It seems strange that Donald Feeney, in his May 12 letter "Case of misdirected sympathy," would have a go against the "leftist" leanings of a May 8 letter that criticized the American military's "murder" of Osama bin Laden. The argument put forward by the May 8 letter writer had nothing to do with the "left."

Muslim fundamentalists have declared fatwas to kill leftists because they are atheists. Socialists or communists are not allowed in any Muslim country. Osama Bin Laden and thousands of other fundamentalist Muslims - financed by conservative Muslim countries, trained by Pakistanis and equipped by America's CIA - went to Afghanistan to kill communists and destroy socialism in that country.

Bin Laden was celebrated by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a "brave freedom fighter of Afghanistan."

In 1992, when mujaheddin and thousands of Pakistanis took over Afghanistan, "socialists" in Afghanistan were either killed or forced to flee to India, Russia and other central Asian states. In 1996, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the former communist president of Afghanistan, Najibullah, and his brother were dragged out in Kabul, castrated and left to die in agony under the noses of Western representatives. So, it doesn't seem that bin Laden would have anything to do with "leftists."

Anglo-Americans should blame themselves for maintaining Frankenstein elements within Pakistan for the past 64 years.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

dipak basu