Mistral, I appreciate your attempt to understand the mindset of another culture, especially when it's the culture of an enemy, but in your analysis which was overall well-meant I sense some (probably unconscious) arrogance and self-deceit to which I have to react.

If one reflects that (1) the terrorists consider themselves at war with the West generally, and the US specifically; (2) the entire idea of non-combatants in war is both very recent historically, and Western in origin; (3) certain traditional cultural views in the Mideast are particularly bloodthirsty [also please note that I am not making any particular moral judgements about bloodthirstiness] it should not be difficult to grasp the idea that a certain segment of the Arab world would not only approve but celebrate these events. It does not make them sick; it simply indicates they are not Westernized.

One of the things which disgusts me about my people, Serbs, is their hypocrisy. Always prattling about Croatian crimes, Muslim crimes, American crimes, never mentioning the horrible crimes they themselves have commited. Seeing a speck in their brother's eye, not seeing the trunk in their own eye. Never willing to look in the mirror and see the truth's ugly face.

Dear Western friends, please don't behave the same way. To say that Arabs are cruel and prone to kill non-combatants because they are not Westernized is total nonsense. In the last century the governments of the civilized Western world have commited numerous crimes, killed appaling number of people and used weapons of devastating power over innocent civilians. Certain politeness and hypocrisy in expression and the fact that one doesn't gloat publicly over the enemy's death don't change the essence of things. If an air raid is called 'humanitarian intervention', cluster bombs and depleted uranium still fall on people's heads. If one 'services a target', he still kills people. Women and children haven't stopped dying just because they are referred to as 'co-lateral victims'. Please let us not forget that the masters of war are fucking bastards regardless of their cultural differences.

I hope people from US don't get me wrong. I was horrified by the events in your country. I was especially shocked by the sight of Arab children rejoicing and I don't think any cultural peculiarity can justify teaching children to hate. I feel deeply sorry for your loss and hope all of you who read this and your families and friends are safe and well. And on this note let me finish this hasty post written with too much adrenaline in blood. I hope I didn't insult anyone.

Natasa