Roots of terror

Azeem Ibrahim (Opinion, 6 January) reminds us how the predicament of Muslims around the world and the ills of western societies such as discrimination, bigotry and social inequality could serve as a catalyst for radicalisation and create obstacles to a rapprochement between the West and the Muslim world.

There is an urgent need for all policy-makers to try to create a new paradigm, a new mindset that strives towards an understanding of what drives Islamists to convert to religious terrorism. It is time to learn from past experiences around the world: from South Africa's turbulent past, where Nelson Mandela was once considered a terrorist and later went on to become a legendary figure in contemporary history; from the Middle East, where Menachem Begin and Yasser Arafat were both leaders of terrorist groups and then received the Nobel Prize for peace; and engage with today's enemies such as the Taleban, Hamas and Iran. Only then will there be a chance to win the war on terror and fanaticism.

DR MUNJED FARID AL QUTOB

Tela al Ali

Amman, Jordan