To the Editor:
I would like to thank Kevin Carmody for showing in his column titled "The Ramadan Quandary," of Nov. 8, 2001, that indeed there is no quandary whatsoever. Although some might claim that the United States is insulting the Islamic religion by continuing military operations during the holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Carmody correctly points out that such considerations were thoroughly ignored by Muslims in the past, as Muslims fought among each other during Ramadan. In fact, Islamic terrorists in the Middle East have sometimes purposely chosen Jewish holy days to launch terrorist attacks in Israel.
It is unfortunate that one of our strongest supporters in the region, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, is advocating a ceasefire in observation of Ramadan. Certainly, he is being forced to partly appease Islamic extremists in order to maintain power.
Don't be fooled by bin Laden's propaganda. It is rather ironic that bin Laden, after declaring that this war is a jihad and religiously motivated, would seek a reprieve and appeal to our sympathies toward religious freedom. This war is about eradicating terrorism and should remain so before Ramadan, during Ramadan and afterward.
