The Saudi Arabian Government has ruled out the use of bases on its territory for American-led strikes against Afghanistan's ruling Taleban. "We do not accept the presence in our country of a single solider at war with Muslims or Arabs," Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan was quoted as saying in a government-run newspaper on Sunday.
Saudi defence minister 'rules out force'
In an Arab-language newspaper, the Saudi defence minister is quoted as saying it will not accept the presence of a single soldier at war with Muslims or Arabs.
Islam-Infonet, a news service of the supposedly mainstream Council on American-Islamic Relations, carried my column. Many American Muslims -- men, women; young, old; college students and professionals; almost all of Arab origin -- linked to it from there. Though they hardly represent the views of all the nation's 6 million or so Muslims, their venomous letters reveal anti-American biases and predispositions that don't square with the peace-loving and patriotic rhetoric mouthed by Muslim scholars and spokespeople on television.