The world has wisely intervened in Libya to stop a tyrant from killing his own people” wrote Haroon Siddiqui in his op-ed piece in the Star on March 24.

That the governments of half-a-dozen or so powerful western countries – who all have contributed to massive killings directly and indirectly – have bullied the UN Security Council (10 yes votes, 5 abstentions) into passing a resolution authorizing military action against Libya, does not mean ‘the world’ is supportive of this action.

Quite to the contrary, world public opinion – in China and India, Brazil and Russia, Indonesia and Pakistan, in Latin American and Africa, in the Arab countries and even in western Europe – is opposed to these actions.

If favouring the bombing of Libya by the West was not enough, Mr. Siddiqui, apparently in the guise of pointing out U.S. double standards, seems to be proposing that it and its Western allies begin raining death and destruction on other countries of the Middle East as well.

Mr. Siddiqui, and the Star, should be condemning the destruction of yet another country by imperialism and call for a negotiated, peaceful settlement of the various crisis in the Middle East and North Africa by the peoples of the those countries themselves.

Omar Latif
National Coordinator
Committee of Progressive Pakistani-Canadians