Before those watershed events that seem so distant today, the scale and ferocity of the Israeli offensive would have been unimaginable, as would be the American indifference that has made it possible for Sharon to put a gun to Arafat's head.

But the mindless destruction of the World Trade Centre just over six months ago has let loose a latent anti-Muslim sentiment, and Muslims have been thrown on the defensive the world over.

The current Israeli campaign to humiliate and browbeat the Palestinians is supposed to be in response to the wave of suicide bombings against civilians as well as lethal attacks against soldiers that have shaken the Zionist state over the last few weeks. But both the Israeli government and its American backers have chosen to ignore the fact that these acts of violence have been committed by desperate people to defend themselves against a military juggernaut as well as gain a measure of vengeance against a cruel occupation that heaps daily humiliation and pain on a hapless population.

The Israeli and western media never tire of repeating the mantra of "terrorism shall not succeed." But succeed in what? All the Palestinians have been asking for is that Israel vacate the occupied territories and permit the refugees the same right of return the Jews the world over have. In these demands, the Palestinians have the support of UN resolutions as well as international law. But in the post-September 11 environment, it seems that the Muslim rights carry less weight in the capitals of the West.

Closer to home, India has cashed in on the 9/11 mindset as well by taking full advantage of the American-led 'war against terror', and refusing to enter into talks with Pakistan. Mr Vajpayee has used the December attack on New Delhi's parliament building to mobilise Indian troops on the Pakistani border without incurring international opprobrium due to the current climate of suspicion of Muslims.

Within Pakistan, Musharraf's balancing act has been made even more difficult in view of the anti-Americanism fuelled by ongoing Israeli actions against Palestinians. At a time when the general has been trying to put a lid on religious extremism and help the American campaign in Afghanistan, he is being put on the defensive by Bush's open support for Sharon's anti-Palestinian policies. As it is, he has made himself vulnerable to the charge of being a stooge of the Americans just when he is gearing up for a referendum to gain himself a five-year tenure as president.

In order to win support while keeping Benazir Bhutto's PPP and Nawaz Sharif's faction of the Muslim League, the two mainstream parties, at arm's length, Musharraf needs to keep the right wing religious parties happy. As it is, they are still smarting from his U-turn on Pakistan's interventionist policies in Afghanistan and Kashmir, as well as his decision to join the American-led coalition. The current events in the Middle East will certainly compound the problems the Pakistani army chief faces in his search for legitimacy and political support.

The plain fact is that after September 11, the West makes no distinction between liberation struggles and random terrorism. Even though the Palestinian war of independence is clearly a fight against an occupying power and is essentially an anti-colonial conflict, it is being viewed as a series of terrorist attacks.

Consequently, Israeli brutality is being condoned and tacitly encouraged in Washington.

Within the United States itself - as well as in many European states - there is growing intolerance of Islam and Muslims. Many Muslim citizens, visitors and illegal immigrants have been targeted by individuals as well as the state. Visas are harder to come by than ever before. Racial profiling is now official policy. Students from Muslim countries are being denied entry. Intolerance and bigotry are no longer politically incorrect, provided they are directed at Muslims.

In short, Muslims the world over are paying a heavy price for the actions of a handful of misguided zealots led by Osama bin Laden. But although most Muslims condemned the destruction wrought by al-Qaeda on September 11, they are amazed and outraged by the blanket retaliation they feel they are being subjected to by the West. Indeed, many of them have started wondering whether extremists do not have a point when they rail against the West.

And herein lies the danger: the western reaction to September 11 might well produce an entire new generation of volunteers for an army of zealots who will lash out blindly at western targets the world over, as well as local leaders and governments perceived as supporting the West. Thus, the 'war on terror' might well end up creating a hydra-headed monster that multiplies as this war intensifies.

Six months after the event, Americans are still feeling the anger and pain of the September 11 attacks as their forces around the world look for targets. Politicians, in particular, have the bit firmly between their teeth as they wave the flag at home and abroad. But they need to realize that in many countries of the world, terrorist attacks from one quarter or another are an unfortunate fact of life. Although the scale of the September 11 attacks was unprecedented, the stability of the whole world cannot be put at risk to avenge them. Granted that the official justification for ongoing military operations is supposed to be the eradication of terrorism, there is little doubt that vengeance is a large part of the motivation.

However, by tarring clandestine terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and popular, open ones like the PLO with the same brush, the West will create many enemies and drive away many friends. Even those who were sympathetic to the United states in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks have been repulsed by the anti-Muslim hysteria that continues to be whipped up in the United States.

But in world affairs, as in other areas of life, what goes around comes around: it will be ironic if the ongoing 'war against terror' produces yet more terror due to open-ended, uncritical American support for Sharon and Washington's anti-Muslim mindset.