London terrorist bombings elicited familiar response: Islamic organizations and Muslim communities in Europe and North America condemned the terrorist attacks and stressed the dissonance between the deplorable acts of the terrorists and the humane principles of Islam. Tony Blair paid tribute to the intrinsically peaceful teaching of Islam and reminded his countrymen that the British Muslims are law-abiding and contributing members of the British society, as he condemned the militant ideology espoused by the terrorists. "We know that these people act in the name of Islam." Blair stressed, “but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do."

Under a tremendous pressure from the White House, the Newsweek finally retracted its story on the desecration of the Qur'an at Guantanamo prison, and apologized for being sloppy in verifying sources. Rather than convincing the world that the interrogators at Guantanamo are innocent of the charges of abusing Islam's holy book, the Newsweek's retraction reinforced the perception that US media is toeing the government's line and that it has become impotent to challenge government's excesses.

Every time anger and frustration take over the human spirit, reason and rational thinking fade into the background. High emotions cloud reason, subvert justice, and undermine peace. In the absence of reason, new terminology takes hold. The discourse on terrorism that rages today in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist strikes on New York and Washington is ripe with emotions triggered by a sinister and apocalyptic attacks on unarmed and non-combatant civilians.  On television and radio talk shows across the United States, countless self-proclaimed experts on terrorism, counseling that we strike back against a host of countries suspected of supporting terrorism. Statements from the White House have been more balanced and measured, but the theme is the same: an all-out war on terrorism.

The events of September 11 and their aftermath have put the American Muslim community face to face with new and difficult realities. We increasingly confront tough questions: How should we respond to recent events? How should we view the attacks on New York and Washington? How should we react to the efforts of some people in the country who are bent on equating Islam with terrorism? How do we reconcile our American and Islamic identities?