Who dares say whom U.S. should accuse?

By the time I opened The Jakarta Post on Sept. 13, I had just began to recover somewhat from the shock the horrifying disaster that struck New York City on Tuesday morning had caused me; I had just been able to call my son, whose office, which I know well, is right next to the World Trade Center. I was immensely relieved to hear that Marc had managed to escape unscathed from that inferno and that he could walk back home that morning.

My mood soon changed from a feeling of relief to one of disgust and anger when I read the page two article titled, "U.S. warned against blaming groups for attacks". In particular, the comments aired by so-called "international affairs observers" Juwono Sudarsono, Sidik Djatmiko and Mochtar Mas'ud are simply revolting.

Those third-class specialists had both the nerve and the stupidity to voice "warnings" to the United States (U.S.) against pointing a finger toward militant Islamist groups, when all leads and international news reports already indicate that such groups -- and Osama bin Laden's organization in particular -- clearly appear to be behind that virtual act of war, indeed crime against humanity.

Mochtar Mas'hud, of the otherwise prestigious Gadjah Mada University, even had the brains to name Cuba as a potential suspect behind the attacks! Did he not hear Fidel Castro's sincere and emotional speech on television, in which the Cuban President offered his country's "total support and assistance" to the American government and people?

What are overseas Internet readers of the Post bound to think of such comments from Indonesian "academics"? Statements such as those can only be harmful to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. Indonesia already has enough problems of her own, including enormous religion-related problems. No one here has the right to tell the U.S. or, for that matter, any other country, how its authorities should carry out their investigations into such horrifying crimes. By the way, let me make it clear: I am not an American citizen.

J.P. BRAIBANT

Tangerang, Banten