At the Central London Mosque’s Friday night prayers, after the bombing at the nearby Edward Road Station, Sheik Ashraf Selah, said, “Any attack is an attack on us all.  We are so sorry that this attack is attached to Muslims.  We cannot imagine that a true Muslim who understands properly the teachings of Islam can commit this terrible crime against civilians and the innocent.  Islam strongly condemns such a sinful act.”

            I see hope and opportunity for Islam in that – as more and more good Muslims speak out against Muslims who kill innocents, and as their voices denouncing the taking of innocent life grows stronger in number and intensity, and it becomes the passionate majority, so then shall the voices from the mouths of wanton terrorists fade to a whimper without teeth.

            Muslims should feel proud to be Muslims because of their collective beneficial accomplishments and should not feel ashamed to walk in the streets because of the sinful acts of others.  Osama, your ongoing terrorist activities do not serve the majority of Muslims in the world; rather they do an undeserved disservice to them.

            And do you think that your London al Qaeda inspired attack has made Britain weaker and more willing to condescend to your edicts?  Instead the British people have reaffirmed their resolve to continue on and not let your activities change their way of life.

            And do you think using a weapon of mass destruction, even a nuclear bomb on an American city will bring western civilization to a halt?  The loss of New York’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon attack on 9/11 did not result in capitulation to al Qaeda.  Instead, a month later America was at war in Afghanistan – and al Qaeda no longer has a home country of safe harbor.  The site of the Twin Towers is being rebuilt and the Pentagon has been repaired.

            Because I know the character of American resolve, I know that even with a nuclear attack, we would be wounded – but we would heal, and we would become more unified and stronger against any attacking forces.

            Osama bin Laden, you are my adversary.  You have declared me an enemy because I am an American and for that, I must die.  That being so, then let us be certain – absolutely certain – what exactly it is that we are battling over and dying for.  That is my purpose in this letter to you – to clarify al Qaeda’s issues that motivate continuing terrorist activities and to suggest ways that the end goals may be better achieved without the loss of more innocent lives.

            The four hijacked planes of 9/11/2001 were intercontinental ballistic missiles, of sorts.  The missiles’ pilots came from another continent and guided them to their targets. This 9/11/2006 “letter” to you is also an intercontinental missile of sorts, however it is not armed with explosives, but aimed to help prevent further death to all parties.  It is a missile of ideas and alternate viewpoints intended to begin a process that can lead to possible resolutions and a cease-fire truce on innocent lives. In a June 2005 speech, President Bush had quoted you; “This Third World War is raging” and that you said it will end in, “victory and glory or misery and humiliation.”

            I hope that this intercontinental ‘missile letter’ will result in ways to achieve, “victory and glory” for our human species rather than end in “misery and humiliation”.  This letter may or may not persuade you to engage in other options, but it may give pause to others who think suicidal bombing of innocent people is the best way ‘to go’.