JA is the new generation British Muslims and his views (BBC interview) are illuminating and on target. I agree with him [as a Bangladeshi and former British Indian and later Pakistani citizen living in Dhaka in former East Pakistani]. I am a retired civil servant and had the chance to travel to more than 30 countries before my retirement. I was disillusioned with the Western society, based on strong individualism and stark materialism. The human touch has to be brought back.

He pointed out the social, cultural, and religious problems of the Muslims settled in UK from different countries [ Sylhetis settled in Britain]. The new young gen feel without roots, neither here nor there, cannot go back to Pakistan, or mix with the natives [white] of UK on a seamless basis. Tribalism of the parents [most with scanty education and lack of English]. The future is not bright, they felt; hence the frustration and disillusionment, specially the US attitude towards ME and partiality to the Jewish Israel.

Due to fear and prosecution, the mosques and mollas in UK avoided ref in their sermons to the plight of Muslims dominated by the white rich nations. Even today the communal effects of partition of India in 1947 linger in the background not only in the Indian sub continent but also in the immigrated countries in the West. The colour bar is very much there, but invisible in the background, as a taboo.

My younger brother went to England in the 1960s, to join his cousin, in search of his fortune, before finishing his local degree in Dhaka. He worked as a railway guard, while the cousin flourished in the restaurant business, and educated his son and daughter well [son double degrees Oxford and Cambridge, who is now a big shot in a world famous NNC based in London and USA].

Basically, the defunct British Empire struck back, as Commonwealth citizens migrated to UK in several millions; and they still feel the subtle discrimination in their hearts. The British born expat generation is today confused and bitter at the lack of opening and treatment of Muslims in the industrialised countries (North or West). The nucleus of all the trouble is the partial way Israel is being supported by the US [as the Jews control the US economy]. The Muslims are targeted as the Muslim countries have a large percentage of the natural energy reserves. Secondly, the Muslims ruled over a large part of the world for centuries and form the second largest community in the world today, after the Christians. The sense of insecurity in the two big camps is obvious.

Now both Bush and Blair have huge responsibility to set the course on a new road map for restoring international brotherhood of man. The wave is shifting again from the West to the East. Today only the US is standing alone as an affluent nation. EU, Japan are in sunset years, and the clock is ticking against the Yankees [living isolated, separated by the two big oceans]

History cannot be reversedit moves forward. But the lessons of history can be learnt for benefiting the human civilisation. The economic disparity has to be reduced. It is possible, but the mental sacrifices would be high, but noble.

Today, the global leadership is in a crisis. One has to rise above the foam and eddy currents. Time is a healer, but where is the First Aid kit?