But there is no intent to associate "Muslims" with "Muslim fundamentalists." After all, we use the term "fundamentalist" or "extremist" not just with Muslims, but also other religions: we often refer to religious cults as "Christian fundamentalists."

True,but how often is an eight-year-old Christian boy harassed at school because of something that "Christian fundamentalists" were accused of doing? I refer to the aftermath of the infamous Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. The American media, ever anxious to find a scapegoat in the Muslim world, declared that the bombing had the "hallmarks" of Islamic terrorism. This was the consensus of "experts." In the three days following the Oklahoma City bombing, there were 220 documented hate crimes against Muslims throughout the nation. Until it was shown that the bombing was concocted and carried out by homegrown white American boys, Muslims were harassed, taunted and beaten. So strong is the link between "terrorism" and "Muslim" in the American ethos.

I do not deny that the Taleban and other so-called "Islamic fundamentalists" are serious problems. But Islam is not to blame. It is the fault of both Muslim and non-Muslim governments around the world that such terrorism has been on the rise. The widespread corruption and incompetence in Muslim nations has provoked many young people to look for "alternative" solutions to their problems. Meanwhile, the West has played into the hands of zealots and opportunists by providing seemingly incontrovertible proof that America regards Islam as the enemy.

It is also the world's fault that so many young people in the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia face such extraordinary hardships that joining militant groups is the only way out of a life of misery. Many of the terrorist networks' new recruits are downtrodden refugees, fleeing from places like Afghanistan, who find refuge in militant training schools, such as those in northwest Pakistan. These schools offer comfortable housing, clothing, three meals a day and an education (none of which the United Nations was able to provide in the refugee camps). Having been let down by everyone else, it is not hard to see why an increasing number of impoverished, uneducated Muslims have come to believe that radical groups are the only ones fighting for their interests.

Paradoxically enough, the best way to fight "Islamic fundamentalists" is to make peace with Islam. Once America is no longer seen as an enemy to Muslims, terrorist networks will be unable to persuade the masses. But America needs to take the first step. This might mean loosening sanctions on Iraq and/or taking a more neutral stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it definitely means educating the American people about Islam. Before America can vanquish Osama bin Laden, it must vanquish its own ignorance.

Nader R. Hasan '02 is a government concentrator in Lowell House. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays.