I read with interest the article “Setting illogical discourse” (Feb. 24) by Ramzy Baroud. It is a nice effort on part of the writer to try knocking some sense into the heads of the western leaders. The western media and leaders apparently don’t realize their follies.

US President Barack Obama’s statement is commendable but things are not as simple as he believes. The factors that he has highlighted are undoubtedly responsible for the rise in extremist tendencies in the Muslim world. But the truth is if it weren’t for US military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, the situation would not have come to such a passing. The policies of Washington and London are to be blamed for the current turmoil in the Middle East. The much-dreaded weapons of mass destruction formed the basis of the US invasion of Iraq. What happened to those weapons?

Afghanistan was attacked on the pretext of Osama Bin Laden’s presence in the rugged terrains of the landlocked country. He very easily slipped away into neighboring Pakistan only to be found and killed after a decade or so. In the meantime, the situation of the already impoverished country further deteriorated. What was the use of those military adventures? Those two wrong moves have turned the entire world, particularly the Middle East, into a living hell.

It is the responsibility of the US and its western cohorts to help the Muslim world fight the menace. The western media needs to play a responsible role. The manner in which it is reporting about these conflicts is only stoking Islamophobia, which in return is not only polarizing the western societies but will also lead to the radicalization of Muslims living in the West.

Tariq Khan

Riyadh