought in our name in Iraq. I cannot see the tens of dead in London without remembering the thousands of innocent civilians that have died in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq.True, the British and US forces have not deliberately targeted civilians; yet they have bombed Iraqi cities knowing that large numbers of civilians would inevitably be injured and killed. We became a target as soon as we joined hands with the United States on embarking upon an illegal, immoral and hypocritical war in Iraq Spain did too.
How saddening it is to see so many of your readers' letters mirroring the disgraceful "I told you so" comments from George Galloway. Terrorists around the world will be rubbing their bloodstained hands with glee as they see their acts greeted as some kind of retributive punishment for British foreign policy.To interpret essentially psychotic and indiscriminate attacks as Britain's punishment for the war in Iraq is not only wrong - look at the attacks visited on countries that have had no involvement in the Iraq war - it shamefully hands power and credence to the attackers themselves. In other words this is about indiscriminate murder of the vulnerable not theoretical racism against asylum seekers.On the motives of those who placed the bombs, since we are yet to learn who placed them let alone why, how does Alex Wolfson know such bombs wouldn't have been placed if it was not for the UK's involvement in Bush's various middle eastern adventures? I seem to recall that 9/11 happened before the invasion of Iraq, and doubt whether there is a country anywhere, and certainly not a Muslim country given the violence perpetrated in most of them, that could not be a potential victim of this evil. Again, we are looking at indiscriminate murder here not some legitimate anti Iraq war protest.GEORGE GREENLONDON N10Sir: Well, it hasn't taken long.
