However, the evidence is merely circumstantial and nothing has been proven.

Bruce Riedel, a veteran CIA officer and former senior director for South Asia and the Middle East on the White House National Security Council, also said the attacks had the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic group such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is based in Pakistan and has had links to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

"India has been a major target of terrorism for the last several years, Bombay (Mumbai) in particular. The vast bulk of these attacks have been carried out by Islamic extremist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has close links to al Qaeda," Riedel said.

Nevertheless, an unnamed U.S. counterterrorism official said it was too soon to say who was responsible for the attacks. However, he added, "When you look at India when it comes to terrorists attacks -- particularly those that are simultaneous and sophisticated -- we've seen these kinds of things before."

Again, the utmost important thing the world should understand and realize is that Islam is the antithesis of terrorism. The religion came to this world to end fasad fil ard (terror on the earth). The Koran very clearly states that killing of an innocent is akin to killing all of humanity and to save an innocent's life is like saving mankind.

And terrorism should not be seen from the prism of any religion. It should also be noted that most Muslims and other religious followers want to live peaceful lives.

It is time for the international community to stop equating terrorism with Islam. Terrorism is a broad term and it must not be associated specifically with Muslims and Islam. The Irish Republican Army of Ireland, right-wing groups in France and even U.S. Christian Timothy McVeigh can be called terrorists.

Nevertheless, factually there are a very few Muslim hardliners who have taken to terrorism as a last resort to protest against perceived injustices in their community. A striking example of this perceived injustice is the U.S.'s blind support for Israel, a policy which has supported state terrorism against Palestinians for years.

The acts of terrorists, regardless of their motives, are gross violations of human rights. These acts undermine the very basic of human rights -- namely the right to live. Yet the war against terrorism drummed up by Western countries is strongly justified by them.

In addition, many observers link terrorism with the concept of jihad. The idea of jihad as prescribed in Islam is that of the bigger jihad -- one which is fought against the evils within. Hence, killing innocents in the name of Islam cannot be called jihad. The Koran prescribes the most severe punishment to those who spread terror through mass murder.

Jihad cannot be declared by self-appointed warriors of Islam. It can be declared only by the ruler of an Islamic state, a religious head if he enjoys the support of the Muslim masses or a group of ulema (clerics).

Many of the world's religious leaders have also claimed that bomb blasts and religion are two totally separate issues. Many Muslim leaders have also insisted that jihad, terrorism and martyrdom have nothing to do with Islam. This certainly is a highly debatable topic and one which should be thought through seriously.

Islam does not cause terrorism. Hence, the world should stop using the term "Islamic extremist" because terrorism is not caused by Islam itself. The essential idea of Islam is that there is a right way to serve God, which is to follow the rules and understandings taught by the Prophet Muhammad. There might be many ways to serve God.

A leading U.S. daily has suggested that the terrorist strikes in Mumbai are likely to intensify pressure on U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to craft a regional solution to the instability in South and Central Asia.

Apparently Obama must properly address the issue of perceived injustices against Muslims throughout the world, most notably in the case of Palestine. He has to show a deep understanding of and sensitivity toward these issues. He should also be able to change the United States' alignment with Israel: It must be balanced and fair, and not simply a blind alignment, so that it will not spark anger among Muslims.

Most terrorist acts executed in the name of Islam by individual "Muslim" terrorists were precipitated by injustices. Injustices merely fuel the already growing number of "Muslim" terrorists who will sacrifice themselves for their beliefs.

Tensions between the West and the Muslim world reached new heights after Bush launched his "war against terror" in the wake of Black September. Fighting "Islamic extremists" was at the top of the U.S. agenda in its bilateral and regional relationships with countries with large Muslim populations, including Indonesia.

This has become a major problem that Obama must overcome in the future. He has to indicate his preference for a diplomatic approach when dealing with Muslim countries.

He certainly has the required capacities, as during his campaign and an interview on U.S. television he has shown his understanding of radicalism by differentiating between what he calls "terrorist targets" and "the average Muslims" -- who have also become the victims of extremists' violent actions. If he wants, it should be no problem at all as he has experience with Muslim-majority nations such as Indonesia and Pakistan -- and his own family in Kenya. There will be a reasonable expectation that he will ease the tensions between Western and Muslim nations.

Above all, possibly the greatest legacy of President-elect Obama's Indonesian experience is his respect and understanding for Islam. Therefore, he will be in a unique position to build bridges of mutual respect and understanding between Islam and the West.