Dear Mr. Bhatti, I read the letter by the Indian Muslim about "Pakistan's minorities", and would like to address a few issues raised in his letter. He has made a comparison between the persecution of religious minorities in India & in Pakistan. Though I agree with him, that at the moment religious minorities are being more persecuted in India than in Pakistan; but he may also agree with me, that what is happening in India is actually a reaction Pakistan's foreign policies. Pakistan Army never forgot her defeat by the Indian Army in 1971, when we lost Bangladesh and 90 thousand of Pakistani soldiers were taken as POW by India. Though Mehmood Al-Rehman commission report puts the whole blame on Pakistan Army, but Pakistan military never let this report get published for over 25 years. Extremely popular and powerful prime minister like Bhutto couldn't get it published, and recently it suddenly somehow appeared in an Indian newspaper. Pakistan Army since then has been firing all the shots in the Pakistan's internal and external policies. The Kashmir issue was revived again, so that score could be balanced with India for the 1971 humiliation. Pakistan's military intelligence established the so-called Kashmiri mujahid organizations, helping recruit and train terrorists for cross-border terrorism inside India. There was bound to be a reaction inside India, to this policy of blatant terrorism; and it is sad that religious minorities are suffering as a result of that. Extremist part like BJP, which couldn't win even half a dozen seats in the Parliament in 1971, have been able to form the government because of the Pakistan's policy of intervention in neighboring countries. Western governments turned a blind eye towards the growth of militancy and terrorism in Pakistan, because of their own vested interested in Afghanistan, due to soviet incursion there. Militants and terrorists were funded, trained and portrayed as heroes, because they were fighting against Russia; but now the same holy warriors are called terrorists. West has paid the price in terms of 9/11 New York tragedy, for their hypocrisy and double standards in South Asia. But it brought bad news for the religious minorities in India and Pakistan, and I have every sympathy for Mr. Ibrahim for the treatment they are facing for Hindu extremists. But I also believe that this Hindu extremism will become history, as soon as Pakistan military changes its policy of intervention in Kashmir, the same way it changed her policy on Afghanistan after the US invasion of Taliban. If Pakistan's military doesn't change her policy that is definitely a bad news for the religious minorities in both countries. Mr. Ibrahim them makes an absurd effort show that how tolerant Islam is, and he gives examples like prophet Mohammad married a Christian woman. Does this means tolerance to you Mr. Ibrahim, that prophet Mohammad married a Christian, but stopped Muslim women from marrying Christians men. What about the wars of Redda, when thousands of Muslims who ho left Islam were killed to stop people from leaving Islam. Koran teaches for killing Muslims who leave Islam, is this tolerance to you. Mohammad killed the whole Jewish tribe of Banu Quraiza, the very people who had given him refuge when he was persecuted by his own people in Mecca. The attacking and looting un-armed traders at Khyber might be considered tolerance to you. The kind of violence that is encouraged in Sura Tauba makes one's hair stand on its end, especially how the verse number 5 encourages killing non-Muslims if they don't convert to Islam. Is this all tolerance to you? Then you have the guts to write that 'For centuries it was Muslims who showed the way to the world in what tolerance is', is this concept of tolerance? What Europeans did in their dark ages looks like a picnic party when compared to what Mohammad or the four early Caliphs did. You are from India, so I don't need to tell you about Muslim king 'Ameer Taimoor Lung', and his brutalities towards non-Muslims. I am surprised that you are calling Pat Robertson a bigot, whereas you don't even mention once about the bigot attitude of Osama Bin Laden, and his millions of Muslim follower. Pat Robertson hasn't encouraged any Christian to kill Muslims, and has only raised some genuine concerns about Koran encouraging violence towards non-Muslims. If Muslims believe that he is wrong, then there should be a logical and academic answer to his questions. But Muslims calling him bigot and other names is the very reason for an impartial person to believe that Pat Roberson is probably right; otherwise why Muslims won't proved from Koran that he is wrong, instead of just doing character assassination of a well respected and noble person. I would encourage Mr. Ibrahim to read some literature by Islamic scholars like Ali Dashti or Ibn Warraq, which he can buy online from Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com. I am sure that it would be an enlightening experience for him, helping him come out of the fancy picture of Islam taught on in mosques and madrissas. Sincerely, Asif