Regarding the bomb plots, a choice of such targets I believe would be aimed at both terrifying, obviously, and demoralising, also with the intention of altering people's habits - ie. avoiding other similar venues for fear of attack, in the hope people did not venture out to shop or socialise. The targets appear selected purely for their desire to kill Westerners, I think the al-Qaeda leadership always have a more sophisticated motive as well, ie economic.

Their genuine repulsion at 'Western decadence', embodied in the doctrine of the al-Qaeda second in command al-Zawahiri's loathing of Western influences in his native Egypt, gives them a sense of grievance, very genuine to them and taking a horrifyingly vicious form towards cultures they totally despise. There is nothing more dangerous than a fanatical intelligent idealist. To them, they are fighting a war against evil. They believe we have damaged their cultures and so set out to destroy ours - to them, retribution.

Isobel Jardine, Alnwick, UK

The horrors of Iraq are really not about the allied forces presence there. The only reason they are there at all is because if they pulled out tomorrow, there would be a blood bath that would make the current one look like a tea party. THe source of violence in iraq, time and time again, is sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni, the depths of which knows no bounds. Saddam kept a lid on this for years with VERY ruthless tactics. The wests failure in Iraq stands testament to the fact that we are not ruthless enough to maintain law in this hell hole.

So tell me, all you terrorist apologists out there, how can al quaeda be proud of iraq when all it shouts is islam's intolerance to its own people? There is a complaint I hear that arab lives are considered cheap, which feeds arab resentment. Yet the very people responsible for cheapening this life are the al quaeda suicide bombers who kill innocent people daily. Even the act of suicide is considered heroic by them - Shame on you!

Peter, Guildford, UK

This is a gross simplification of a complex problem. The analogy between today's Islamists and 1930's fascists is a good one (even if you rather disengenuously don't follow it all the way, but only as far as it suits your argument). You may indeed be right in concluding that, just like in facist Germany back then, today's 'islamo fascists' (what branding!) are driven by a warped idealogy as opposed to other exterior factors. You just fail to mention that nazi Germany arose mainly due to factors such as the Wall Street Crash and how that crippled America's ability to support the Weimar republic and the Versailles Treaty. The idea that Nazi Germany was the result of pure evil taking over an entire country is straight out of a Marvel Comics book and frankly I expect better from Mr. Gove.
There are certain influential persons warping the young minds of islamic boys throughout the world at the moment, but the only reason these voices gain credence is because our leaders wasted their chance

glen.kristensen, london,

Regarding Schools
People sending their children to private schools, is an indicator that they can afford too ,
This is an indication of sucess for Labour.
My wife an head teacher tells me during the Tory years, because of backcrupcies, etc. People were taking their children out of private education. WAs that an indicator they preferred state education?

Laurence, East Sussex, UK

This is a pretty timely discussion. Here's some questions to ask:
- who invented the concept of "kafars"?
- who wrote "slay the kafars wherever they are", and "take no friend from among the kafars, ... but destroy them"?

And then tell me that 7/7, 9/11 etc is some kind of accident?

jon battle, London, U.K.

I invite any female to come to Coventry, walk down Stoney Stanton Road in loose trousers, short sleeved, high neck T shirt, with uncovered head and feel the hatred and despising of the men there. You will be foreign in your own country. Our mainly male, policitians have been 'tolerant' of the intolerable and given away the freedom of 'infidel' women.

Lucy, Coventry,

If you think about it, thats a hell of a lot of virgins!

Bill Glanvill, Horsham, W Sussex, England

After hearing the conversations between the Bluewater would-be bombers I have slightly altered my view. In the past I thought that they were motivated by some kind of ideology, however much a sick, warped version of Islam it might have been, but now I see them for what they are - a bunch of inarticulate criminals attempting to justify their actions by pointing the finger at Western decadence.

Welsh Expat, Estepona, Spain

Nick Ferriman, there have been elections on a constitution and a government in Iraq which have had higher turnouts than most elections in the UK! The insurrection is against a democratically elected government ferchrissake. 'Our fighting men' are not 'purging the world of the impure' but assisting a democratically elected government to take control of its country. I find it perverse that you use John Locke in your support. The invasion should never have been justified on WMD grounds, but on humanitarian grounds - bringing John Locke's freedoms to Iraq. If the Iraqis want to screw it up, that's their right. E.g., we should acknowledge Iranian and Gaza governments as legitimately elected and bona fide diplomatic partners as long as the 'throw the rascals out' principle of elections still applies.

JA, London,

Maggie, please read the following to understand my point. Islam does not distinguish between rich and poor, humans are humans irrespective of their social condition or geographical location. "Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." [HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3]
Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. [ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com] "Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." [NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1]
Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." [USA TODAY, The Population Reference bureau, Feb. 17,1989, p.4A ] "Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. " [Encyclopedia Britannica] "Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!" [CNN, December 15, 1995]
"The Religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world." [MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES]

Hameed Choudhury, Peterborough, UK

Hameed, you say, " Islam is the fastest growing religion, especially in the west " really?
I find , ' in the west ' hard to believe.
If true at all I would say not in the west but in poor countries with a high birthrate [ Africa a good example ] & a lack of birth control. Islam is dominant where poverty is rife, & is a geographical religion, those born in the east for example are most likely to be Muslim, Immigrants then take their faith with them .
Also when 9/11 took place we were not in Iraq.
I think Michael has got it right, it's our lifestyle the extremists hate so much.
Like their opinion of women, we are virgins or tarts, nothing in between. Muslim men are angry as, amongst other things, they are not officially allowed physical contact, [ sex ] untill marriage, this makes them angry, excitable, frustrated.
Any psychologist will tell you it's not healthy.
This may sound too simplistic but, Ironically, it's what motivates them to kill / die & to find virgins in heaven !

Maggie Millington, Brittany, France

Michael provides us westerners with a narrative that glorifies who we are. Bravo! I particularly appreciated the phrase where he condemns Islam for offering “young men redemption through violence, and the opportunity to exalt themselves by purging the world of the impure”. It sounds exactly like a call to arms for Imperial service with the British Army of yore. So I find it difficult to see the difference between their fighting young men and ours.

I imagine Michael will say the difference is that our soldiers are fighting for democracy. Well, why are they putting down an insurrection? For that is what we are facing, a grassroots Islamic rebellion fueled by the global iniquities we foster. Our rapacious capitalism has laid waste to culture and traditions elsewhere and inflicted significant psychological damage.

We have no divine right to lord it over other people. We would do well to remember instead the legacy of John Locke, immortalized in the American Declaration of Independence, which states that insurrection against tyranny is both a duty and an obligation. It is we who are in the wrong, not them.

Moslem fundamentalists are only doing what Aborigines, Black Africans, and North American Indians did before them, fighting back. Why are we surprised?

Nick Ferriman, Bangkok, Thailand

Islam was not spread by violence or terror. Arab Muslims started an empire but did not encourage the vanquished to convert, as it simply meant less levy & taxes in their pockets.
I would suggest those who pretend they know much on the subject to read as many books from different sources as they can.
One must differentiate between what a religion really says & the scholarly thought attributed to the faith.
Many here are showing ignorance & bringing in history to try to explain present events, that is a grave mistake. If one compares,objectively, the magnitude of violence & racist movements throughout history, ancient & contemporary, they will find that Europeans are far worse than any other nations. WW1, WW2 , tare only simple examples without delving into the massacres of the crusades & so on.
If Islam was really that evil narrow as many would like to believe, against logic, how come a Holocaust never took place there in the middle eastern countries? get some sense please.

Kader, Cairo, Egypt

Gove writes as if he is some sort of an expert on Islam; remember it is the fastest growing religion in the world, in particular in the west, even though the media, the new "god", has such an Islamophobic attitude towards it. Gove must understand that activists like Qutb and Mawdudi were writers and activists during the colonialist period and hence their writings are influenced with the preoccupation of liberating their countryman from the chains and shackles of oppression and slavery –which continue to exist. Gove has very little understanding of Islam and hence his weak, unjustified and misguided attempt at blaming it rather than the real culprits -the governments neo-con policy makers.
We would not equate the Virginia tech terrorist killings of 32 people to the teachings of Christianity since the perpetrator mentions Jesus as his saviour in his speech!?!
Stop at creating a bogyman to justify illegal invasions of sovereign countries & the massacres that follow!!

Hameed Choudhury, Peterborough, UK

In the eyes of reasonably minded Western secularists they are all barking mad Islamist nutters. Perhaps we should agree to differ and accept that we all have different beliefs and value systems. None of which are actually worth killing anyone over.

Peter Joly, London,

anyone who advices others to read the Quran doesnt know anything about the Quran. The same can be applied to the old testament with disturbing verses.
The verses in the Quran urging to fight was solely meant for the pagan meccans. There is nothing in the quran about islamic land or abode of war & abode of peace, that is scholastic thought not Quranic or Islamic.
I read fanatics here far worse than the islamic fanatics who have an excuse of being stripped of ffreedom of thought but what is the excuse of others from the US & other countries? Pure prejudism & ignorance.

Kader, Cairo, Egypt

It is amazing that the extremist can find a rational reason that compels them to do evil acts that cause more hate and suffering. They find it easier to become a martyr than do something really positive and make the world a better place. They should all speak to better understand themselves and neighbours other than rant slogans. Just be better citizens simply by recycleing and use less energy for that way we would not need the oil and gas. But then the middle East would lose money and there will be nobody to pay for the food and lifestyle of their rulers.

God bless us all. Practice love and understanding

DJ, Gloucester, UK

I'm not big fan of meme theory. But it seems to me that that any belief system which promotes a death penalty for apostasy and the censorship of blasphemous views will spread by a principle of evolution. Where Fundamentalist Islam sets in, it dominates, because it starves to death all other belief systems.

Any solution must be two-pronged. 1) Realise that not all Muslims are fundamentalists and appeal to them. 2) Realise that the problems posed by Islamism won't go away.

The war in Iraq was a huge mistake not because Saddam Hussein should have been left in power but because the governments in Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt should not be in power. A tough consensus against Islamist governments will be really hard to achieve now - but we must try.

Jonathan, Cambridge,

If anyone needs to know what the Muslims are up to, read the Qur'an. Any land that was conquered by Muslims is forever Muslim. Until judgement day.! This includes Israel, which continues to be a source of humiliation to all Muslims. The world according to Muslims is split into two parts. dar al-Harb (The region of War), that is US. dar al-Islam, the region of Islam. The peoples of any conquered race living under Sharia law, in all Muslim countrys are called Dhimmis. If you want to read something totally horrific read the history of Dhimmis. This horror went on for THIRTEEN HUNDRED YEARS. If you want to know how YOU will be treated, look up Dhimmi history.

Desmond Taylor, Houston, USA Texas

Shermeen Butt argues that the catalyst for planned terrorist outrage is the war in Iraq, but that doesn't explain 9/11, nor has there been any organisation that has said 'leave Iraq or we will kill and maim as many innocents as possible'. Of course, no Islamic terrorist organisation could say such a thing, as none of us non-Muslims are, in their eyes, innocents. We are non-believers, who should be killed to satisfy the teachings of another man, the prophet Mohamed.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

Let us be clear. The Koran states "Let there be no violence in religion". As all religious extremists do, Islamists pick and choose what to believe in the name of God. Buddhism is the most peaceful mainstream religion for a reason - they do not believe in a god.

Ben, York,

"there really is only one appropriate response – a determination to do what we know to be right"

Agreed - but is the neo-con foreign policy of bombing the world into submitting to the Washington-Jerusalem agenda right? Is the slaughter in Iraq, the oppression of the Palestinians, the throwing away of human rights and civil liberties right?

We should change of foreign policy - not just because it would make us safer from terrorism - but because it is the right thing to do.

Catherine, London,

Delta - I agree the west picks and chooses its place to intervene. But it has nothing to do with religious views and everything to do with controlling oil supply (or anything else we actually all use rather a lot of and get very upset about when it seems to be drying up... imagine if we couldn't drive our cars or get a cheap flight). It's dangerously blind to think that the secular west is primarly driven by any ideology other than materialism - which Islam knows and derides us for.

CH, London,

Yes, sort of Michael, but...

Invading Iraq has acted as a bit of a recruiting flag, hasn't it? Especially as we did it way before Arghanistan was even approaching stability. And especially as any plan that did exist for installing that same stability in Iraq was half-thought through and poorly implemented. Although plans for getting the oil pumping and sold off were fairly swiftedly implemented. Hmm, I wonder why that aspect was focused on by the neo-con planners, in particular?

And protestations that we are doing what we know to be right, or fighting against evil, or supporting democracy also must seem a bit hollow, since we buddy up with oil-friendly non-democracies such as Saudia Arabia, and let them off inquiries and such, and we support our ally in her global torture camp policy by letting extrordinary planes full of extaordinarily rendered people land in our country. I mean, I don't know if any of that is 'right'.

Jamie Halliday, London,

Finally it seems that this country is waking up to the enemy within. Politicians, churchmen, and the general public are setting aside their fears and speaking their minds. As Michael Gove rightly says, because of our fundamental rights and freedom of choice we are now being condemmed as an evil society.
Over the past decades men and women have given their lives to defend our way of life. Through politics, debate, and industrial struggle the people of this country have arrived at a pleasant concencus on life. We jealously guard our freedom to choose our own destination.
The new threat to our nation is coming from a "religion" designed purely to control a populus through fear. Control by way of mass hysterior and threats of violence and mutilation to anyone not obeying their law.
Iraq and Afghanistan were a mistake and we must remove our troops before the death toll becomes unbearable. Under no circumstances will we ever democratise the Arab world, so wy are we still there?

Michael Driscoll, Braoadstairs, England

Well yes, that may be the case with al-Qaedists such as these would be bombers being referred to here. However, the likes of Gove and his fellow neocon Israel-firsters equate every violent Islamic group with having the same ideals. No doubt he would try and sell both Hamas and Hezbollah as having the same ideology, when in fact they were created explicitly for the purpose of opposing Israel. Similarly, terrorism in the Indian subcontinent is aimed primarily at ousting Indian rule from Kashmir, and Chechen terror is aimed at driving Russia out of the Caucuses.

Raashid, London,

Mr Gove's item on the reasons for hatred of the West is unanswerable. But why then does his Party enthuse about more state funded Islamic schools?

ibnez, Homerton, UK

Brian Tilly of Canada, sorry your relativism does not work and in fact could be used to support Hitler & 'his own belief system'.
Brian, 'Onward Christian Soldiers' was a song for a Sunday School Class written by a vicar's wife for toddlers to march across a lawn to church! Time to learn a few more historical facts before preaching simplistic political correctness.

Crannmer, Oxford, UK

What I find disturbing is the unwillingness of the BBC to grasp the nettle of calling `a spade a spade`.
The BBC had a lead story in its `flagship` prog Today (Radio 4) the electoral corruption in Birmingham.
It is oh so obvious that the fraud is endemic to Wards with a large Pakistani electorate.
I can understand why the BBC is cautious about "race reporting" so be it.
But when less important souls such as me point out the glaring obvious. The Beeb reacts with vitriolic bile.

Peter Bolt, Redditch, UK

May Peace and guidance to the truth be bestowed upon all,

AS a practising Muslim who is a little more versed in Islamic teachings then said convicted brothers, I can quite vehemently say that bombing a club full of people isn't acceptable within any Islamic teachings except those twisted by those with an axe to grind.

I work with young people in a voluntary capacity and often mind those with grudes against others for whatever reason find "justifications" within Islam - a twisted logic that allows then to fulfil their desires for revenge but think that Allah is happy about them doing that.

Islam doesnt promote licentious behaviour but neither does it say murder a woman in a non-Muslim country because she does what her morals lead her to believe are acceptable. Anyone who thinks that is acceptable is going against the teachings of Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

We complain that others make Islam look bad, sadly I think Muslims are outdoing them quite easily.

Tazud, London,

Anon, Sean Slater and M Levine:
My comments were in direct response to those made by Michael Gove about UK, as all the references he gave were about this country and what has happened here. USA and how the non-Western world has perceived it for decades upon decades is another story.
No matter what personal opinions those living here had about the Western way of life, no one would have dared rise against UK had it not been for the past four years. This is my firm opinion and I am sticking to it.
In anticipation that my own view may become suspect; my faith requires me to be loyal to Queen and country.

Shermeen Butt, Somersham, UK

This is fine as far as it goes. But it fails (deliberately, I suspect) to make the connection between Islamism and Islam. There are many aspects of Islam which feed the ideology of Islamism, aspects that are particularly easily transmuted into socially controlling, women hating, violence celebrating, intolerant Islamist sub-cults. We need to be blunter about finding these underlying aspects to be in conflict with our ideals for a secular Western society. We need to disapprove of the roots as well as the poisenous flowers. We have walked a long hard road to tame the political role of Christianity in the West, to fend off its attempts to control our thoughts and practices, to ensure reason, freedom of thought, individualism, equality prevail in the social sphere, leaving religion to be a matter for consenting adults in private. That fight was not won by worrying about offending people we profoundly disagreed with, or, worse, by averting our eyes and asserting that all views are equal.

murphy, London,

"offers young men redemption through violence, and the opportunity to exalt themselves by purging the world of the impure"

Oh...you mean like "onward Christian soldiers". I always find the hypocrisy of most war-mongers reveals their basic love of violence, just as long as it is violence that supports their own belief system.

Brian Tilley, Edmonton, AB, Canada

In reply to Bob Green I have to say that I find the attitude he describes is a far deeper human problem than 'religion'. For example, some athiests also have very extreme attitudes, and of course so do animal rights activists.

Quite frankly, tarring all religions with the same brush is a popular sport, but lacks intelligent consideration. It might be better to ask which religions are building peace in communities as we speak, and ask which religious culture you would rather live within!

Bill, Taunton, UK

Well done Bob Green for enunciating the problem with such conciseness and clarity. Without religion there would be no 'them and us'. There would be fewer labels to separate people.

As you say, the mindset of most religions is the same: follow us or suffer.

Alex McGregor, Plymouth, UK

A very worthwhile and thoughtful article. I definitely believe that although Western foreign policy has played an important role in causing Islamic terrorism - its fundamental cause is due to deep issues in Muslim society and its relationship with the rest of non-Islamic world (primarily the West).

The Western powers have for a long time played a negative (and continue to) part in the affairs of Muslim world in particular the Middle East but Muslims also need to take responsibility for many of their own problems.

Describing religion as the problem is exceptionally simple Bob the worst crimes against humanity in the 20th century were commited by secularist regimes - Nazi Germany and Communist USSR. The problem is people who adopt extreme idelogies as an excuse to make up for the inadequacies and resentments in their own lives so that they can take it out on other innocent people. The hatred is within the hearts of men - God has nothing to do with it.

Dan, Winchester, UK

I can't help but marvel at the selective perception of the author! Not intervening in such places as chechenya, bosnia, and most importantly, palestine, while atacking Irak for no reason, shows just how biased the foreign policy of the US and britain are. These governments show restrain in intervention only then, wenn they would come to the help of muslims! It is ok to impose an embargo on libya because it did not deliver 2 suspected terrorists, but not on israel to force it to comply with many security coucil resilutions! And if after these and many other exemples you still do no see bias in the actions of western governments, then you really are beyond help!

delta, BONN,

Shermeen, there is one slight flaw in your argument. As has been constantly pointed out the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, which killed hundreds of innocent people, occured BEFORE the invasion of Iraq. What was the "catalyst" for the perpetrators of that slaughter? Palasetine? It won't do. Michael Gove is correct, hatred of everything that the west stands for is the motivation. And we in the west must decide whether we are going to resist or submit.

Anon, Glasgow,

Shermeen. Your comment: "Had there been no Iraq, these distorted psyches would have simmered and smouldered away...". It is, of course, impossible to show either way but to simply lay the blame at the foot of a UK foreign policy is naive in the extreme.

Whether the Iraq invasion was legal or otherwise can have no single bearing on these individuals propensity for violence. It may well have been the final straw but that is to simply ignore the long chain of illogical and unreasonable conclusions reached by these young men. Conclusions being fed by religious indoctrination, leading them to develop a victim mentality at the percieved injustices in Western society.

I strongly suspect that they would have still tried to commit such acts and blame something else.

Sean Slater, Edinburgh,

Praise be to Allah for the voice of reason, Michael Gove. It is refreshing to finally read commentary from someone who is prepared to grapple with the real issue renting at the heart of British politics. May your message reach far and wide.

Josh, London, UK

Shermeen, you have missed Michael's point. The foreign policy is not the catalyst for these terrorist actions. It may be the excuse given but Islam has been a religion spread by terror and violence since it inception. It is no different now to how Christianity was spread and defended during the Crusades. Give people the choice whether to believe or not and they probably won't bother. Tell them they will die and they will think twice. Murder them and they will do so through no choice.

If Western foreign policy is to blame why is there a blood lust going on in Iraq between Sunni and Shia Muslims? It has nothing to do with the UK. In Pakistan, Churches are regularly bombed by Islamic extremists. Even in Bethlehem, Christians have been forced from their homes or told to convert to Islam.

The first attack on the Twin Towers in 1993 by Al-Qaeda happened long before America toppled the Taliban and long before the 2003 war with Iraq.

M Levine., Edgware,

Dear Sir, I applaud your article. However having spent nearly 30 yrs in the M.E. some 30 yrs ago(!) I do have to say that the Ch.4 lot are right in much of what they say. But, what they say really refers to exacerbation rather than root causes. 1918 removed the Ottoman rule that had kept Islam lacking a Reformation and most of it's sects in control. These genies are now coming out of the bottle. Solutions? Difficult. Wahabism began in 1720 or so and then infected N.India. It enabled a tribal leader, Mohd al Saud to establish his hegemony with a supratribal idea. Latterly Nationalism and Arab Socialism have failed to satisfy and so the extremists are back. Perhaps we could try to reform Islam a bit. How about a Nabi Issa( Jesus) Mosque? "Moderate" Islam must be persuaded to help and turn on the Fundamentalists if Islam is to be diverted from it's aim to conquer the world, which is after all what the Xtians want to do? All this letter is rather a precis, sorry. It's such a HUGE subject

John Carter, Tavistock, Devon

I find it quite disturbing how the terms “Muslim world”, and “muslim country” are casually used without full reflection of their significance. Do we talk in the same way about the “Hindu world”, a “Buddhist country”, “Christian world”? I think not. To me the existence and use of the term “Muslim world”, as used by Mr Gove, is highly significant. It is evidence of a will to dominate and subjugate others which is integral to Islam. When this will has succeeded, the said territory then becomes a “Muslim country”, and the Muslim world, an aggregate of all these territories where Muslim domination has succeeded, is enlarged. That’s all “the Muslim world” is – something akin to the Third Reich. It is not for nothing that Mr Gove alludes to the totalitarian tendencies of Islam.

Trofim, Birmingham, UK

Has there ever been such a thing as a "religion of peace"?

Surely the aim of religionists is to persuade others to their beliefs based on interpretations of the ancient texts they rely on. Whatever that belief is , is deemed "right " - those who don't agree are wrong.

How those with the wrong idea are viewed doesn't vary very much - be they infidels , non believers or whatever name may describe them. They are damned , will spend eternity in hell or suffer in some other way.

Whether believers use physical means against such people in the here and now , or expect similar retribution in some future existence , the mindset is the same - such people will suffer.

For believers there is surely very little difference between exacting retribution now as opposed to later - the merest flicker in time between now and then.

And if beliefs give some special advantage by getting retribution in first then some believers will do so.

The basic underlying problem is religion. Full stop.

Bob Green, Essex, England

I commend your rhetoric, but its no use pretending otherwise. The callous merciless yet cowardly people who seek to carry out these atrocities need a catalyst, a pivotal volcanic breaking point to act out what their miserable minds harbour.
The illegal war in Iraq provided just that. However, as these people are fundamentally cowards, they opt to target the ministry of sound rather than the foreign ministry. They pretend to be fighters but they are spineless and choose easy victims. I am afraid your theory seems to be designed solely to exonerate the politicians. Had there been no Iraq, these distorted psyches would have simmered and smouldered away and even their unhinged minds would have never given them a go-ahead, a justification albeit a worthless one, to wreck havoc as they have.

Shermeen Butt, Somersham, UK

As a practising Muslim (in the USA), I agree with much of what you say, and find this aberration of Islam to be totally destructive and certainly anti-Qur'an. The Qu'ran, contrary to common belief, actually promotes democracy, free enterprise, freedom of religion, intellectual freedom, and even parity between the sexes...and "jihad" is clearly defensive and moral struggle. Islam by force is not Islam. The Qur'an actually promotes thinking, logic and compassion as governing attitudes, rather than legalistic rules.

The one area I agree with "the majority" on is that foreign policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian issue exacerbates dehumanizing abuse against Palestinians which has continued for years unabated with no end in sight. This is unconscionable, and having been ruled by autocrats, many Muslims have no experiencial grounds to believe that non-violent protest can exist or be effective. Our tolerance for autocracy elsewhere also contributes to the creation of terrorists.

Omyma, Virginia Beach, USA

I'm sure there's a great deal in what you have to say here, Mr Gove, but I thnk you should also address the idea of other religous fundamenntalists as well.

The Christian zionists whose ideas are greatly influencing the government of the US also have a lot to answer for.

John Reid, Rotorua, New Zealand

Lies! Nobody asked you Brits to get involved or fight in Bosnia or Croatia. You Brits caused two genocides of the Catholic and Islamic Croats to help your ally Communist Yugoslavia, aka the Serbian empire.

Shirley Jackson, Oliver, BC, Canada

Has there ever been such a thing as a "religion of peace"?

Surely the aim of religionists is to persuade others to their beliefs based on interpretations of the ancient texts they rely on. Whatever that belief is , is deemed "right " - those who don't agree are wrong.

How those with the wrong idea are viewed doesn't vary very much - be they infidels , non believers or whatever name may describe them. They are damned , will spend eternity in hell or suffer in some other way.

Whether believers use physical means against such people in the here and now , or expect similar retribution in some future existence , the mindset is the same - such people will suffer.

For believers there is surely very little difference between exacting retribution now as opposed to later - the merest flicker in time between now and then.

And if beliefs give some special advantage by getting retribution in first then some believers will do so.

The basic underlying problem is religion. Full stop.

Rob Green, Braintree, England

I've read some of Gove's previous articles and it seems to me that he looks for evidence to support his pre-determined views of terrorism and Islam, rather than using the evidence to form an opinion.
One of the questions that needs to be answered; is our foriegn policy skewed against muslim countires to an extent that it is unbalanced, unfair and anti-muslim?

uc, London,

you're probably right about islam, michael, but you couldn't be more wrong about glazer and united. where is this new money of which you speak? do you mean the net inflow from transfers perhaps? or the money saved by trimming the squad? united's current position at the top of the premiership has been achieved in spite of, not because of, the glazers. with world class players such as giggs, scholes, gary neville, van der sar and solskjaer all needing to be replaced very soon, do you think glazer will be splashing out on players of similar quality or potential (bearing in mind united still haven't replace keane or van nistelrooy)? and, if united do spend, who do you think will be paying for it? the fans, not the glazers. bearing in mind the club has not even felt the full impact of interst, I think things will be stretched. so they haven't sold ronaldo or rooney.... yet. so the old stagers have managed one more glorious season. so what? the glazers are a blight on the game.

jem, london, uk

Whether Islamist agitation is motivated by foreign policy or puritan religiosity is irrelevant. In either case we have a clear duty to resist it by all means at our disposal.

To change foreign policy (e.g. by sacrificing Israel) would be disgraceful and in any case buy only a respite. Whoever is to blame for the war in Iraq, we are now in a position where withdrawal would be a sign of weakness and provoke further assaults.

The Islamists are people whose preferred targets are the helpless and innocent. Housewives and children in a Baghdad market are not even "those slags dancing about". Since the end of the cold war removed the inhibitions which kept smaller-scale conflicts in check, we have been engaged in a world-wide conflict amounting to actual war in some areas. It was not a conflict we chose; it is however not one we can afford to lose.

Michael Gove, thank you for the article. Clear-headed and accurate as usual.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire

I couldn't agree more. Islam is often touted as a religion of peace. But that doesn't mean it's not tyrannical and its followers seem willing to use violence to achieve peace through fear and conformity. One thing troubles me greatly. It's often said that people who commit violence in the name of Islam have " misinterpreted " the religion. How do we infidels know this? Maybe the terrorists have the right
" interpretation " and the moderates are mistaken.

James , Canberra, Australia.

Is (un)employment responsible for the rise in islamic terror? An idle mind is the devil's workshop and all that. Isnt like over 50% of the middle east population under 25? Lots of young people with not so much to do...?

Any data / thoughts or views?

D, Mumbai, India